La Scala at The Sukhothai Bangkok was that kind of restaurant you wouldn’t mind breaking the bank for to eat outstanding traditional Italian fare. So it was a bit heartbreaking for its well-heeled fans when the restaurant announced that it was temporarily closing as part of the Sukhothai Club Wing’s renovation. Months later, La Scala is back, but with a drastically made-over appearance and menu. Instead of the formidable dark-toned setting of its former glory, the new La Scala features a poolside dining room that’s stylishly painted in splashes of red and black, and decorated with terracotta-patterned armchairs that allude to the bygone Sukhothai kingdom. Similarly, the menu ditches tradition, with chef David Tamburini showcasing a wider spectrum of what defines Italian cuisine (there is more to it than carbonara). Fusing conventional ingredients with modern techniques, Tamburini manages to come up with new creations that don’t lose the sense of its origins. For example, inzimino, a Tuscan sauce that’s usually made from spinach or chard, is prepared with kale, and paired with seared scallops, brussel sprouts and crispy black cabbage. Polpo e patate, originally an octopus and potato salad, takes on a more contemporary reincarnation as creamy stuffing encased in crispy deep-fried potato skin. The pasta menu has been overhauled as well. We love the flavors that have gone into the linguine, cooked with langoustine and lemon infusion, and served with grated “almond cheese” (a result of combining almond milk and cocoa powder). Equally satisfying, the smoked eggplant spaghetti is probably the tastiest vegetarian pasta dish you’ll ever have, cooked in eggplant juice and sprinkled with powdered eggplant skin and ricotta. For meat lovers, protein-heavy selections include pan-fried guinea fowl enhanced by sweet yellow pumpkin and preserved grape leaves. Dessert-wise, sweet tooths will definitely love the Tahiti vanilla ice cream served in a chocolate shell and topped with coffee bean-infused cream . Apart from Italian wines, you can also pair your meal with aperitif cocktails such as the Coffee Negroni, which replaces gin with Jamaican rum mixed with Campari, Frangelico and coffee-infused vermouth.
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