Always a darling of the moneyed crowd, one of the great things about Delicatezza was that it was affordable enough for even us common folk to visit on a regular basis. Unfortunately, with the move to bigger and more glamorous digs, the corresponding increase in prices means that it’s now a “special occasions” sort of place—and even so you might find that your baht is better-spent elsewhere. The mixed antipasto platter, for example, features an assortment of tasty-enough grilled vegetables (zucchini, peppers, eggplant, etc.), but for B399 we expect more than three thin slices of salami and a lonely slice of prosciutto. The vegetable soup is another overpriced example; what was B160 at the former shophouse-wide restaurant is now B240, without a noticeable increase in portion or improvement in taste. And for dessert, owner-chef Paula Charoenphol is still serving her scrumptious ice creams and sorbets, but they will now cost you B210 per scoop. Sticker shock aside, the bigger problem we see is not so much price or portion size but quality (and quality control). While the seafood soup, a spicy-sweet stew laden with fish and shellfish, is a reliable favorite, the fritto misto (fried seafood) we sampled recently was disappointing on all counts: the crust was soggy, the seafood was chewy and the portion skimpy (three prawns, five squid rings and two bony pieces of salmon). As for her normally solid pastas, our penne with “vodka sauce” was nearly up to standard (flavorful, but cooked just a bit beyond al dente), but our fettucini Bolognese was bland and watery. Even worse was the tiramisu, which was frozen solid in the center. At these prices, we expect much better service. The waiters are graceless and forgetful; it took three requests for olive oil before it was finally brought to our table. Overall, while we’re happy for Paula (she certainly deserves her success after all the hard work she’s put into the business), our meal was like the dessert we were served: nice presentation, but the taste left us cold. Corkage B400.
