Grossi Trattoria

This restaurant might bear the name of Australian Guy Grossi, the owner and chef of Grossi Florentino and Mirka (both in Melbourne), and he might have a strong hand in the menu, but it is his Bangkok chef, Jesse Barnes (who cooked for Grossi for years), who’s doing the work. He’s maintained the highest possible integrity in his earthy Italian cuisine despite local tastes and products. And although Grossi is attached to the Intercontinental, it doesn’t feel like a hotel restaurant—it’s set on the street with its own entrance and benefits from a soaring three-story tall mezzanine. It features lively but elegant trattoria touches (glass showcase, a few mismatched rustic chairs, checked floor), live piano from the bar above and is a perfect people-watching location. Service is faultless, with the Italian maitre d’ displaying a passionate and encyclopedic knowledge of the food when called for, yet remaining an unobtrusive presence otherwise. As for the dishes, some palates may find them too rich, but that’s about our only quibble. We like how Barnes keeps flavors very distinct, so that they blend in your mouth, as opposed to being all stewed down or blended in. There’s the background, often lentils, chickpeas or beans. And then you get that smoothness from the olive oil or the salsa verde, and some acidic tomatoes and/or lemon to balance that out. And finally, he throws in a product of the highest quality, like Castricum Bros. lamb or raw Alaskan scallops. The burrata, a light, creamy, almost airy cheese, has its fattiness offset by the preserved lemon and gets a sharp boost of fragrance from the Sicilian anchovies, which put all the other anchovies we’ve ever had to shame. With generous portions and divine home-baked breads, it can all get a bit overwhelming, though. For example, we’re not sure we really need the small dollops of foie gras butter with the otherwise stunning kingfish carpaccio (with dried capers, borlotti beans and salsa verde). Grossi is a pretty irresistible combination of powerful, carefully balanced flavors, great atmosphere and prices we can still afford. Corkage B800.