Vivaldi

Located on the 4th floor of Amari Atrium, the wooden beamed ceiling hints of an Italian farmhouse kitchen. This modern Italian trattoria was named after composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). As a tribute to Venice the city of his birth, oversized playful carnival masks have been incorporated into the d?cor, a tasteful combination of classic and modern. Stone pillars matched with modern sculpture, soft lighting and easy style rattan furniture. Vivaldi’s opera a key element of the playful Venetian carnival plays softly and is key in setting the mood. The mood is set light, relaxed, warm and comfortable with the sophistication of the northern Italian town. The distinctive showpiece is a charcoal oven to freshly bake a selection of five pizzas.

Chef Rene Balmer Swiss by birth but with an Italian step-mother has a passion for contemporary lighter healthy cooking, replacing butter with olive oil and serving freshly cooked vegetables rather than condiments with his dishes. All the pasta used is homemade.

Before the meal maybe choose one of the ten classic cocktails at B180 or a longer drink at the same price. Monday to Saturday the daily changed Business Lunch menu is good value at B 350 net including dessert or B300 without dessert.

Their a la carte menu has too many temptations. To start I opted for Petto D’Anatara Con Insalta di Fungi E Tartufi Neri (Thin slices of duck breast with black truffles with mushroom salad) B270 delicious and light. While my companion tried Carpaccio Di Branzino E Salmone Con Salsa D’Arancia E Insalata Di Lenticchie (Carpaccio of red snapper and salmon on a spinach and orange dressing with a lentil salad B230.

Onto the selection of Pasta and Risotto. Spaghetti Del Buongustaio (spaghetti with scallops and salmon eggs on a basil cream sauce) B240 was al dente. My spoon glided with ease through the pan-fried goose liver served with spinach tagliatelle noodles Tagliatelle Notte Verde B310. And the Risotto Nero Alla Chmapgne (Black risotto with crayfish and fresh tomatoes) was appetizing.

For my main course I had the Brasato Di Cosce D’Agnello Al Rosmarino E Polenta Al Sapore D’Alio Cotto Al Forno E Papardelle Di Verdura (Braised leg of lamb (a whole knuckle joint) in a rosemary gravy on a bed of creamed polenta served with baked garlic and vegetable paradelle) B440 was cooked perfectly. The lamb is well matched with the polenta tasting like creamy mashed potatoes. My companion had opted for the Medaglioni Di Trota Con Spinaci E Caviale Con Una Salsa Fini Di Promodoro (pan fried trout medallions layered with spinach, topped with caviar and served on a fine tomato butter sauce) B330. This is an ideal choice for someone conscious of his or her waste line that still enjoys eating good food.

No matter how much I’ve eaten before I can always make room for a dessert, but the choice isn’t easy. Finally I settled for a very light Mousse Al Caffe Con Liquore Tia Maria (coffee mouse topped with a Tia Maria foam served in a hand made chocolate espresso) cup B170. Luckily my companion opted for the classic Italian dessert Tirami Su B170 allowing me to have just a small taste.

Wine is available by the glass B145++ or a glass for the house wine, Lost Horizon (the wine of the month) B195++ a glass and bottle is B1, 000 ++.

The service is attentive, stylish and efficient, complimenting the food and setting.

Vivaldi The Atari Atrium Hotel,
1880 New Petunia Road, Bengali,
Hay Wang, Bangkok 10320,
Tel (66-2) 255-3767, fax (66-2) 718-2002