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We had just been served our meals when the lights
were dimmed. There was a stir in the open kitchen before a procession
of fifteen waiters, cooks and kitchen-hands, lead by Italian Chef
Paolo Boi, emerged singing the Happy Birthday song with full vigour.
A man sitting at the table behind us blushed and nervously looked
around the room, only to find the troupe coming his way. His expression
changed to delight once he realized the special treatment was in
his honour. The birthday boy was a guest staying at the JW
Marriott Resort and Spa, who decided to top-off his special
day with an Italian meal at Cucina. The birthday song was, to say
the least, unexpected in such a chic establishment, but it goes
to show that in Thailand, nothing is as it seems.
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Aesthetically, the design of Cucina resembles a quaint Italian
square and this lay out evoked quite a conversation among my party.
From the dining area the view up to the mezzanine level shows terraced
windows exactly as you find them in a small Italian village. An
intimate atmosphere is created by soft candlelight that radiates
from classic pillar candles and uniquely large glass lamps placed
in the middle of the tables. Admittedly, these elegant lamps can
tend to block your view of the person sitting opposite, until they
are removed to make room on the table. Without the light from the
lamps, reading the menu may be difficult for weak eyes, but the
personable waiters are able to attach small candelabras to the side
of the table, so there is no sacrifice of mood for vision.
When we arrived, the popular Italian dance music seemed a little
incompatible with this intimate ambience, but later the emotion
was lifted by Antonio, an Argentine classical guitarist, who roamed
the floor singing timeless Italian barcarolles. Antonio was, of
course, involved with the tableside birthday serenade and raised
the level of the performance somewhat, although the fun-loving staff
was all too happy to break into song.
Our first palatable treat was some fresh, crusty bread served with
pure extra virgin olive oil. Chef Paolo relayed a story about his
search for a decent olive oil in Phuket, only to find that all brands
were substandard to his requirements. He has opted to import the
oil directly from Italy and he adds that approximately 80% of the
food prepared at Cucina is made from goods that have been imported
to Phuket
from northern Thailand
and Italy.
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Our appetizers included an antipasti that had a wonderful mix of
colour, texture and zesty flavours. The bruschetta was light and
pleasantly tangy alongside a fine bottle of Gavi di Gavi Montafreddo
2000. Perhaps it was the excitement of the serenade or that the
restaurant was fairly busy, but for some reason one person in our
party received his appetizer while the three of us took our entrées.
There was no drama involved, except that the three of us then drooled
over our colleague’s meal of clams and mussels in garlic and
parsley olive oil. We ordered seabass with onions, tomato sauce
and chili, beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce and farfalle
with asparagus, basil and ricotta cheese. While all our meals were
extremely tasty and well prepared, we all agreed that it was not
the most exciting Italian we’d had; the menu is basic and leaves
room for improvement. Speaking to Chef Paolo, we came to understand
a bit more about the restaurant and the quality of cuisine. Cucina
opened last December with a very enthusiastic staff that Chef Paolo
has been training in order to bring them to the standard one expects
of a food and beverage outlet in a JW Marriott hotel. The restaurant
is young and as previously mentioned, appropriate materials are
hard to come by, but Chef Paolo is excited about the future when
his menu will feature more sophisticated courses.
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Our main meal was accompanied by an outstanding bottle of red,
a Chianti Classico Castello Banfi 1999 and we savoured each drop
throughout our meal until it was time for dessert. We indulged in
classic Tiramisu, frozen sabayon with a caramel frosting, and an
intriguing creation of ice cream spaghetti with strawberry sauce
and coconut. The desserts were all delectable and brought our evening
to a sweet high that was prolonged by a round of aromatic Italian
coffees.
The dining experience at Cucina was entirely enjoyable despite
a little glitch in the timely service of the food. The birthday
party had dined at Cucina the previous night and opted to return
for the special occasion. Patrons like these suggest that Cucina
is indeed a worthy location for a celebration of age, love or success
and with Chef Paolo’s drive to raise the esteem of the restaurant
to higher levels, we can expect that a table at Cucina will be regarded
as one of the hottest on the island.
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