The fresh produce that the Four Seasons Hotel uses

One of the hallmarks of a well-patronized restaurant is the passion and dedication of a staff that is driven by a chef whose fervor is seen in his guiding presence. And this presence is seen in the open kitchen and talking to the customers who already expect him to drop by their table and look after their needs.

This is so with Chef Danilo Aiassa, a very young chef from Tuscany who was recruited by the Four Seasons in Bangkok to take the reins of their Italian outlet “Biscotti.” What is good with Chef Danilo is that he is someone that grew up and knows the origins of farm produce, his family being landowners in Tuscany. As his story goes, each person in their farm is assigned tasks from tending cows, growing and harvesting vegetables, to making cheeses which his grandmother specializes in.

The cuisine at Biscotti is very straightforward and unpretentious. What gives it the signature Four Seasons trademark are the prime ingredients Chef Danilo works with. 

At lunch, a variety of antipasti is laid out with a choice of courses and desserts wherein the hot antipasti is no more than seconds away, cooked from the open kitchen or from the stone burning oven.

The cold appetizers make use of pristine fruits, vegetables, choice cured meats, and cheeses. This philosophy of freshness follows through until dinner which I just had to go back for the next time I am in Bangkok.

Chef Danilo gave an excellent suggestion on starters. We had a rocket salad with artichokes, dried and cherry tomatoes, taggrasche olives, and shaved parmesan. The organic roquetta or rocket greens were tender and not bitter but were only delicately peppery and were highlighted with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. This went very well with a foccaccia with mascarpone and truffle oil that was gold-crusted and thin with the aroma of toasted cheese wafting through our table.

A soft shell crab salad with very fresh leaves had a lightly creamy fennel and herb dressing. The crisp battered soft shell crab was a good contrast to the soft greens that was sewed together with the crab.

For our secondipiatti, I looked for something more rustic than the plated main courses I sampled for lunch such as the tender braised veal shank or the pan-seared sea bass. This time I was yearning for the handmade cavatelli which the chef cooked with porcini mushrooms, again those very sweet cherry tomatoes, and a buttery sauce of basil and mascarpone.

Gino, my son, ordered a hefty calzone with a bubbly dough exterior and some stringy taleggio cheese, topped with ribbons of paper-thin sliced San Danielle ham. My daughter, Giannina, had the smaller portions of risotto with toasted onion cream and brown veal sauce with its grains of rice done to a precise bite. We washed this down with one of their house favorites, a Dogajolo 2007, which is a Tucsan IGT sangiovese and cabernet blend. Medium-bodied with hints of spice and red fruits, this wine lifted the cheesy and creamy notes of the pasta, risotto, and calzone.

To cap, Chef Danilo’s meal, we ordered the gianduja tortino with hazelnut crisps, a smooth mousse cake laced with pistachio foam and textured with hazelnut brittle. This was partnered with a tonka bean ice cream that was woody and maple-like in character. The other dessert that capped the wonderful evening was a vanilla cream tart topped with assorted fresh berries and paired off with a coffee gelato. Bravo Chef Danilo!