Aldos Mediterranean Bistro and Wine Bar

Aldo's is a signature restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine where the service and ambiance extends to the adjacent landscaped pool deck with enclosed salas that are guest favorites when dining at the restaurant.

The restaurant is located at the Ascott Sathorn Hotel, while situated at The Cascade Club, that occupies the sixth and seventh floors. Aldo's offers a delightful dining area and a bar with views of the city while connected to a lovely pool area with a cascading waterfall that adds to a soothing atmosphere. One highlight of the restaurant are the nine poolside teak cabanas or salas, each named after a different grape variety and enclosed with mosquito nets, having their own individual ceiling fans and of course, wi-fi.

As an extension of this "next-generation" health club and spa, I was curious to see exactly what kind of food was offered, and equally important, what did they charge customers for the dining experience. With a place that offers members cardiovascular training equipment with individual monitors, headphones and personalized flat screen TV's built into every piece of equipment and things like a group exercise studio fitted with a professional standard Canadian Maplewood sprung aerobic floor system, I was concerned that the cost of a meal would be somewhere in the stratosphere. Fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. .

Cuisine is Mediterranean with a menu that is updated on a regular basis to reflect the freshest fruits and vegetables available for the season. Salads are visually enticing, such as, the Soft-Shell Crab Salad that is deliciously light and offers a soft crunchy taste at each bite. It is complemented by a mango, walnut and tomato salsa while the Wellness Director's Salad is equally enjoyable. Offered primarily to members and not on the menu, it is available to all guests by request. This refreshing dish offers fresh tuna from Japan sitting atop a glorious salad of seasonally fresh fruits, avacado & greens and was enjoyed immensely by one of my guests during our afternoon of cuisine tasting.

One of the appetizers has the name Timbale, which actually means thimble or cone and the thimble-shaped mold has layers of food, and in this case, avacado, kiwi, pomelo and crab are layered while seasoned with lime, ginger and coriander. As we move on to the main courses, the Coq au Vin, or rooster in wine, offers tender chicken with mushrooms, baby onions and gratinated potatoes cooked in a Burgundy red wine, making it understandably one of the house favorites. Mediterranean Lamb Shank Stew is another signature dish not to be missed, while it is slowly cooked in red wine with black olives and tomatoes it is accompanied by pasta and vegetables. For those, that are fans of quality duck, the Imported Roasted French Duck Breast with sauteed potatoes, mushroom, and raspberry gravy is suberb and for those hearty carnivores, don't pass up the Grilled Australian Angus Beef Rib Eye served with a mushroom sauce and potatoes. Seafood dishes like the Tiger Prawn Ravioli and the Grilled Mediterranean Red Tuna with rocket salad, spinach, green pea mousse and Merlot sauce are also specialties that are in demand every night. After an enjoyable meal, the dessert selection is extensive and offers crepes, mousses, cheese and chocolate cakes and ice cream. Some favorites are the Warm Melting Chocolate Cake served with berry fruit sorbet and a decadent Poached Pear in white wine with pistachio financeier.

The selection of wine is more than adequate with an impressive range of no-nonsense Italian reds and free world choices, and like the cuisine you may shake your head at the extremely reasonable prices. With our meal. we selected a bottle of wine that I was familiar with and normally over my limited budget but the wine was priced much less than most places around town. Our choice was the Hugo Casanova Reserva 2006, a Chilean vintage that offers a complex bouquet with aromas of intense ripe plum, chocolate, and sweet vanilla, a result of the sweet oak barrel aging. The color, a bright intense ruby red with a taste reflecting a medium body with an abundance of fruits. The result was pleasing to all four in our group as the wine was both elegant and delicate. After your meal, you may select from a nice choice of Lavazza coffee or Ronnefeldt Teas.

In conclusion, Aldo's also offers a very nice Business Lunch where portions are the same size as served on the dinner menu but only cost 300/350 baht for 2 course or 3 course meals. This restaurant is a class act but without the exorbitant prices one might expect.

Open daily: 1am - 11pm

Accepts Major Credit Cards

Crabcakes	Mediterranean Lamb Shank Stew
Imported Roasted French Duck Breast	Wellness Director's Salad with fresh Tuna

.... APPETIZERS ....

Mozzarella and Tomatoe Gratinees
with basil

Sausage in Brioche
with port wine sauce

Riviera Salad
with eggplant, bell pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Chickpea Cream
with croutons


.... MAIN COURSES ....

Pizza
with tomato, cooked ham, pineapple, broccoli and mozzarella cheese

Aldo’s Sandwich
with avocado, parmesan, eggplant, rocket salad and coppa

Beef lasagna
with tomato and béchamel sauce

Roasted Baby Chicken
served with Mushroom sauce

Tuna Steak Nicoise
with tomato, beans, bell pepper, anchovy, black olive and lemon


.... DESSERTS ....

Mint chocolate ice cream
with almond tuiles

Fruit Salad
with red wine flavored with vanilla and mint

Logan tart

Our lunch time special wine by the glass red or white 190 Baht

Two courses 300 Baht, Three courses 350 Baht

Plus 10% Service Charge and 7% VAT
Exclusive of coffee and tea

Available from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm Monday to Friday

 

Olivier Castella
Executive Chef
Aldo's Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar

Olivier Castella was born in May of 1968 in France. His formal education in culinary aldosbkk.chef.animarts started in 1983-1985 with the Brevet d’Etudes Professionel equal to city and guilds 717/2 Technical School Certificate (Lycee Technique Hotelier Thonon-les-bains France). In 1985 he went on to receive Capacite d’Aptitude Professionel equal to city and guilds 717/1 vocational training certificate and in 1985 - 1987 he attended the Brevet Technicien Hotelier equal to Higher National Diploma (Lycee Technique Hotelier Thonon-les-bains France). In 1987 he went on to receive Capacite d’Aptitude Professionel equal to city and guilds 707/1 vocational training certificate and began his career as an executive chef in leading hotels and private homes of the rich and famous in many parts of the world.

His career included working at the famous Monolith City Club, Russia’s premier and only private members club situated in the heart of Moscow, just 10 minutes from the Kremlin. Club members numbering almost 1,000 of the most influential Russian and International Businessmen and women including members of the Russian Government, the Arts and the Diplomatic corps.

While working as Executive Chef at the Monolith, he received the wife of The Russian President Mr. Vladamir Putin, Maestro Rastropowitch, the President of Nigeria, serving ministers of the Duma (Russian government), as well as the Business, Academic, Industrial and Diplomatic Leaders in Moscow.

From 1988 to 1990, he was employed by Baron Von Zitzewitz as a private chef and head of the kitchen where he served H.H. Prince Serge of Yugoslavia and H.H. Princess of Thailand. Not only working for many Business Leaders and Ambassadors serving in Thailand and China.

He also worked with such famous French chefs on the French Riviera as Dominique Le Stanc from the Negresco Hotel in Nice, Stephane Raimbault from L’Oasis, La Napoule and Louis Outhier.

His last assignment was the Praduu SPA club, where he prepared dinner for the wife of X-Prime Minister Mr. Taksin Shinawat, Deputy minister, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy and numerous Hong Kong and International movies stars.

Now, working as Aldo’s Executive Chef and head of F&B operations, he has also had the opportunity to prepare dinner for executives, CEO's, business learders, diplomats, and world dignitaries, such as, HRH the King Gustav of Sweden and H.H. princess of Thailand.