Cento Bangkok – Italian Restaurant, Bang Rak
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
Down a side alley behind a gently lit door, Cento Bangkok is a thrilling find. It’s not just because of the contrast between the street and the interior but also because when you enter, the room is alive with energy. It’s how I imagine the prohibition period was—a dramatic contrast to the outside world where all the fun people congregated, escaping the constraints of everyday life and living with … joy.
Cento, located in the heart of Bangkok, is a restaurant inspired by simplicity, offering delicious Italian food in a welcoming atmosphere. Founded by Manuel Palacio, it features Chef Mutaro Balde’s flavourful dishes made with fresh ingredients. The restaurant boasts a vast wine list with over 200 labels, focusing on Italian and classic options alongside several co*cktails. With its name meaning “hundred” in Italian, Cento strives for enduring quality, promising an unforgettable dining experience that celebrates the beauty of keeping things simple.
Cento Bangkok
For serial restaurateur Manuel Palacio, Cento Bangkok brings him full circle to humble beginnings. Renowned for the Pirata Group in Hong Kong, Manuel is a legend in the international hospitality scene, with close to thirty restaurants under his direction! However, Cento Bangkok is a one-off, a passion project, where he returns to not “serving” but “hosting” guests personally. He is on the floor, welcoming guests to his home. For him, this is a one-time deal, a circling back to what hospitality is all about – the guest experience.
And we see it. People take a couple of photos when they arrive – the place is beautiful – but then, phones are put away. Guests eat with enthusiasm. Glasses clink and re-clink. Conversations flow as easily as the wine. There’s a buzz. We’re in with the cool kids, but … there’s no pressure to be cool, only to embrace the evening and enjoy. This is the type of experience I yearn for – no lengthy narrative behind every dish, no chasing artificial recognition, just a pure expression of uncomplicated happiness – eat good food, drink good wine, enjoy good company, and have a good time.
Cento Bangkok Wine List
Cento’s heart can be felt beating in the wine room. Manuel proudly confesses that a lot of wine is consumed at Cento. He believes that wine brings people together. The Italian-dominant list is curated by the owners, who hold no claim to being wine experts but do love to drink it. The collection is organised according to profile rather than region, making for a user-friendly selection. Guests like to visit the wine room, browse and touch the bottles before picking one out for the evening. There is wine by the glass, but not a consistent list. It changes according to what the owners want to try. We look around the room, though, and notice that everyone has bottles on their tables. They are settled in and embracing the food and wine experience. More on our specific choices throughout the meal – as that is how wine should be appreciated (in my opinion) with food.
Cento Bangkok Menu & Prices
Cento Bankgok’s menu changes frequently with seasonal ingredients, the chef’s mood and guest requests. It’s fun and fluid. The ability to hold your direction yet sway with the breeze is something only experience brings. You must be confident in your craft to maintain your philosophy but flex with the times. The menu is described as “mostly Italian.” There are five sections: bread, crudo (raw), small, pasta, grill, sides and after meal. Diners are encouraged to try three to four sections.
Bread
Cartoon is our helpful server, providing just the right amount of kindness and interaction without being intrusive. She clearly loves being here, something reflected in all the staff. The boss is on the floor, fully engaged, and the staff are having just as good a time.
We start our wine choice in northern Italy with a light, easy-drinking 2023 Villa Sparina, Gavi di Gavi, Piemonte (THB 450++). It’s fruit and faint minerals on the nose and lightweight on the palate. Bright and fresh, it’s a well-chosen, uncomplicated aperitif. It’s an excellent mate to our Puffy Bread (THB 290++) with mortadella. The dome of thin bread collapses when we slice in. The tasty ham is salty and a wonderful companion.
Crudo
Appetites whet, we shift to something a little more complicated, from one of Manuel’s favourite wine regions, Sicily. You get great value for money from the island. A native grape, Carricante, is presented by Cusumano, Alta Mora, in the 2021 Etna Bianco (THB 580++). Volcanic influence is obvious, with minerality in both the bouquet and palate. It’s full and round, reaching every crevice in our mouth, yet retains elegance and a lovely crisp finish.
From the Crudo menu, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of Hamachi Crudo (THB 580++) are fanned around the plate. These soft, soft fish slices are done in the chef’s house rub (dukkah-inspired, perhaps?) with a lemon, yuzu, soy, and extra virgin olive oil dressing. From this alone, we infer that the chef is a master saucier—he is French, after all. Thin jalapeño slices lift the flavours with a light spice. This is good stuff.
Next, the classic Vitello Tonnato (THB 650++) is just perfect in its original form. The slim veal shavings resemble a group of tightly knit molehills across the plate. The tuna mayo is elegant. Plentiful capers and a sprinkling of rocket add some green and tang to the top.
Han Sen says he could have the Chicken Liver Pâté (THB 450++) for breakfast every day. Unaware of what he was about to eat – he’s often off shooting the dishes when we’re talking details – he thinks that thick yellow layer on top is cheese, but you know it’s not – it’s butter, and he is delighted. The toasted slices of brioche are perfect holders for the creamy pâté. A dot of blackberry jam adds just the right amount of sweetness, and a speck of sea salt takes it up to sweet, savoury heaven.
Despite sounding rather plain, the Grilled Cabbage (THB 350 ++) is extraordinarily delicious. It’s a roasted half-round of cabbage topped with guanciale (salt-cured pork cheeks) and anchovy butter. The salty, savoury, buttery, charred profile makes it irresistible.
Pasta
All the pasta recipes are homemade and very simple – so says Manuel. However, when the Agnolotti (THB 980) arrives, we can’t help but gasp. These pasta parcels from Italy’s north are traditionally filled with meat or vegetables, a humble recipe. However, this plate is a showstopper. A butterflied giant river pawn centres the dish surrounded by clams, large pasta parcels and a rich seafood sauce. Celebrating Cento’s Thailand home, local seafood is the filling of choice and the protagonist on the plate.
Pici (THB 650++) also comes with an interesting story. There are nine (!) Pici restaurants in Hong Kong named after their signature dish. The long pasta strands made of flour and water from Tuscany are usually served with a heavy tomato sauce, a meat ragu, or garlic chilli breadcrumbs. Cento Bangkok departs from custom, creating its own tradition with local crab and lemon butter. Wow. It’s extraordinarily comforting and extraordinarily delicious. The pasta is the thickness of udon noodles but al dente in texture. Butter coats every strand, but the acidity of the lemon allows us to keep digging back in.
Grill
You’d be well advised to not follow our lead with all of the starters and pasta and skip straight to the mains if you want to order the 1kg T-bone, Bistecca alla Fiorentina (THB 3980). We highly recommend you do – or come with a crowd and get the best of both worlds. KLites – did you see that price? That’s around RM 500 for 1kg (!), and it’s one of the best steaks I’ve had in a very long time. You can jump on a plane, eat this steak, and return to KL highly satisfied, still for less than the price of dining on something of this quality in Malaysia.
A special steak deserves a special wine, and Cento Bangkok usually has a couple on hand by the glass, thanks to the Coravin system. Today, it’s an elegant yet pronounced Bordeaux red. The 2016 Château Haut-Cadet, Saint Emilion Grand Cru (THB 620++ glass) is mostly Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s all the things a good steak wine should be – balanced with well-integrated flavours, structured, elegant and lengthy in the finish. I can’t imagine a better match for our steak.
You might be surprised that the Bistecca alla Fiorentina doesn’t actually come from Italy but much closer to home, Chiang Mai. Last year, we were blown away by the quality of Thai beef in the country’s north. Raised on grass, a cow’s natural diet, free from force-feeding, antibiotics and horrific conditions, these cows taste healthy and delicious! Steak should taste like meat – not a stick of butter in your mouth. This is real meat. Real cows. Real good. It’s not just my opinion either. The team did a blind tasting of over 20 steaks before selecting what to serve in Cento and this one repeatedly came out on top. It comes with roasted potatoes and garlic. We also order Burnt Carrots (THB 320 ++) with mascarpone and house spices for a change of colour.
After Meal
As we prepare for a sweet conclusion, Manuel pours a glass of 2021 Camasella, Primitivo Appassimento from Puglia (THB 450++). It’s softer on the palate than our previous red, full of flavour with cherry, vanilla, spice and all things nice.
From the dessert menu, the 70% Chocolate Mousse (THB 390) looks remarkably heavy but is astonishingly light. The key is quality ingredients. It tastes like real chocolate, not sugar and oil. Olive oil and salt balance the natural sweetness, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is unnecessary but welcome.
The Lemon Tart (THB 420 ++) is described as “Delicious. Period.” We trust their confidence in our final order. Han Sen says, “It’s a moment.” The smooth, tart curd is topped with the most incredibly light cloud of meringue, which softens the lemon’s acidity, allowing us to repeatedly dig back in. It not only looks impressive with its cumulous cloud-like crown but is equally dream-worthy on the tongue.
If you’d prefer a liquid conclusion, the Espresso Martini (THB 450) with Tito’s vodka, espresso, and vanilla is an excellent choice. Champ, our bartender, delivers the co*cktail in a martini glass with a little beaker sitting in a miniature ice bucket on the side—as “backup.” He tells us not to worry if we sip too fast, as there’s more waiting on the side! This is a place to linger longer.
Reasons to visit Cento Bangkok: a happy, vibrant atmosphere; gorgeous design, arranged for an intimate feel while still being part of the upbeat vibe; uncomplicated and delicious food menu; excellent wine list; must order the Bistec alla Fiorentina; Lemon Tart; Manuel and his team turn good food, drink and setting into magic; the place to be in Bangkok.
Cento Bangkok – Italian Restaurant
Number 120 Soi Sala Daeng
1/1 Si Lom, Bang Rak
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Link to Cento Bangkok on Google Maps
centobangkok.com
[emailprotected]
+66 94 567 7779
LINE@centobangkok
Cento Bangkok Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 5:30 pm-midnight
Sunday: 12 – 3 pm & 5:30 pm – 11 pm
Find moregourmet travel recommendations for Thailand here, and stay up-to-date on the latest gourmet and travel happenings around Malaysiavia The Yum List on Instagram hereandThe Yum List on Facebook here.
