It’s the dream of many hotel chefs to run their own standalone restaurant, but very few actually have the ability and then the opportunity to make that move. For Marco Cammarata, it took 20 years of working for other people before he was finally able to see his name on a restaurant’s front door.

“This is the moment of truth!” exclaims the native of Torino, who at 35 still retains his boyish looks and seemingly boundless energy. For the last six years “Marco” was the face of Rossini’s, which became one of Bangkok’s best Italian restaurants under his watch. As word spread of his talents, he built up a large following and received offers to work elsewhere.

But he was waiting for the right opportunity. “I could have gone to another country, but it didn’t make sense. I stayed at Rossini for six years because I want to be here in Thailand. And I wanted to have my own place, but it had to be the right place.”

One of the factors that convinced him was the location, on the ground floor of the mammoth Siam Paragon complex. Being in the biggest shopping mall in Southeast Asia gives Chef Marco the chance to reach a much wider audience. “It suits my vision. I don’t just wanna cook. I’ve always had big dreams. For me this is about promoting Italian culture, trying to be at the top for Italian cuisine—in town, in the country, in Asia, in the world.”

Modern and minimalist with glass walls on three sides, a long open kitchen and a second-floor wine bar that overlooks the dining room, the atmosphere at Bel Guardo suits Chef Marco’s cuisine, which is undoubtedly Italian but modern Italian, especially when it comes to presentation.

“There is more than just spaghetti, you know. There are so many different ways of cooking. There are different varieties of cheese, and we want to promote them. We want to promote a greater variety of regional dishes. We want to promote a different way of presenting this food.”

The menu is modest in size but features gems such as a refreshing salad of watermelon, pink grapefruit, fennel and basil (B230), “simple” soups and pastas tarted up with luxury ingredients like green pea soup with seared foie gras and prawns (B600) or black truffle gnocchi with Castelmagno cream (B350) and superb seafood mains like grilled ocean trout with green asparagus and marsala-tomato fumet (B750).

After our luxurious lunch and an espresso, we chat with Chef Marco.

What does “Bel Guardo” mean?
It means good “look”—so a good view, a nice panorama. The walls are all windows, so you can see out and you can see in. The kitchen is open, so you can see the show of the cook and the cook can see the guests. And upstairs in the wine lounge you can really see things. It’s like you’re on top of a hill.

How does it feel to have your name on the window out front?
That is something I definitely wanted. Over the last 10 years I have met many people here. By putting my name there I want people to understand that this is my promise. It is like a “warranty.”

Compared to Rossini’s, this modern décor, music, location—is this closer to your true personality? Does it suit your food better?
The atmosphere over there was fantastic, but it was just different. Here the food looks so beautiful in this type of light. Over there maybe it was a little dark.

Does this environment inspire you to make your food differently?
Yeah, exactly. I think a bit more about what I put on the plate and the way I put it on the plate. It doesn’t have anything to do with the content of the food, but the design is a little bit different. Lately I’ve been liking more clean, more light, more minimalist.

Now we get to see you in action. How do you like working in an open kitchen?
I like it very much. In a kitchen like this it has to be very clean, very organized. It’s more of a challenge, but I like it much better.

You can tell us: Where do you go in the mall for a quick bite when you’re hungry?
Here!

Dining Details

Take a break from your shopping and enjoy the view at Bel Guardo. Open daily 10:30am-11pm, G/F Siam Paragon, 02-610-9380/-1. AMEX, DC, JCB, V