Billy's Italian Restaurant Is Moving

[junglechef]

Had lunch there today. Started off with Carpaccio of Veal, nice presentation and flavor, quite traditional even with the substitution of lime for lemon but it was red and looked like the traditional beef carpaccio not the pale color of carpaccio vitello. Next I had the Minestrone Soup which should have been more appropriately called Puree of Pumpkin with potato, carrot and long bean. Not bad but lacked the aromatic vegetables and herbs to give it an Italian flare nor was it seasoned (salt) or have any olive oil flavor or at least if it did it was overpowered by the sweetness of the pumpkin. But most importantly it didn't have any tomato nor any broth. This greenish/yellow thick soup was not minestrone nor resembled it in any way. For once I feel bad criticising a restaurant because they were the nicest people and seemed to really care about their food and customers satisfaction. The waiter, though he was unable to converse more than take an order with the pointing at the menu, was friendly and eager to do a good job. But if you ask why I am continuing it is that I want to give a honest impression of my experience. I finished with the Black Pasta w/Seafood. The sauce was suppose to be tomato based, another traditional dish that has been interpreted many ways before. When it was placed in front of me all I could smell was onion. The one large previously frozen large green mussle was packed with chopped onion sauce, which was more like a garnish for beef dish, and the other shellfish was also so smothered that I couldn't find the clams in their shells.. There was barely any moisture leaving the nice pasta sitting unhappily in substandard shrimp and finely chopped onions. This was also not Italian cuisine. I understand where we are and feel I know what to expect by now but a one person lunch including only what was described above and one water (no alcohol) for over 500 bht this just was not good enough. I'm glad so many people enjoy it here and I wish them all the best but can not recommend Billy's Italian Restaurant with a clear conscience.

Edited May 23, 2013 by junglechef

[Ulysses G.]

I could be wrong about this, but I think that minestrone soup has no set recipe in Italy. It is made from whatever vegetables are in season. In the USA, most places seem to use pretty much the same recipe, so we think of that as being minestrone soup. I have to admit that I prefer the style in the US, but Billy was taught by an Italian that he worked for for many years, so his soup is probably pretty authentic.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[junglechef]

I could be wrong about this, but I think that minestrone soup has no set recipe in Italy. It is made from whatever vegetables are in season. In the USA, most places seem to use pretty much the same recipe, so we think of that as being minestrone soup. I have to admit that I prefer the style in the US, but Billy was taught by an Italian that he worked for for many years, so his soup is probably pretty authentic.

It is made with seasonal veg. and does not have a set recipe but should definitely be vegetables available in Italy to be authentic. It sounds like you might have fallen for the same line I continuously see here especially in many of the local Italian restaurants that because someone is Italian they have the skill sets to prepare proper Italian cuisine, even if they say they are a Chef or not. I doubt they can fix a Ferrari either. But it's not only Italian, once I was served a Tom Yum that was heated evaporated milk with chopped processed ham cooked by a Thai in Thailand and no matter what they said it was not Tom Yum. Thanks for your opinion but saying that you think the soup is probably pretty authentic because the Chef was taught by an Italian is basing your probably pretty authentic opinion on a most probably pretty weak factual basis.

[Ulysses G.]

Sorry. I was not very clear. I think that the soup is authentic because minestrone is vegetable soup with no set recipe which is what you described. I mentioned that Billy was taught by an Italian because minestrone in Italy is quite different from what one usually gets in America.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[junglechef]

Yeah I'm not surprised the American version is different, just look at "Americanized" Chinese cuisine. What I know of Italian food from my experience, which includes a couple of separate month long food-centric trips thru Italy, studying Italian cookery at one of the worlds most prestigious culinary institutions, working in both front and back of the house in more than a half dozen Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills, CA, New York and Boston, which I mention just so you know where I'm forming my opinion from, and this vegetable soup did not have the flavor profile of Italian food, at least that I've ever tasted. I must add that I forgot to mention it also had cabbage which along with the carrots were used as some of the original ingredients in minestrone. Minestra, where the name derived, means soup, and often implies a thick one, so I guess it was a minestra (using lots of culinary license) but am hard pressed after eating other dishes there to be convinced that they understand the history, which is essential to really understanding the food, enough for me to believe that this was their intention with the dish. I often see that someone can show a person how to make a dish but to teach them how to develop a palate (learning taste by training the taste buds if you will) is another thing and the dish can slowly evolves back to the skill level that they knew beforehand. I look at myself and how many years it took me to accomplish what the locals would consider a decent Thai dish and it was the flavoring which took so long to grasp. If one is making Continental food that is missing the salt component so dearly they are clearly not making it correctly.

[Gonzo the Face]

Call it what you may and call it what you want.....

Was the food tasty and bountiful.....was it a comfortable meal to eat and most inportant..... after you had eaten.... were you sated and content.

Matching up ones food to what another one has named it, is ok , but to me secondary.....

For some reason this brings to mind the old Starkist advert......

Haaaayyyy Chaaarlie....... Starkist wants tuna dat tastes good, not tuna with good taste....

Respectfully to all opinions herewith posted.

...and one thing..... went by today about noonish and he was closed until this evening...... is this closing a Friday thing???

Edited May 24, 2013 by Gonzo the Face

[Jose]

Billy's map location

My Favourite Italian food restaurant, "M" - the New Zealand mussels and home-made spinach ricotta ravioli are highly recommended.

[junglechef]

Gonzo you make some good points and funnily how I was thinking afterwards how I didn't feel like I had a good meal. Most probably due to the lack of balance with the flavoring, finishing my meal with an acrid pasta dish. I was not sated nor content especially after spending over 500 bht on a so so meal, because to me price is also a factor when discerning quality.

Edited May 24, 2013 by junglechef

[Gonzo the Face]

Gonzo you make some good points and funnily how I was thinking afterwards how I didn't feel like I had a good meal. Most probably due to the lack of balance with the flavoring, finishing my meal with an acrid pasta dish. I was not sated nor content especially after spending over 500 bht on a so so meal, because to me price is also a factor when discerning quality.

Agreed

To me that would fit into "not content"

[Loaded]

Yeah I'm not surprised the American version is different, just look at "Americanized" Chinese cuisine. What I know of Italian food from my experience, which includes a couple of separate month long food-centric trips thru Italy, studying Italian cookery at one of the worlds most prestigious culinary institutions, working in both front and back of the house in more than a half dozen Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills, CA, New York and Boston, which I mention just so you know where I'm forming my opinion from, and this vegetable soup did not have the flavor profile of Italian food, at least that I've ever tasted. I must add that I forgot to mention it also had cabbage which along with the carrots were used as some of the original ingredients in minestrone. Minestra, where the name derived, means soup, and often implies a thick one, so I guess it was a minestra (using lots of culinary license) but am hard pressed after eating other dishes there to be convinced that they understand the history, which is essential to really understanding the food, enough for me to believe that this was their intention with the dish. I often see that someone can show a person how to make a dish but to teach them how to develop a palate (learning taste by training the taste buds if you will) is another thing and the dish can slowly evolves back to the skill level that they knew beforehand. I look at myself and how many years it took me to accomplish what the locals would consider a decent Thai dish and it was the flavoring which took so long to grasp. If one is making Continental food that is missing the salt component so dearly they are clearly not making it correctly.

I'm glad you didn't enjoy your visit to Billy's

Hopefully, it means you won't be going back.

No doubt the water wasn't authentic as well.

[jonwilly]

"Ms" was my fav for several years.

I considered their Minestrone the best I had ever had. Two good Chefs and decent staff.

I went off Ms following the Floods of a couple of years back when they served a Minestrone soup that was terrible. I complained and was not charged.

Since then I rarely have a cooked meal of an evening so have never been back.

TV Chefs have taught me that Italian food varies from Village to Village, 10 Kms and different dish.

UK's favorite Spag Bol is not served with Spaghetti in Bologna where it originates but the flatter wider Tagiatteli.

Consider Billy's to be Good Food, plesant staff, pity about the Parking Situation.

john

Only visited Italy Once.

[junglechef]

Yeah I'm not surprised the American version is different, just look at "Americanized" Chinese cuisine. What I know of Italian food from my experience, which includes a couple of separate month long food-centric trips thru Italy, studying Italian cookery at one of the worlds most prestigious culinary institutions, working in both front and back of the house in more than a half dozen Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills, CA, New York and Boston, which I mention just so you know where I'm forming my opinion from, and this vegetable soup did not have the flavor profile of Italian food, at least that I've ever tasted. I must add that I forgot to mention it also had cabbage which along with the carrots were used as some of the original ingredients in minestrone. Minestra, where the name derived, means soup, and often implies a thick one, so I guess it was a minestra (using lots of culinary license) but am hard pressed after eating other dishes there to be convinced that they understand the history, which is essential to really understanding the food, enough for me to believe that this was their intention with the dish. I often see that someone can show a person how to make a dish but to teach them how to develop a palate (learning taste by training the taste buds if you will) is another thing and the dish can slowly evolves back to the skill level that they knew beforehand. I look at myself and how many years it took me to accomplish what the locals would consider a decent Thai dish and it was the flavoring which took so long to grasp. If one is making Continental food that is missing the salt component so dearly they are clearly not making it correctly.

I'm glad you didn't enjoy your visit to Billy's

Hopefully, it means you won't be going back.

No doubt the water wasn't authentic as well.

Yeah I'm not surprised the American version is different, just look at "Americanized" Chinese cuisine. What I know of Italian food from my experience, which includes a couple of separate month long food-centric trips thru Italy, studying Italian cookery at one of the worlds most prestigious culinary institutions, working in both front and back of the house in more than a half dozen Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills, CA, New York and Boston, which I mention just so you know where I'm forming my opinion from, and this vegetable soup did not have the flavor profile of Italian food, at least that I've ever tasted. I must add that I forgot to mention it also had cabbage which along with the carrots were used as some of the original ingredients in minestrone. Minestra, where the name derived, means soup, and often implies a thick one, so I guess it was a minestra (using lots of culinary license) but am hard pressed after eating other dishes there to be convinced that they understand the history, which is essential to really understanding the food, enough for me to believe that this was their intention with the dish. I often see that someone can show a person how to make a dish but to teach them how to develop a palate (learning taste by training the taste buds if you will) is another thing and the dish can slowly evolves back to the skill level that they knew beforehand. I look at myself and how many years it took me to accomplish what the locals would consider a decent Thai dish and it was the flavoring which took so long to grasp. If one is making Continental food that is missing the salt component so dearly they are clearly not making it correctly.

I'm glad you didn't enjoy your visit to Billy's

Hopefully, it means you won't be going back.

No doubt the water wasn't authentic as well.

If you can't stand the truth get out of the kitchen