Francesco Deiana, the Italian head chef at Via Maris in Silom, will proudly tell you that the Mediterranean food he creates at the restaurant is not authentic.
He does this with a cheeky smile, adding: “We don’t want to be authentic.” Rather, Deiana clarifies — the team that runs Via Maris wants to take foundational flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, and combine them in unexpected ways to result in something that sets them apart.
Apparently, it works. Before we went in to try it for ourselves, we’d even heard from a handful of people familiar with the restaurant that the dishes here are “brave.”
The upscale Silom eatery opened a year ago in what used to be one half of award-winning cocktail bar Vesper. The two share space and a management team, the same team behind il Fumo, Vesper, and La Dotta.
With flavors coming from the various regional cuisines of Spain, Italy, North Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean, the restaurant takes its name from a centuries-old trade route. The decor, however, is more modern, featuring white brick and marble with pops of turquoise, orange, and white that recall the sea and sun of the region they are interpreting.
The vintage art on the walls, specials written on the wall-sized chalkboard — and a great soundtrack that pairs Common with Bauhaus — all add to the homey atmosphere here.
As dishes began to arrive from the kitchen, we soon realized it would be a meal we would remember.
The first dish to arrive was one of their signature, name-making ones. The Cauliflower Steak (THB390) is a half-head of cauliflower that arrived stabbed through with a steak knife in a pool of labneh — a Greek yogurt cheese dip– and cumin tomato, like some kind of gourmet crime scene.
Deiana explained that the cauliflower is cooked three times to mellow the toughness associated with the back-on-trend veggie. He shared that the half head is first poached in milk, then roasted for about four hours. Just before it hits the table, it’s grilled at high temperatures and arrives charred like a steak.
Moments later, a bowl of fluorescent purple dip arrived with triangles of warm pita. This was the Spiced Beet, Yogurt, and Feta Dip (THB290). The beets were subtle, their earthy flavor wholly flattened out by the five-hour roasting process, and softened even further by the addition of greek yogurt. The dish’s pop was provided by the tangy hunks of feta on top. When eaten together on the pita: The two elements were pretty satisfying.
Up next was one of those ballsy dishes that we’d heard about — the Via Maris Octopus (THB580). The single, large grilled octopus tentacle is a bit disconcerting when it lands on your table. We took it was a direct challenge and dug in. While not overly tough, it did have an extra savory, meaty quality that was reinforced by it having been marinated in smoked paprika. The tentacle is then grilled until crispy and served over chickpeas and sultana raisins.
Before we knew it, the large tentacle had been replaced by the Cured Mackerel (THB540). The fish is cured in-house for three hours before being soaked in cold olive oil for at least a few weeks and served tartare-style. This dish sounds like one for adventurous types, but the taste is more pleasant and mild than expected. The hunks of tender uncooked fish are spiced with harissa and the side of mashed sweet potato tastes clean and sweet. Also on the plate are three kinds of oil: black olive, harissa, and coriander.
Because it’s cured, this dish will likely appeal to lox lovers. So many tastes and are represented on this plate: sweet, salty, savory, and spicy. Not to mention, it’s pretty darn healthy.
As we taste, we can see how this became a fan favorite. In fact, Deiana explained to us that this had been an occasional special but was so often requested it was added to the regular menu, which is changed seasonally, giving fans ongoing reasons to stop in and see what’s new.
Still not full, a pasta course rolled out next. The Pork Ribs Fileja (THB390) is firm ropes of Calabrian hand-rolled pasta, made of just semolina and water, according to Deiana. This was, by far, the most classic of the dishes we tried. All the traditional flavors were there: tomato, pecorino romano, basil, and pork. This provided almost a respite from all the more unconventional things we’d tried and is highly recommended if you bring along a friend with a less adventurous palate.
On to sweets: We tried the Bomboloni Nutella (THB220) and a few scoops of Mediterranean Delights Ice Cream (THB240). The two (thankfully) petite deep-fried doughnuts arrived light, hot, crispy, and ever-so-slightly lemony. They were stuffed with Nutella that oozed out when we cut them. A scoop of sweet fig ice cream with chunks of fruit appeared atop a scoop of pistachio, which had salt as well as sugar, making it pretty perfect.
Via Maris also offers weekday set lunches (starting at THB290), a la carte Sunday brunch (starting at THB290), and a couscous night on Wednesdays (starting at THB390), when they offer six kinds of couscous main dishes.
As we stepped back onto Convent Road, we were already planning our return visit to this inauthentic — but wholly loveable — gem.
FIND IT:
Via Maris
10/15 Convent Rd.
Silom
BTS Sala Daeng
Hours: weekday lunch 12-2:30pm, dinner daily, 5:30-11pm, Sunday brunch 11:30am-4pm
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