Acqua Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Sardinian Chef, a Bangkok Address, and Fourteen Years in the Making

Acqua Restaurant is the Bangkok chapter of a story that began on Phuket's Kalim Bay. After more than a decade on the island, chef-owner Alessandro Frau made a deliberate move to the capital: "I wanted to be in the centre of the stage, which is Bangkok." The result is a 60-seat fine dining room on Soi Somkid in Ploenchit — more upscale and refined than the Phuket original, yet unmistakably shaped by the same hand.

The space announces itself quietly. Guests walk through a garden shaded by mature trees before stepping inside a room where the design — conceived by Frau himself — evokes water through texture, colour and light, in keeping with the restaurant's name: acqua, Italian for water. Large French windows frame garden views, and the atmosphere is warm and relaxed without sacrificing elegance. A private room is available for smaller gatherings.

The Kitchen: Italy Reimagined Through an Asian Lens

Frau, who hails from Sardinia and grew up in southern Italy, cooks Italian cuisine that is rooted in centenary regional recipes and reinterpreted with contemporary technique. Ingredients are sourced predominantly from Italy, with select produce from France, Spain and Japan — a supply chain that reflects the menu's philosophy: quality of ingredient first, everything else second.

The signature degustation, titled Memories and After, traces Frau's own journey from southern Italy to Southeast Asia. It opens with Sicily Meets Japan — raw Sicilian red prawns (Rosso di Mazara) and Amaebi alongside smoked mozzarella, sea urchin sauce and squid ink — a dish that sets the tone for what follows. Squid cut into tagliatelle ribbons, marinated with mint and extra virgin olive oil, arrives topped with Siberian caviar: cool, light, precise. Sardinian smoked eel is served with a sweet-and-sour white balsamico sauce and pickled vegetables, a nod to the northern Italian nervetti tradition, refined for this room.

The progression deepens: a wild mushroom risotto with foie gras and snails conjures the chef's childhood memory of foraging on rainy days; burrata-stuffed tortelli encloses wagyu beef cheeks braised sous vide for 72 hours, finished with fresh black truffle, Parmigiano Reggiano fondue and 25-year-aged balsamic. The dessert — Memories of "Fior di Latte" — closes the meal with a milk semifreddo inspired by the ice cream Frau ate at markets as a child in Italy.

The à la carte menu is equally considered, running from raw Sicilian red prawns and scallop carpaccio with black truffle through to Mediterranean red mullet pan-fried with a breadcrumb crust and oregano from Pantelleria island, and pasta dishes that span both the Italian and Japanese pantries.

The Cellar and the Recognition

The wine programme earned Acqua Bangkok a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2023 — a distinction that reflects the breadth of a list spanning over 780 labels from around the world. Wine pairing is offered alongside the degustation menu.

Frau himself was named Asia-Pacific's Top Chef at the NOW Travel Asia Awards 2024, and in November 2025 received a 2-Knife recognition from The Best Chef Awards — acknowledgements that place this Sicilian-Italian table firmly among the most serious fine dining addresses in the region.