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Published on January 27, 2008

Along with giving diners the experience of various kinds of olive oil, the promotion also aims to provide the full taste of Sicily.

Sicilian olive oils have been brought in, as well as wines and cheeses, all under the guidance of a well- known Sicilian master chef.

Chef Pino Stancampiano has been a major force in the promotion of Sicilian cuisine ever since he opened his La Scuderia in Palermo in 1967. Located in a residential area near a racecourse, the restaurant has become a meeting place for those who have come to value Sicilian cuisine.

Since then, he has opened La Capannina also in Palermo. This restaurant is a bit smaller. La Scuderia, he admits, is his main restaurant, from which he travels the world lecturing, demonstrating, teaching the glories of Sicilian cuisine.

For Lord Jim's, Stancampiano has created a menu of dishes that are determinedly Sicilian. "Traditional Sicilian dishes use the freshest products of Sicily, the fish, the vegetables, the meats," he says.

Although in his restaurant, he's introduced "modern Sicilian" - dishes basically Sicilian but incorporating products from other countries, in Bangkok, "there is no caviar, no salmon in my dishes", he smiles, "only traditional Sicilian fare".

By traditional, he's thinking of the Sicilian housewife going through her cupboard to plan the day's meals. Think pasta dishes such as pappardelle alla Norma (Bt340), pappardelle with basil and aubergines topped with ragusano cheese. This cheese, much more forthright than the much milder Parmesan, is made from a special breed of Sicilian cow. Stancampiano is sure of the quality. He travels constantly throughout the island in search of the best products for his restaurant, he says.

For main courses during the promotion, Stancampiano offers such dishes as black-eye tuna, sword fish, veal and slow-roasted lamb.

"All these are part of Sicilian 'kitchen cuisine'," he says. On the menu, well-known chef Chalie Amatyakul has added a section of Thai dishes using Sicilian olive oil, such as naam prig naam lieb (Bt390), yam ma-khuea yaow (Bt370) and pla thod see-eew (Bt690), just to show people that you can still enjoy Thai cuisine and the healthful benefits of olive oil.

Save room for dessert. Stancampiano has prepared some memorable sweets. His gelato cassata (Bt350) might look like an ice cream ball, but in reality, it's balls within balls - ricotta, cream, pistachios and almond paste. The olive oil promotion will continue until Thursday. Stancampiano's menu is available for both lunch and dinner.

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation