Saigon’s Beloved Basilico Undergoes Re-Imagining to Emphasize Authentic Italian Cuisine

“We are Italians, we do pretty much what we want,” said Chef Francesco Leone when pressed for his vision of Basilico. “If you want to transmit authenticity and the feeling of Italian food by making Basilico a small section of Italy in Saigon, then you need to reflect Italy in the ambiance, but mostly in the food.”

Born in Corato, Southern Italy, Francesco is adamant about serving authentic food as it was envisioned in his home country. “If you want to defend yourself as a chef, a restaurant or a brand, you need to maintain your authenticity … if customers don’t like it, they don’t like it, and I’m really sorry about that.”

More than 15 years after it first opened, Basilico is receiving an extensive makeover with a menu created by Francesco that perfectly matches the new interior. While a few menu items remain for the guests who have been coming since those early days, Francesco is committed to bringing flavors and preparations he learned at culinary school and Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy to the newly renamed JW Marriott Saigon.

Francesco sat with Saigoneer earlier this month to walk us through the new menu, pointing out with pride the changes and additions he has made that allow him to oversee meals at Basilico that maintain Italy’s culinary reputation. 

Leaving Italy, But Not Leaving Italy Behind

We cannot say that cooking is in Chef Francesco Leone’s blood. While he did help his mother prepare the family’s Sunday cakes, he comes from a family of accountants, so his decision to attend culinary school was a radical departure from expectations. Oddly, his decision to move to Southeast Asia after several years working his way up the rungs in esteemed restaurants in Italy was not unusual for his family. Francesco has several relatives in the region who encouraged him to enter the international culinary scene, which has developed rapidly here over the past several decades. 

As he transitioned from resorts in the Philippines, Singapore, and most recently, central Vietnam, he refined his craft alongside a determination to introduce people to authentic Italian cuisine. This often involves dispelling previous misconceptions, such as the acceptability of adding cream to carbonara as a shortcut to achieving a rich, smooth texture. 

“When I saw it, I wanted to pull out my hair. I already don't have hair, but I wanted to pull out my hair,” Francesco said of the burrata on the previous Basilico menu. Leon completely changed the recipe, removing the berry jam and reverting to an authentic simplicity that involves the fresh cheese alongside heirloom cherry tomatoes, Roman tomatoes, Parma ham, and a balsamic reduction. Many of the items on Basilico’s new menu retain old names but feature completely different preparations, ingredients, and presentations. For example, an international-style sandwich was replaced with one featuring 18-month Parma ham, mortadella, coppa, and spicy salami. Meanwhile, the pizzas are no longer flatbread-esque but on their way to being true Napoletana-style thanks to a new pizza oven prominently placed in the open kitchen.

Alongside these reinvigorated recipes are dishes completely new to Basilico. For example, the pasta menu has been fully revitalized, including the linguine al pomodoro, which features hand-made linguine pasta tossed in cherry tomato sauce and basil finished with parmesan cheese. A new crab pasta reflects the reality that it’s not reasonable or even possible to import only Italian ingredients, and some of the local ones are great too. Thus, Cà Mau mud crab is served with hand-made spaghetti and Stracciatella cheese while the hand-made bigoli pasta complements Nhin Thuận flower crab. Similarly, Francesco praises the octopuses that are caught and prepared in Japan and used in a seafood salad, a tagliatelle, and an organic saffron risotto.

The Role of Creativity in the New Menu

In explaining his culinary philosophy, Francesco is most concerned with defending traditional flavors and can be less dogmatic regarding presentation, particularly when it coincides with the elevated decor and expectations of diners who consider the visit a special occasion. Thus, he embraces the opportunity for one-of-a-kind presentations that are fit for social media.

The soups, for example, are prepared at each table so the merging of beetroot, which turns the conventional stuffed pasta a shocking shade of pink. Such attention to unexpected experiences underscores Basilico’s understanding of what elevated cuisine means. For example, in Italy, a seafood salad is presented as a singular mix in a large bowl, colors and flavors can delight diners and online friends. Meanwhile, the ravioli recipe at Basilico is more refined with each ingredient marinated and presented individually. “It’s the exact same dish, but with an elevated touch,” Francesco summarizes. 

Basilico also allows Francesco to express his personal creativity. While again adhering to the flavors and textures Italians expect, he tweaks and embellishes recipes in ways that modern Italian restaurants are familiar with. For example, the amatriciana pizza captures the flavors of the similarly named pasta sauce via a San Marzano tomato sauce reduction. Meanwhile, a late-night epiphany led him to carmelize the bottom of gnocchi, giving them a crispy quality that contrasts with the sauteed version served elsewhere.

A Time and Place for Compromise

With a certain amount of glee, Francesco shared a story about a foreign guest who asked for a Hawaiian pizza at his restaurant in Manila. Francesco wouldn’t do it. No amount of money, or threats to complain to the owner, would change his mind. While he still refuses to make a pizza with pineapple, he has softened some of his views on cuisine and also restaurant management. No longer does he rule the kitchen with a severity that earned him the nickname Francesco Valkyrie, after a famous World War 2 assassination plot. “You change, you mature, and then you become more professional, more diplomatic,” he says.

This diplomatic attitude extends to his remaking of the Basilico menu. There are some menu items that he would not include if it were up to him alone, but he understands it’s a business and that means keeping beloved guests who have been coming for years happy. So French oysters, seafood pasta and Caesar salad remain, made with as much loving attention as always. 

A New Look in Every Direction

Part of the bold, new impression Basilico hopes to make has nothing to do with Francesco's impact on the menu. The airy first-floor space recently re-imagined its entire interior, elevating the decor in a way that pairs with the new food. In addition to new furniture and wall decor, it’s opened the kitchen to showcase the care Francesco and his team pay to each dish. Similarly, an increase of vegetation, including the namesake basil plant, reinforces the fresh and natural feel that permeates the atmosphere and the plates.

If you want to know the sincerity of Francesco and Basilico’s commitment to authenticity, you can ask him about alterations to classic dishes that are popular in the region. “No cream in the carbonara. Absolutely no cream in the carbonara,” he said while pounding the table. “You can cry. You can roll on the floor. I honestly don't care.”