Chef Ton is famous in Thailand. This is confirmed while we’re strolling through a Bangkok food market. At various food stalls selling curries and other ingredients, his face shows up on packages of coconut milk. Ton is also a judge on the television program Top Chef Thailand. The chef has a mission in his restaurant: to work with local Thai products and let his guests experience that Thai cuisine deserves praise in the worldwide gastronomy scene and not just as street food.

Career switch

Although Ton and Tam are very successful, their parents were not immediately enthusiastic about their career switch to the hospitality industry. Chef Ton, an economist graduate of Thai University, decided - after working at a bank for a month - to chase his dream. He left for New York to attend culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). While in “the Big Apple,” he worked at top restaurants including the former World's Best Restaurant, Eleven Madison Park.

Culinary empire with casual and fine dining concepts

His little brother Tam, a dentist graduate, in turn said goodbye to the medical world and joined Ton's restaurant group. Tam is involved in the business and operational side of their restaurants and supports his brother in expanding their culinary empire, which now consists of 10 restaurants: from casual concepts – including a noodle bar and a pad thai wine bar – to two fine dining places. 

“Our parents are now very proud of our successes in the culinary world,” says Tam, who also works as head sommelier at Nusara. Restaurant Le Du, which opened its doors 11 years ago, has been in the top ranking of Asia's 50 best restaurants since 2017. In 2023, the restaurant was number one. Nusara, now open for four years, ranked number three in Asia's 50 Best that year. Both restaurants have been awarded a Michelin star.

Nusara:
Nusara offers a tribute to Thai cuisine with dishes that present traditional flavors in a sophisticated, modern way.

  • Awarded a Michelin star in the 2023 selection

  • Number three in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023

  • Number six in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024

  • Number 74 in World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024
     

Le Du:

Le Du is known for its modern Thai cuisine, where chef Ton combines traditional flavors and local ingredients with innovative techniques.

  • Received a Michelin star in the 2018 selection

  • Number one in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023

  • Number 12 in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024

  • Number 40 in World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024

Le Du and modern Thai cuisine

Le Du is surrounded by greenery. The decor is fresh and modern with natural colors. The ceiling is covered in test tubes filled with herbs. These hundreds of filled glass tubes symbolize the three tropical seasons: summer, winter and the rainy season. The rainy season tubes contain ingredients such as lemongrass and mung beans. The tubes filled with soybean and rice symbolize the winter season.

Le Du sounds French, but comes from the Thai word meaning ’season.’ Chef Ton: "We serve modern Thai dishes at Le Du with ingredients that are in season, but also use European influences. For this, we use only local ingredients. When you see the dishes on the plate, you expect French dishes…until you taste them," he says. “Then you experience Thai cuisine.” Ton's signature dish at Le Du is crayfish. He also serves dishes such as saltwater fish cobia with coconut and tropical banana shrimp with beet and a spicy, red curry.

At Nusara, memories of grandmother are served

At Nusara, which has fantastic views of Wat Pho, the city's oldest temple complex, Ton serves memories of his grandmother. "She partly raised me and my two brothers. The food she cooked is the inspiration for our dishes. We have modernized the recipes while keeping the traditional flavors." 

Among other things, Ton serves Thai soup Thom Ka with Gourami fish. But also a green curry with smoked chicken and dumplings, and a shrimp salad with shrimp paste, watermelon and a tomato relish. The signature dish consists of a curry of crab, rice and rice milk. 

At Nusara, guests are welcomed on the first floor which also houses the cocktail bar; Nuss bar. After some bites in the reception area, two amuses are served in the kitchen. The culinary journey continues on the rooftop terrace, after which the main courses are served on the upper floor with stunning views of the shining gold temple. The chefs fill the table with Thai dishes, as if you were dining in someone's home.

From street food to fine dining

Ton says he believes it is important to work with Thai ingredients. "When I started, the view of Thai cuisine was that you eat it on the street. It had to be cheap. It wasn't something served in a fine dining setting. At our place you do.” And with success. “Our vision did require a long start-up phase”, he continues. "By now, there is a growing realization that there are a hundred different ways to make pad tai, or a great curry, or tom yam. By applying this at the higher end, we make our cuisine even richer."

Eating what nature offers every season

Ton’s menus are all about eating what nature offers during the season. “We try to educate people on that.” When Ton opened Le Du, he noticed that no one really cared about local produce. He was one of the first chefs in Thailand to decide to focus on that. “A trend that is now being embraced more and more,” he said. 

Nevertheless, it's a thorn in Ton's side that many Thai people still take it for granted that many products are in stores year-round. “We have lost awareness of seasonal produce,” he says. But the chef is cautiously positive on this issue. "There is a small shift going on. Thai people are starting to appreciate local produce more and more. We work with sustainable, organic producers and have built a large network with farmers and fishermen."