As two of the biggest names in Thai cuisine, Ian Kittichai and David Thompson have thoughts about where it's headed
“It's about time that Thai food is fully recognised for the talent that Thai cooks exhibit. They're damn fine cooks, they're instinctive cooks and they are splendid cooks,” says David Thompson with his trademark vigour from his abode in Krabi, Thailand.
It’s no surprise that the Australian-born, naturalised Brit is so vocal about the talent of Thai cooks—as one of foremost chefs in the Thai culinary space, Thompson has devoted his entire career to promoting the kingdom’s fiery gastronomy.
He found his calling as a wayward 28-year-old when, enthralled by the heat and chaos of Bangkok and its food, the literature graduate immersed himself in cooking Thai food at the hands of a former cook for the Thai royal family.
His efforts certainly paid off: his signature upmarket restaurant Nahm opened in London’s Halkin Hotel in 2001, garnering rave reviews and, within six months, a Michelin star; while in 2010 he opened Nahm Bangkok, which was awarded top spot by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2014. Aaharn opened in Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun cultural complex in 2018, serving Thompson’s take on uncomplicated Thai gastronomy. He has even advised the Thai government on the history of the cuisine.
Of course, this was all before a time where Thai food could be regarded as being able to exist out of the confines of family restaurants or street food, both by Thais and non-Thais alike.
Another chef who has been instrumental in changing predominant perceptions of Thai cuisine from the inside out has been Ian Kittichai.
“Thai cuisine has always had its roots firmly in its own culture and history, but a part of that history involves incorporating different influences—just like any other cuisine,” says Ian Kittichai. Indeed, as one of Thailand’s best-known celebrity chefs, he has built his entire career around this ethos, in the process becoming one of the earliest proponents of the modernisation of Thai cuisine.
Despite today overseeing restaurants in Thailand, New York, Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong, and appearing on MasterChef Thailand as a judge, Pongtawat "Ian" Chalermkittichai came from humble beginnings. As a child, he would help his mother after school to push their street food cart around Bangkok, advertising their curry rice with cries of “khao geang ron ron ma leaw jaar!” (Hot curry coming!).
Kittichai’s culinary career began in earnest when, while in London to study English, he was spotted by a chef while part-timing at London’s Waldorf Hotel and given a sponsorship to study the culinary arts. High-flying stints at the likes of Claude’s in Sydney and Regent Bangkok (now the Four Seasons) followed; at the latter, Kittichai was promoted to executive chef at age 30, becoming the first Thai national to helm the culinary programme of a five-star hotel in the world.
In 2004, the chef opened Kittichai in New York, the city’s first fine-dining Thai restaurant, followed in 2011 by Issaya Siamese Club, his flagship restaurant in a century-old villa in central Bangkok, where he weaves influences from French, British and molecular gastronomy into Thai cuisine.
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