For a long time, Thai fine dining in Bangkok was synonymous with lavish multi-course menus drawing on recipes from the royal court.
Long regarded as the pinnacle of the country’s cuisine, these meals featured intricately carved vegetables and the choicest cuts of deboned fish and meat. The meticulously balanced flavours were neither too spicy nor overly heavy on funky inflections such as pla ra (fermented fish paste).
Restaurants specialising in Royal Thai cooking mostly catered to tourists; locals splurged on fine French or Japanese cuisine. Around the mid-2010s, something changed.
Inspired by the locavore movement sweeping through restaurants worldwide, a new crop of ambitious young Thais shifted focus to recipes and little-known ingredients from beyond the regal kitchens.
Chef Napol Jantraget championed seasonal produce when he opened his casual…
