Thai food has been available in Britain since the Nineties, but there’s been a tangible boom this year. The Standard’s Ben McCormack said as much only two weeks ago, charting a plethora of openings from Kolae in Borough Market, to Koyn in Mayfair, to Long Chim on Soho’s busy periphery. The latter marked a bold return for David Thompson, the chef behind Nahm, which in 2001 became the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star.
The latest to launch is AngloThai, itself a restaurant some might predict to win accolades. The Standard’s food critic David Ellis might think so – wait for his review on Thursday – but even if it doesn’t, it’s a venue eagerly anticipated and long awaited. And not only because it is en vogue, a statement of intent among a crowd, but because it keenly represents its name, fusing and amalgamating British and Thai ingredients, binding two cultures so neatly and vibrantly entwined.
Pubs were once platforms for Thai food in Britain: green and red curries, spring rolls and salty noodles. Some of these remain, but the restaurant landscape has changed immeasurably in the last 20 years, impacted heavily by the likes of the cult Leyton restaurant Singburi (closed for an extended Christmas break currently), Som Saa and Kiln.
AngloThai, if not in concept, is almost coming full circle, using British produce and Thai ingredients, flavours and techniques. John and Desiree Chantarasak’s debut restaurant follows years of pop-ups, residencies and events; and it is a celebration of Thai-British cuisine in Marylebone.
“It has been a very long journey,” John says. “Conceiving the idea of getting a site with my wife was years ago, and, truth be told, there was a lot of naivety. Opening a restaurant is a big boy’s game and you have to have a network, backers. We were looking at small, manageable spaces, a little ‘mom and pop’ operation, but in the end we teamed up with MJMK because it allowed us to concentrate on what matters to us.”
It wasn’t only a lack of experience that held AngloThai up, but London’s much maligned rental market, the cost of living crisis, a pandemic, among other challenges. John says these, while taxing, only spurred he and Desiree on.
“It’s taken such a long time and we were stifled by Covid. We went into survival mode and we were quite fortunate thanks to connections with suppliers and the wider industry. We ended up selling thousands of Thai red sausage hotdogs in Battersea, where we live, and I suppose that showed us how big the appetite for Thai experiences is in London.”
John says MJMK has allowed the couple some breathing space: “We went the distance with five sites, with landlords, architects, interiors and menus. And then we were pipped to the post by other concepts. We didn’t have enough cash. It was frustrating, working with these big landlords who had all the power.
“We’re thankful for the experience. We learned a lot. And now we’re working with MJMK, which plugs the gaps in what we lack – you know, admin, the legal side of things, HR.
“We’re allowed free-reign when it comes to the food and the menu. MJMK admit they’re not experts in the cuisine. What they do is facilitate and support.”
When it comes to the food, John has that supremely covered; AngloThai’s popularity precedes its permanence. But I wonder what John, of Thai and British heritage, and who has spent years in both countries, thinks of Britain’s relationship with Thai food today. Much has been said of our love of the cuisine, but has a better understanding of the culture been oversold?
“People are starting to get to know Thai words and phrases,” John says. “Som tam and nam jim, they’re becoming part of the lingo, just like katsu and karaage. But then just because I’ve been somewhere doesn’t mean I’m best-placed to start using terms and phrases. People can do what they like, but I also think there needs to be respect, open-mindedness; often there’s a lot of confusion. But mostly, what I care about is delicious cooking and people having a nice time – and improving the accessibility of Thai food.”
The menu at AngloThai might be something of a bridge between lesser-known cooking and more accessible notes. John accepts there’s still a lack of knowledge in London, but the silver lining is that people are willing to know more. “Seeing Thai phrases written on menus by people who have never been, there might be some resentment there, but it’s cool people are so interested in the cuisine.”
As for his own “journey”, John, born in Liverpool, says: “I hope AngloThai is original. It’s a reflection of my heritage, having grown up in the North West eating beans on toast but also visiting and training in Thailand. I love the relationship between the two nations. The restaurant isn’t just ‘Thai food, British ingredients’.”
On John’s menu are snacks such as ma hor, an ancient royal snack from Thailand reimagined. At AngloThai, the traditional pork, prawn, peanut and fresh pineapple uses candied beetroot and local honey, while toasted rapeseeds are added, so too elderflower vinegar. A dish of Brixham crab combines nahm prik, a Thai chilli paste, with coconut cream and lime, but is paired with British caviar and piped into impeccably modern flower-shaped coconut ash crackers.
“I sort of feel dining in modern Britain is fusion,” says John. “We’re a mongrel state. At the restaurant, my head chef is half-Singaporean, half-British, my sous is Indian, and my junior chef is London born and bred.”
AngloThai, then, years in the making. A canny and intoxifying blend of ingredients, people, small business and big. Some might suppose it’s a surefire step to victory. John won’t rest on his laurels.
“All we want to do is bring a fun restaurant to London where people can have a nice time and get a bit pissed if they like. Everyone’s working bloody hard in this city. We’re not here to galvanize the world.
“The restaurant isn’t thematic, it’s not Disneyland. It’s a Thai-British restaurant. Hopefully, a really bloody good one.”
Open now, 22-24 Seymour Place, W1H 7NL, anglothai.co.uk
