What: A high-end Thai-European restaurant that has had an unusually long gestation period. Juts up from Marble Arch on Seymour Place, AngloThai takes inspiration from Thailand but utilises high-quality UK seasonal products. In some cases, the kitchen eschews ingredients that most Thai restaurants would source from Asia, not least rice.
Who: AngloThai is the creation of John and Desiree Chantarasak. It has been a long time coming having started life as a pop-up just ahead of the pandemic. The couple have spent the past five years or so refining the concept over further pop-ups and residencies – the most recent and high-profile being at 180 The Strand’s Outcrop last summer – and within their Battersea home. The couple have been working with MJMK Restaurants – which also backs Kol chef Santiago Lastra – to find a site since the early days of AngloThai. John – whose CV includes Nahm in Bangkok and London’s Som Saa heads the kitchen while Desiree oversees the wine programme and front of house. AngloThai’s head chef is Xander Lloyd.
The food: The term AngloThai was coined by Nicholas Balfe, then at Brixton restaurant Salon but now at his Somerset restaurant Holm, in 2015 when John was working the pop-up circuit. By his own admission, it’s taken him a while to find the right balance between reducing his reliance on imported ingredients and creating dishes that are coherent and authentic. What this means in practice is that some ingredients, including coconuts and lime leaves, are imported from Asia. AngloThai was originally supposed to be a tasting menu-only restaurant but following the Outrcrop project the pair have opted to offer a la carte alongside a £75 Chef’s Selection menu. Smaller dishes include oysters with a fermented chilli hot sauce; crab and caviar paired with intricate crackers made with coconut ash; and cuttlefish bun with heritage seeds and black garlic (which is a clever play on prawn toast). More substantial dishes include a massaman curry made with hogget and black figs; a pork chop served with pork fat and smoked chilli radish; and a root vegetable terrine with roasted coconut curry and citrus.
To drink: AngloThai has close ties with the natural wine scene having pair having worked closely with key importers such as Modal Wines and Newcomer Wines since the very beginning (the first AngloThai residency they oversaw together was hosted at the latter during Eat Out To Help Out). But going permanent in Marylebone – which isn’t exactly a hotspot for the stuff – has seen the pair seek to distance themselves from the term to some extent. Producers associated with the movement still feature on AngloThai’s exclusively European list but more – for want of a better term – classical labels are also be available, especially at the premium end. Overseen by Desiree the wine programme will have a strong bias towards cooler climate regions such as Austria and Germany, which tend to lend themselves to Thai food more than their southern European counterparts. Still wines start at £39 a bottle with the list topping out at £425 for a magnum of cult Friuli producer Gravner’s Ribolla Gialla Riserva 2014. Cocktails include Fig Leaf Negroni (Sapling gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, fig leaf); and Pear Martini (Boadyard vodka, Sapling gin, dry vermouth, pear). Just as much effort has gone into AngloThai’s non-alcoholic cocktails, with options including a take on the Paloma (Everleaf, verjus, Grapefruit Soda); and Sunflower Seed Sour (Herball, Botivo, sunflower seeds, egg white).
The vibe: Previously vegetarian and vegan restaurant The Gate, the 50-cover space’s look and feel has been conceived by Thai-American designer May Redding. The 50-cover is inspired by Thailand’s contemporary design movement but also the Chantarasak’s Battersea home which played host to a regular dinner series called Baan ((bān being the Thai word for home).
And another thing: Now AngloThai has permanent digs John will look to reduce his reliance on Asian-imported ingredients even further by working with UK growers for things like chillies and galangal as well as making his own fermented products – such as fish sauce – in house.
22-24 Seymour Place, London W1H 7NL
