Bangkok Rising: Chef Ton’s Sky-High Manifesto of Thai Cuisine

EBRU ERKE

Bangkok has become one of the rare cities reshaping the global culinary map. In the 2025 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, six Thai restaurants earned a place — an unprecedented achievement that for the first time put Thailand ahead of Paris. Gaggan, Le Du, Nusara, Potong, Sorn and Sühring now mark Thailand not only as the country of street food, but also as a central stage for fine dining. At the heart of this rise is Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn. His restaurant Le Du was crowned Asia’s number one in 2023 and secured a spot in the world’s top 15 the same year. Nusara, his other venture, reached third place in Asia. These milestones reveal his boundary-pushing vision in gastronomy.

Ton’s personal story is equally inspiring. After studying finance at Thammasat University and working briefly at a bank, he followed his true passion for cooking to the United States. He pursued an MBA at Johnson & Wales University, then graduated with high honors from the Culinary Institute of America. His formative years were spent in the legendary kitchens of New York — Eleven Madison Park and Jean-Georges — before returning to Bangkok with the courage to write his own culinary manifesto. Today, in 2025, Le Du stands at number 30 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, while Nusara has entered at number 35. Of the six Thai restaurants on the list this year, two belong to Chef Ton.

And now, Ton has captured attention once again with his new restaurant, Le Du Kaan. Perched on the 56th floor of The Empire, its breathtaking skyline view is only the beginning. Here, Chef Ton weaves the rhythm of the seasons into the very silhouette of Bangkok. True luxury in cuisine begins with awakening the spirit of the ingredient, rooted in cultural memory. Le Du Kaan embodies this philosophy in both physical and spiritual form, staged in the skies above the capital. In Ton’s kitchen, every dish is like a page written into nature’s calendar. “Le Du” means “seasons” in Thai, and from the root vegetables of the North to the seafood of the South, sustainably sourced ingredients from all four regions of Thailand become delicate narratives on the plate. Each bite translates Thailand’s time-honored traditions into the language of the 21st century.

The menu itself departs from Western conventions of “starter–main course–dessert.” Instead, dishes are organized under headings such as “clay pot” or “stir fried,” a structure that guides diners — especially foreigners — through both the technique and the cultural rhythm of Thai cooking. It is an invitation to understand cuisine through the nature of its ingredients, the simplicity of its methods and the layered complexity of its flavors.

A few highlights: Somtum Puunim is a papaya salad enlivened with soft-shell crab, representing the fresh–sour–spicy axis of Thai flavor. The gentle sweetness of Chiang Mai tomatoes meets the briny punch of dried shrimp, balanced by chili and cashews. It carries both the produce of the North and the vibrant energy of Thai street food, reimagined in a modern voice. Yum Huaplee, a salad of banana blossom, pays homage to Thailand’s botanical wealth. With line-caught fish from the Andaman Sea, coriander oil and toasted rice powder, it bridges the aromas of sea and land. Lhon Pla, grilled red mullet with fish roe, is served with lhon sauce, white turmeric, chili oil and pickled chili. A traditional dip is transformed into a refined main course, underscoring how simplicity can achieve complexity.

Kua Kling Pla Muek reveals the fiery spirit of Southern Thailand: grilled squid paired with the region’s intensely spiced curry, lifted by a bold “stinky bean” emulsion. Here, the rugged strength of Thai flavors is channeled into modern elegance. Gaeng Te Poe presents goby fish with Te Poe curry, kaffir lime oil and crisp fried morning glory — a daily dish elevated to the stage of haute cuisine. Phad Thai Gang is a luxurious rendition of Thailand’s most famous noodle: slipper lobster enfolded in spicy tamarind sauce, with tofu, shallot and dried shrimp maintaining the DNA of street food, now translated into sophistication. Finally, Phad Mee Nam Yaa Puu, yellow noodles in crab curry enriched with blue crab meat and roe, embodies the abundance and generosity at the heart of Thai cuisine.

Dining in perhaps the most striking setting of the city, one realizes that this menu is not simply food — it is a cultural text. Each plate is a performance of tradition through modern interpretation. On this table, Thai cuisine reveals its many faces: from street food to palace dishes, from the freshness of the North to the heat of the South, carving itself into memory as both flavor and story.

Stay recommendation

For those stepping into the rhythm of Bangkok for the very first time, the city can seem like a symphony of chaos: the endless hum of motorcycles, the dense crowds of its markets, the sounds of boats rising from the river. Yet, as soon as you cross to the western bank of the Chao Phraya, the tempo suddenly slows. Rising among tropical gardens, The Peninsula Bangkok embodies the most refined expression of this deceleration.

The moment you enter the hotel, you become part of a narrative shaped by its wave-like architecture. Each of its 367 rooms and suites is conceived as a window opening onto the river. The warm tones of teak wood, walls draped in Thai silk, marble bathrooms and balconies that frame changing views throughout the day. Watching the sunrise with your morning coffee or the river’s play of lights at dusk with an evening cocktail transforms the city into a theatrical stage.

One of the most indispensable experiences of any journey to Thailand is a massage. At The Peninsula Spa, this practice becomes a true ritual. Therapies begin with the vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls and deepen with the penetrating touch of aromatic oils. The signature treatment, “Asian Trinity,” unites the healing traditions of Thailand, Japan and China within a single body. The philosophy here suggests that luxury is not mere display, but a way of life that nourishes both body and mind. Mornings may start with yoga or breathwork sessions, followed by aquafit exercises, sourdough workshops, or explorations of local herbs and spices. Staying here is not simply about occupying a room; it is about participating in a holistic way of living.

On the gastronomic front, every corner of the hotel opens a different cultural window. Mei Jiang presents the elegance of classic Cantonese cuisine, while Thiptara brings authentic Thai dishes to life by the riverbank beneath the shade of banyan trees. What truly distinguishes The Peninsula Bangkok, however, is that it does not confine its guests within the walls of the hotel. Instead, it invites them into the city’s rituals: the Buddhist tradition of offering food to monks known as Tak Bart, guided tours of temples, Muay Thai lessons and artist-in-residence programs. Here, luxury becomes not just comfort, but the very name of the bond established with culture.

In the end, what The Peninsula Bangkok seeks to convey is something at once simple and profound: true luxury is not found in the grandeur of a suite or in a tropical cocktail by the pool, but in the gift of space to breathe, in a rhythm that balances body and spirit, and in the connections that give meaning to the city around you. A day spent on the banks of the Chao Phraya allows the timeless rhythm of Thailand to seep into your senses, despite the relentless pace of the modern world.