Year after year, Asia is growing in popularity as a travel destination, and Thailand has maintained its leading position for many years. Like many travelers, we were looking for the answer to the question “How to start getting to know Thai cuisine so that you are guaranteed to fall in love with it?”. And we found it with Chef Ton Thitid Tassanakajon, who runs some of the most interesting restaurant projects in Bangkok.
Among them — the classic Thai restaurant Nusara and the local seasonal cuisine restaurant LeDu, both of which we had an opportunity to discover.
LeDu (1 Michelin star) is ranked #12 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, Nusara is #6 on the same list. Young Chef Tonn is the only Thai chef to have two restaurants in this prestigious ranking.
Nusara
Taking a look back, Chef Ton grew up surrounded by delicious home-cooked meals prepared by his mother and grandmother, which largely determined the boy’s love for cooking.
“I always dreamed to elevate Thai cuisine and make it one of the world’s leading ones,” says Chef Ton, “My brother Tam and I created an unique restaurant, that combines the best of traditional Thai cuisine with the industry’s cutting edge technology, and dedicated it to our grandmother, Nusara, who has always been our inspiration — in life and cooking”.
Nusara was the first for us to visit. The restaurant has several floors, which we had to navigate throughout the evening. On the first floor, all guests are greeted with a welcome drink — and the presence of granny Nusara is immediately felt.
Comfortable couches and small tables are set against a wall, made with rolls of Grandma’s fabric and the real threads she used, as well as her sewing machine.
After a quick tour of the kitchen and first bites, guests are invited to proceed to the top floor — the terrace.
Nusara is an official ambassador of the famous champagne KRUG. And KRUG 171 Edition was to accompany the last amuse-bouche served on the roofed terrace with a beautiful view of Bangkok’s central district of Ta Tien, where history and modernity merge.
The rest of tasting menu is served in the main room, spacious, charming, intimately dim, with an interior made of natural materials.
The set menu consists of 12 courses, ranging from small creative items to main courses, served in traditional Thai family style, which Chef Ton calls “Colorful Thai Cuisine”.
We opted for the alcoholic Pairing, but the non-alcoholic one, made up only of teas, seemed to be quite entertaining as well, giving a chance to discover various exclusive tea varieties of Thailand.
In charge of the smooth and efficient operation of Nusara is Chef Ton’s brother, Chaisiri “Tam” Tassanakajon, who has extensive experience in business management. On the other hand, he is a recognized beverage expert and chef-sommelier of Nusara, as well as other renowned Bangkok establishments, repeatedly singled out by prestigious rankings — Baan, Mairai, Lakhnyai, Samut, Thepnakorn.
The opening part of the menu consists of four items with an emphasis on seafood.
-Hokkaido Scallop, Miang Sauce & Ginger Torch Sorbet, accompanied by Calamansi Fizz (Calamansi Juice, Bitter Neem Honey, Slate and Azura Vodka).
This cocktail made an impression on us, as by the way the whole pairing did. And if you to try it or any other drink from the pairing separately, you don’t have to order the whole pairing — any of them will be prepared for you under the guidance of Nuss bar team on the first floor.
-Squid, Cucumber & Heirloom Tomato bring, accompanied by blend of Assam white tea with Chamomile, Lemon and the recognizable flavor of Marigold.
Rounding out the first part are Blue Swimming Crab Curry & Crispy Rice Noodles and Gourami Fish & Tom Kha.
Pairing: Michel Chapoutier, Chante-Alouettes Marsanne (2019 – Rhône Valley, France) and Jerome Forget, Pear Cider, Fossey (2022 – Normandy, France).
The first main courses come with Dumpling, Green Curry & Smoked Chicken, Grilled River Prawn Salad.
Followed by Shrimp Paste Salad & Watermelon and Relish items (Tomato Relish & Cucumber, Peanut Relish & Sweet Pork Belly, Lemongrass Relish & Betel Leaf, Smoked Short Ribs & Holy Basil Leaf) complement setup.
And the last and the most important step of the Main course is a rich and flavorful Beef Soup.
The main corse is accompanied by Hot honey Red Oolong and Gaja, Barbaresco (2020 – Piedmont, Italy).
Pre-dessert — Pink Guava & Roselle, served with exceptional Nichi Nichi sake, Akitsu, Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo Prefecture, Japan).
Moving on to the sweet part, Sago & Young Coconut is served right in front of your eyes.
Pairing — our absolute favorite Cloudy Lady Banana (Lady Finger Banana Puree, Pandan Leaf, Sato cloudy rice wine) and High mountain oolong with mango & coconut (Green tea from Northern Thailand).
And a final joy — a plateful of exquisite Thai petit four (Dark Chocolate & Fish Sauce Caramel, Pandan Layered Custard, Seasonal Fruit & Sweet Fish Sauce, we liked Thai Tea Ice Cream Sandwich, Pineapple & Coconut Rolled Candy).
LeDu
LeDu is Chef Ton‘s equally significant project. The name “LeDu” comes from the Thai word “season”. Here, along with Tao Rungroj Ingudananda, founder & Co-owner of the restaurant, Chef Ton creatively reimagines Thai cuisine.
LeDu was awarded a Michelin star in 2019 and has retained it to the day, also being featured in The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2017, and was recognized as N° 1 on the list in 2023.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is very relaxed, with a dominating contemporary style in interior with lots of glass details and adornments, panoramic windows and live plants.
Actively studying the local market and finding the best ingredients in the country, LeDu is convinced that Thai products are among the best in the world.
The concept of the place is based on the principle of locality — they offer a seasonal menu prepared with products from local suppliers (Prosun Farm with free-range ducks, Sunstream Organic Farm, Tan Khun Organic Farm and many others).
The wine list is also very specific here, what can be traced in a wine pairing as well.
We tried a menu called “Street Food Tale Edition” consisting of 6 main servings.
The acquaintance started with a trio of Amuse-Bouche.
The first serving appeared is an unexpected combination of Seasonal fish with tomato and banana. The second one is equally interesting and eloquent — Squid with aloe vera and red bean curd.
Classic for Thailand combination Fermented fish & pork may seem unfamiliar to Europeans, but it makes it utmost clear once you taste it. It should be noted that the main course servings at LeDu are quite hearty.
More light and refreshing course is Crab oyster with the classic thai rice noodle.
After we were lucky to try a summer specialty — Signature River Prawn, which is on the menu only in season.
The last main course has two options to choose — Thai wagyu with northern vegetable curry or Aged duck with pumpkin and jo-rang curry, but we went for the first.
Dessert time and Fermented rice with sato and chocolate — a twist on classic Thai desserts — is served, followed by Petit four of frozen fruit.
Nusara
Address: 336 Maha Rat Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 18:00-23:00
Instagram: @nusarabkk
LeDu
Address: 399/3 Silom 7 Alley, Silom, Bang Rak Bangkok 10500
Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 18:00-23:00 dinner; Thursday – Friday 12:00-14:00 lunch & 18:00-23:00 dinner, Saturday 12:00-14:00 lunch
Instagram: @ledubkk
Text: Victoria Stashkevich
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
