It started a few years ago and has built up a strong following -- those looking for an entertaining, one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience, in addition to good food.
"Chef's table", although defined differently from one establishment to another, is now a buzz phrase in the Bangkok restaurant scene. It basically attracts urbane diners with special dining seats that come with exclusive treatment, an up-close view of the kitchen dynamics and personal interaction with the chefs, who act as host, entertainer, educator and cook to a handful of enthusiastic guests.
At some restaurants -- both high-end and casual -- a chef's table may simply mean a dining counter encircling the open kitchen, or one or two guest tables set inside the cooking hall where diners can enjoy their à la carte or set meal while witnessing the chefs in action.
These special eating zones, sometimes called hot seats, kitchen tables or back-of-house tables, usually require advance reservation. Such establishments include L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Gaggan, Iron Chef's Table, Sensi, Suhring and Meatlicious. At Absolute Fit Foods, diners can even enjoy healthy cuisine at a chef's table.
Vichit Mukura, a pioneer in Thailand’s chef’s table scene.
This is, however, just the first layer of culinary intimacy on offer, discerning epicures might say.
For them, a real chef's table experience is a private meal that's totally driven by the chef, and caters to a particular group of guests, instead of the masses.
At such establishments -- about four exist in Bangkok at the moment -- there are no dining tables other than the chef's table, nor is there a menu to choose from.
Each dish usually comes as a surprise to the guest, and is served in a multi-course degustation style to showcase the chefs' creativity with the season's best produce. Although the selection on the menu is designed to excite the taste buds, the dishes can also be customised to suit the diner's dietary restrictions and preferences.
Even within the niche circle of private chef's tables, however, there are differences. There are basically three types of private chef's tables in Bangkok at the moment.
One is the communal-style chef's table, where only a limited number of diners are seated and served at meal time. Another is an establishment that only opens to a single group of guests at a time (Chef's Table by Khao; Bangkok Bold Cooking Studio; and Chef's Table by Chef Art). While the last offers the opportunity for a chef to cook up a private meal in a diner's residence (Gula Bangkok by Chef Jacobo Astray).
These establishments, however, do share some similarities. They are marketed mainly by word of mouth among those in the know; need to be booked at least a few weeks in advance; are conducted by chefs as renowned for their image as their culinary flair; and, of course, don't come cheap.
Enjoying the sophisticated end of fine dining can often take as long as five hours. The chef's table experience has therefore become increasingly popular as a form of business entertainment by corporate executives and highbrow foodies.
Chef Vichit Mukura is one of Thailand's pioneers in the chef's table scene. He opened his brainchild venture, Chef's Table by Khao (Life review published in Feb 2015), at the end of 2014 and has garnered a long waiting list ever since.
Above The private chef's table at Bangkok Bold Cooking Studio.
Prices are, per person, 4,990 baht for a six-course meal; 7,500 baht for an eight-course meal; and 9,900 baht for a 10-course meal, excluding drinks.
"My clients are well-travelled diners who understand Thai cuisine, yet look forward to sampling new dining options," the 56-year-old celebrity chef said.
"For me it's a great thrill that 80% of my guests are Thai, which means locals are still willing to spend for the high-end exhibition of home-grown cuisine, and not just as a star-studded feast from out-of-town.
"At my restaurant, diners get to see almost every step of the preparation and observe the ingredients. Unlike a typical expensive meal in which they don't know what they are really eating, guests at a chef's table pay for what they see, eat and also for the behind-the-scenes experience and tips."
His idea of opening a chef's table restaurant came as he was leaving his 28 years of service as the executive Thai chef of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, "in order to introduce another dining alternative to Thai food connoisseurs".
"Thai food is our heritage that's been passed on meticulously for centuries. But over the past years Thai food has tended to be marketed and identified too often as street food. Thai cuisine deserves high honour, the way it is perceived internationally makes it hard to be seen as haute gastronomy," Vichit noted.
According to him, the chef's table affair has provided an opportunity for Thai food to be appreciated in a world-class style. It also proves that a Thai meal doesn't have to always look homely or be eaten in a family-sharing manner. It can be elaborately presented, yet still retain its casual Thai-style feel.
The exclusive dining concept of a chef's table fitted the bill when chef Supamongkol "Art" Supapipat, 39, decided he wanted a new challenge.
Almost two years go, the veteran chef, who trained in the Netherlands and headed a number of restaurants in Bangkok, started to welcome food-loving strangers into his home.
Supamongkol's small yet stylish kitchen, equipped with a dining counter and table, can accommodate up to 12 guests who can enjoy contemporary French-Italian fare prepared fresh before their eyes by a chef whose composed charm is also a well-known attraction. Chef Art once noted: "Some people ask me what kind of people would come to eat at a restaurant like this. I say, 'If we don't try, then we will never know'."
The restaurant, located in a private residential premises at the very deep end of a labyrinthine cul-de-sac, is simply titled "Chef's Table by Chef Art" (see review on page 5). Though the place boasts no signage, its waiting list is often as long as a month. Customers are both emerging young gastronauts and high-profile tycoons.
Co-owner/chef-instructor of the 10-month-old Bangkok Bold Cooking Studio (see review on page 4), chef Supanut "Ann" Kanarak is probably the most electrifying and quickest rising personality in the Bangkok chef's table scene.
She left her job as head chef at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok's Spice Market Thai restaurant last year to allow herself to expand and develop her culinary artistry.
Above Supamongkol Supapipat at Chef's Table by Chef Art.
"I found my creativity trapped under the corporate umbrella," she said.
"The fun in being a chef is to explore the day's best local harvests and be able to turn them into good dishes.
"But that was rather impossible when the menu had to go through a routine process of approval by the management. I've found, meanwhile, that most hotel guests aren't very gastronomically adventurous. They don't usually want to try dishes they don't know."
Thus, she, along with a few local food authority friends, started the cooking class in a tiny and tattered one-unit shophouse in Bang Lamphu area. It targets Thai food enthusiasts -- local and international, who are open to appreciate new things within Siamese culinary culture.
The hands-on cooking demonstration ends with a casual homestyle Thai meal, which has turned out to be even more popular. Over the past few months, guests have started to ask to book the meal alone, hence placing the 10-seater at the top of the list of the city's most celebrated but somewhat secretive chef's table restaurants.
Chef Supanut 'Ann' Kanarak
Co-owner/chef-instructor of the 10-month-old Bangkok Bold Cooking Studio (see review on page 4), chef Supanut "Ann" Kanarak is probably the most electrifying and quickest rising personality in the Bangkok chef's table scene.
She left her job as head chef at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok's Spice Market Thai restaurant last year to allow herself to expand and develop her culinary artistry.
"I found my creativity trapped under the corporate umbrella," the sweet-tempered chef bluntly said.
"The fun in being a chef is to explore the day's best local harvest and be able to turn them into good dishes.
"But that was rather impossible when the menu had to go through a routine process of approval by the management. I've found, meanwhile, that most hotel guests aren't very gastronomically adventurous. They don't usually want to try dishes they don't know," Ann explained.
Thus, she, along with a few local food authority friends, started the cooking class in a tiny and tattered one-unit shophouse in Bang Lamphu area. It targets Thai food enthusiasts — local and international, who are open to appreciate new things within Siamese culinary culture.
The hands-on cooking demonstration ends with a casual homestyle Thai meal, which has turned out to be even more popular. Over the past few months, guests have started to ask to book the meal alone, hence placing the 10-seater at the top of the list of the city's most celebrated, but somewhat secretive chef's table restaurants.
Chef Supamongkol 'Art' Supapipat
The exclusive dining concept of a chef's table fitted the bill when chef Supamongkol "Art" Supapipat, 39, decided he wanted a new challenge.
Almost two years go, the veteran chef, who trained in the Netherlands and headed a number of restaurants in Bangkok, started to welcome food-loving strangers into his home.
Supamongkol's small yet stylish 16m² kitchen, equipped with a dining counter and table can accommodate up to 12 guests, who can enjoy contemporary French-Italian fare prepared fresh before their eyes by a chef whose composed charm is also a well-known attraction.
Chef Art once noted, "Some people ask me what kind of people would come to eat at a restaurant like this. I say, 'If we don't try, then we would never know'".
The restaurant, located in a private residential premises at the very deep end of a labyrinthine cul-de-sac, is simply titled "Chef's Table by Chef Art" (see review on page 5). Though the place boasts no signage, its waiting list is often as long as a month. Customers are both emerging young gastronauts and high-profiled tycoons.
