AngloThai

AngloThai probably holds the crown for the most anticipated restaurant of 2024. And possibly even for 2023 and 2022; this project has been so delayed by ill fortune that we wondered if John Chantarasak’s dynamic cooking would ever end up in a brick and mortar site. At the very least, you can’t help but be pleased for John and wife Desiree as they finally throw open the doors of their swish new home in Marylebone; it has been a long time coming.

Bold violet awnings flutter in a gentle breeze as we approach - the first sign that AngloThai has no intention of pulling any punches. Interiors are slick and sharp, with beautiful timber furniture and beach chalet-esque white wood panelling creating clean lines around the room. Spotlights draw the eye to curated art pieces on the walls, which champions the work of artisans from all over Thailand. To the back, a semi-open kitchen provides a chance to see John and team working their magic, from the right angle at least.

If the dining room shows an admirable less is more approach, the menu is nothing short of full throttle flavour. John is half English and half Thai, and his cooking leans in that direction, staunchly advocating for local ingredients. That means, for example, that rice is very much out, replaced by oats and wholegrain farro (don’t fret - the result is pleasantly chewy and nutty, not unlike brown rice). A heavy ceramic cup of piquant crab broth is the calm before a storm of flavour; John’s cooking shows the balance and restraint that makes great Thai food special. And yet, there’s still room for fireworks, like the oysters with fermented chilli and sea buckthorn that have featured often at AngloThai’s supper clubs. It’s an oyster that would turn even the most puritanical mollusc enthusiast - just the right level of fermented funk, plenty of tang, then searing, exhilarating heat.

There’s so much more to love on the menu, from an outstanding shrimp butter flatbread to a hogget massaman that we’ll surely dream about in the weeks to come. A huge pork chop is marinated in coconut milk before hitting the grill, giving it an incredible melt-in-the-mouth texture. The smoked chilli relish that comes alongside is the perfect foil, and John serves the fat separately in chunks - another bold choice that we fully support.

It’s not easy food to pair wine too, but Desiree is on hand with a smart drinks list that has been built symbiotically around John’s cooking. The greatest praise we can give AngloThai is that everything just fits. It feels distinct and unconventional - the product of people who love food and drink and aren’t afraid to do something different. That’s something London could use a whole lot more of.

AngloThai is the debut restaurant from John and Desiree Chantarasak - a permanent site for their phenomenally successful English-Thai supper club of the same name. The pair have become renowned for their unique perspective, drawing on Thai and British influences by taking quality British produce and applying exciting Thai cooking principles and flavour profiles.

John's chef profile has been rising for a while now, particularly after appearing on Great British Menu. But the restaurant started in modest fashion - a series of pop-ups and supper clubs, and a growing murmur of appreciation as word spread across London about a couple cooking some revelatory, exciting, innovative Thai food. 

The AngloThai menu is highly seasonal, showcasing the full-throttle Thai cooking known from John’s cookbook ‘Kin Thai’, and designed to be shared. Guests at AngloThai can expect a la carte and chef’s selection menus packed with bold flavours that pair beautifully with an Austrian-led cool climate wine list. Line-caught fish, Exmoor caviar and Carlingford oysters feature prominently, as do British-grown Thai ingredients like Thai basil, makrut citrus and various chillies.

The a la carte menu at AngloThai kicks off with Carlingford oysters topped with sea buckthorn and fermented chilli, winter radish cakes with vegetables treacle and tarragon, and cuttlefish buns with heritage seeds and black garlic. For a hit of luxury, the Brixham crab with Exmoor caviar and a coconut ash cracker is a sure win. Then it’s onto raw venison with scallop roe, chilli jam and radicchio, and other dishes including lion's mane mushrooms with sunflower seed satay, and Ryan Farm Hebridean hogget massaman curry with black fig.

Elsewhere, expect warming plates of line-caught pollock with sour orange curry, Blythburgh chops with pork fat and smoked chilli relish, and Wexford County ribeye with smoked butter and salted plum. Desserts are just as inventive, featuring the likes of delica pumpkin and fig leaf ice cream.