FAHTHAI
101
JASON & BEE: THAI CULINARY TAG TEAM; FLOATING ON A RIVER
The two of us
B A N G K O K
C H I A N G R A I
New boutique hotels are popping up in Chiang
Rai by the dozen, but one to keep your eye on is
the charming River Rai Resort on the banks of the
sleepy Mae Kok. As there are just five rooms, the
attention to detail and personalised service here
are superb. The décor draws inspiration from
Thailand’s far north – there are rustic wooden
floors and bathroom fittings crafted by a local
pottery studio. Tourists come here for the locally
inspired breakfasts alone – piquant northern
curries and noodle dishes are firm favourites.
riverrai.com
L
ast year, Australian chef Jason Bailey and his wife Bongkoch “Bee”
Satongun opened Paste in Thonglor. Their success at blending
authentic Thai recipes and flavours with progressive cooking
techniques and local ingredients soon had critics raving. The couple
lives in Bangkok and are busy setting up a new eatery with an “aristocratic
touch” tucked inside Bangkok’s exclusive Gaysorn Shopping Centre.
JASON:
“Bee and I met in Bangkok nine years ago through a cooking school. I
had come here to find unique dishes to define my cooking and Bee and I
travelled a lot. She taught me about regional cuisines and taught me most
of what I know in terms of taste and rare old dishes. Working together
was extremely difficult in the early stages of our relationship. Cooking
in a hot kitchen can quickly crush any kind of relationship or quality of
personal life. It takes a lot of discussion and [we set up] personal rules that
we both try to adhere to. Bee has a vast knowledge of dishes and historic
Thai food that
’
s rare to find. She has an amazing palate for layered
flavours. If you
’
re renovating old recipes or serving Thais on Thai soil it’s
impossible not to have a kitchen full of Thais, unless you want an empty
restaurant. For our next project we’re joining with a prestigious Thai
food-heritage family. They have very experienced palates so we’ll have a
much wider food-tasting panel and more ideas coming to the table.”
BEE:
“When we’re in the kitchen, we’re not husband and wife any more. He’s very
passionate about his cooking; he’s still thinking about his cooking even after he
goes home. If something does not meet his standards, there can be explosions. It
is hard working together sometimes because you don’t know when to switch off.
To design menus, I look through old cookbooks and find things that we can use.
I’ll pull those out and combine them but you have to make a decision about how
much to use of each ingredient; the old books don’t have weights and measures.
A Western chef like Jason brings an international standard to Thai food. The
consistency and checking your products, the knowledge of Western proteins.
Thais cook with their senses more – like smell and touch – so sometimes you
don’t need to talk much in the kitchen. But Westerners cook with [more verbal]
communication. Also, if you’re working with Thais, they’ll have ways of doing
things, squeezing the coconut milk or the tamarind juice. So when a Thai and
non-Thai chef start working together, it can be difficult!”
A lush new river retreat
Down to
the river
COUNTRY CODE
+66
EXCHANGE RATE
THB30 = US$1
SUKHOTHAI FREQUENCY
2 flights per day from Bangkok
