AngloThai has, after six years of popups, finally, at long last, laid down roots.
Those roots are now in a quiet Marylebone side street, just north of Marble Arch, and those popups have been consistently, wildly successful – which has raised expeditions for this permanent space insanely high – and guess what? It’s actually gone and absolutely suplexed them, snapping up a Michelin Star within a few weeks of opening.
Those expectations have created a gilded trap for the restaurant (which has become something of a victim of its own success) because while it’s good, it’s never going to be able to recapture the sheer novelty of its concept, nor the ephemeral conviviality of the temporary homes its been used to all these years. That said, it still does a lot of things really well, so we’ll focus on all the positives.
To explain the idea that drives the whole place: chef John Chantarasak’s menu stays true to AngloThai’s ethos of blending traditional Thai recipes with British-sourced ingredients. That means no rice, (which here is replaced by pearled oats or wholegrain farro), holy basil from Suffolk, and Devon-caught Monkfish, although there is certainly a fair amount of coconut still present. It’s the same idea as they use at KOL, which has a shiny new Michelin Star to show for it.
Inside, the design by Thai-American designer May Redding strikes a harmonious balance between modern and natural aesthetics. White-paneled wood walls, handcrafted wood-heavy furniture, and lush greenery create a vibe that feels both grounded and slightly beach-like. On the kitchen, they’ve upgraded the stoves with charcoal grills and turbojet wok burners for that magical wok-hei (‘breath of the wok’) effect.
The standouts on the menu include a ridiculously fluffy flatbread drenched in shrimp butter, and topped with mussels and shellfish. Then there’s the (rather pricey) crab & caviar which you spoon onto an ash cracker, and the wonderfully tender Blythburgh chop which comes with a pork fat & smoked chilli relish. And to finish? Some silky cacao ganache with sugarcane rum & salted coconut does the job nicely.
To complement the food, Desiree Chantarasak has curated a mostly European wine list that focuses on natural and low-intervention bottles—a collection she has built meticulously over the years.
While the AngloThai concept is rooted in fusion, and a lot of it works well, and although some of the flavours can be slightly muddled, a lot of that is thanks to its sheer ambition at blending such dissimilar culinary cultures. It’s a small price to pay.
NOTE: AngloThai is open now, Monday to Saturday. Reservations are now open on the AngloThai website.
AngloThai | 22-24 Seymour Place, W1H 7NL
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