Fresh from his Bangkok restaurant topping the Asia’s 50 Best list, Thai chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn has opened Niras in Hong Kong’s K11 Musea.
A culinary pioneer in Thailand, Ton has garnered international acclaim for his extraordinary cuisine, with his restaurants, Le Du and Nusara, earning the number 1 and 3 spots respectively in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards. With numerous other thriving restaurants in Thailand under his belt, chef Ton hopes to continue to redefine Thai cuisine with Le Du’s first foreign outpost, Niras.
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The launch of Niras – named for the traditional Thai verses chronicling a poet’s journeys – signifies the first time the Le Du brand has ventured beyond Thailand, infusing Hong Kong’s dynamic culinary landscape with the award-winning restaurant’s extraordinary dining experience and culinary ingenuity.
“My cooking is my poetry, a way to showcase Thailand’s diverse and vibrant cuisine to the world, and as this will be the first time Le Du is travelling overseas, Niras was the perfect name for the restaurant,” says Ton, who, since stints at Michelin-starred restaurants including Eleven Madison Park, The Modern, and Jean Georges in New York City, has committed himself to showcasing the rich diversity of Thai cuisine to a global audience.
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At the new Hong Kong restaurant, Ton will continue to creatively interpret classic Thai dishes, employing French-European techniques to accentuate Thai produce. He will be assisted by chef “Mai” Naruemon Ratiphuthilap, his trusted right hand, who has eight years’ experience at Le Du, and “Bua” Sarocha Rajatanawin, a seasoned chef with an impressive background in Thailand’s top restaurants, including Siwilai City Club at Central Embassy, The House on Sathorn, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok and more.
Mango, Sticky Rice, Lemon
They will deliver a menu designed to illustrate the flavours, textures, and aromas of Thai cuisine while incorporating modern cooking techniques, international influences, and the use of local seafood in some dishes, across lunch and four- and six-course dinner tasting menus. Highlights include duck with potato in Massaman curry; crab with mushroom and homemade sriracha; banana prawn with seaweed and spicy beetroot; and oyster with pork blood and northern spices, all of which are presented in an opulent setting dressed in regal green and cold accents, and which includes three private dining rooms.
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