Three amazing Bangkok restaurants with women head chefs: Celadon, Gaa and Nahm
- Thailand stands out for its delicious food, and many of its restaurant kitchens are run by women
- We visit Celadon, Gaa and Nahm, three award-winning restaurants to try their food and talk to their head chefs
They are three of Bangkok’s most sought-after restaurants: Celadon, Gaa and Nahm. While some hold coveted Michelin stars and are listed among Asia’s 50 Best restaurants, they all share a notable difference in their kitchens: they have female head chefs.
A notable difference, that is, outside Thailand where female head chefs seem to be the rule, rather than the exception. Dinners at the three restaurants revealed not only exceptional cuisine, but also much about their chefs.
The first came at Celadon at The Sukhothai Bangkok with Rossarin Sriprathum, better known as Rin, someone who has spent almost three decades honing her dishes and craft as one of Thailand’s most respected chefs.
Her background speaks volumes about the country’s culinary culture – one grandmother was a chef, the other a pâtissière, both working in traditional Thai cuisine. As a young child Rin would watch them at work, fascinated by their skills preparing labour-intensive recipes.
After running renowned restaurants including at The Regent Bangkok, five years ago Rin took over the fine dining Celadon. Regular tours across Thailand inspire her seasonal tasting menus that capture the nation’s vast differences in flavours, heat, techniques and ingredients.
At 2,900 baht (US$22), the nine-course experience is as much a tour de force as a tour of Thailand. The grilled river prawn with salted baby shrimp cooked in fresh coconut milk was a stunning dish. Somehow, Rin perfectly balances the seriously bold flavours, all while letting the sweet flesh of the huge prawn shine.