There is boldness in the Chef's Table's concept of having the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant for all to see. All 46 seats are angled in such a way that guests can view the culinary workings of the dedicated kitchen and wait staff. It is an opportunity to showcase their talent and confidence – particularly their ability to not just whip up and serve the best-tasting French cuisine that diners from Bangkok, all of Thailand, and the world gather for, but also to enthrall diners with their focus and discipline. One also marvels at the openness to scrutiny, the unflappability despite being at the center of the action, and the willingness to surrender to organized chaos. 

Everything starts with an idea, but for a venture to come to fruition and for it to be a rousing success, someone has to execute it and make it real. When Deepak Ohri, CEO of lebua Hotels & Resorts first came up with the concept for Chef's Table, the first person he had in mind to realize his vision was renowned three-Michelin star, Chef Vincent Thierry. 

“When I met Deepak Ohri, the name of the restaurant had already been decided. The design behind Chef's Table was created around the name,” Chef Thierry says. “We only have eight tables and one private room and then, it is totally open. It has a chef's table – that was quite clear. We wanted something totally open. The idea actually worked very, very well with the name of the restaurant," Chef Thierry recalls.

Man of adventure

Chef Thierry is no stranger to being totally open. Having been raised by a repairman father and a teacher mother in France's Loire Valley, he was exposed to hard work and doing things right at an early age. Coming from a family of brilliant cooks and inspired by an older brother who ended up being a chef, he embarked on a culinary career himself, which eventually led him to work in esteemed restaurants such as Taillevent, La Cote Saint Jacques, and the George V Hotel in Paris. Later on, his desire to learn more about the world took him to Hong Kong and, now, Bangkok.

His adventurousness paid off. It was in Hong Kong – where he headed the prestigious French restaurant Caprice at the Four Seasons – that he and the establishment were awarded the coveted three Michelin stars. After a successful four-year run, he decided to leave Caprice to explore new territories and horizons. An opportunity to start fresh made him move his family to Bangkok, where the last thing on his mind was a return to the fine dining scene. The pressure that came with achievement did not appeal to him, he says. However, his genius in the kitchen and natural leadership skills had success nipping at his heels.

Under his stewardship, Chef's Table, which opened in March 2019, is now a two-Michelin-starred restaurant and among the most famous fine dining establishments in Bangkok's highly competitive hospitality scene, as recognized in the Michelin Guide Thailand for Bangkok.

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Changing with the seasons

Chef Thierry's artistry can be seen and tasted in Chef's Table's tasting menu, which includes the Aveyron lamb rack in Paimpol white bean served with cocoa beans and green curry emulsion seared Brittany scallops and Jerusalem artichokes with onion emulsion and Perigord black truffle and dessert creations such as the crispy dark chocolate fine leaves with a patchwork of aromatic herbs and a garden sorbet; or raspberry with sweet chili confit, sorbet, and tarragon Chantilly.

Chef Thierry recognizes that French cuisine, like everything else, evolves with the times and, therefore, continuous experimentation and innovation are prerequisites to success. 

“I think, in 10 years,  the cuisine and the style of cooking will change because everything moves so quickly,” he observes. “Then, of course, my vision for the establishment changes as well because you become older and wiser and you go with the trends. You are improving and changing.”  

These changes also apply to the culinary industry's staffing and hiring practices, mainly because of the rigorous training and demanding work hours that would-be chefs are subjected to nowadays.

“We can see that much has changed in terms of manpower. Today, it is very difficult to find people. We are surviving quite well in the kitchen, but it is more challenging today. The younger generation definitely will never work like we used to 30 years ago,” he says.

“Back then, there was no way to talk about only one service per day. We were working from 8 a.m. to midnight and that was quite the norm. Sometimes, we didn't have time to take afternoon breaks – compare that to the double shifts being done today. I think it is impossible to ask anyone to do that. If you expect people to do shifts like that, your kitchen or restaurant will be empty. You won't find staff.”

One thing that will not change is their use of the highest-grade ingredients sourced both locally and from abroad. 

“People come to Chef's Table for the quality. Of course, because it is a two-Michelin-star restaurant and we need to meet the expectations of the customers,” he says. 

The eyes of the customer

There's no arguing that Chef Thierry is one of the most awarded chefs in the business. But even though the accolades mean a lot to him, he says he is motivated by something else.

“It's true that the Michelin recognition is very important. But I've always told myself I would not want to work with the pressure of being on top. If you start thinking about it, you will only focus on the (Michelin) Guide,” he says “I'm not saying I'm not thinking about it, but, nowadays the most important thing for me is looking at customers' eyes every night. To be honest, it is the most important thing to me – the smiles, the happiness of talking to guests, seeing how satisfied they are.” 

This audacious seeker of new cultures to explore and palates to impress has traveled from West to East and brought with him his ability to delight and willingness to follow his North Star. May we all be as bold.

Michelin-starred restaurants in Bangkok like Chef's Table use TableCheck as their reservation system. TableCheck helps high-volume establishments, restaurants, and Hotel F&B properties like lebua Hotels and Resorts in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand to deliver unforgettable dining experiences to guests.