AngloThai, the debut restaurant from husband-and-wife team, John and Desiree Chantarasak, in partnership with MJMK Restaurants, is now open. The opening marks the culmination of a nearly four-year site search and numerous highly acclaimed pop-ups and residencies. The couple brings their unique vision for contemporary Thai-British cuisine to Seymour Place in London’s vibrant Marylebone neighbourhood.
The Food
John's inspiration is drawn from both his Thai and British heritage, offering à la carte and chef’s selection menus that change with the seasons, highlighting the plethora of world-class ingredients available from the British Isles. Dishes blend the bold flavours of Thailand with contemporary presentation and innovative techniques, while respecting traditional Thai cooking styles. The kitchen implements charcoal cooking and coconut smoking throughout the menu and achieves wok-hei (breath of the wok) with turbojet wok burners commonly seen in Asian kitchens. Coconut cream is freshly pressed on-site and featured in both sweet and savoury dishes, while handmade pastes form the backbone of curries seldom seen outside of Thailand.
The menu starts with snacks like Comice Pear, Candied Beetroot & Suffolk Rapeseed, a tribute to the ancient royal Thai snack Ma Hor. Traditionally, this dish featured candied pork, prawn, and peanut on fresh pineapple. AngloThai’s version uses beetroot candied in its natural sugars and Black Bee Honey. Toasted rapeseeds are folded through the mix, providing a nutty flavour that complements the earthy sweetness of the beetroot, served on a slice of comice pear with elderflower vinegar to balance the dish’s freshness.
Brixham Crab, Exmoor Caviar & Coconut Ash Cracker combines John’s love of wild seafood with Nahm Prik, an underrepresented genre in Thai cuisine. Whole crabs are grilled over charcoal, their delicate white meat dressed in coconut cream and makrut lime, then paired with British caviar. The brown crab is made into a rich emulsion filling traditional flower-shaped Thai crackers stained with coconut ash, forming a vessel for the white crab and caviar.
Other dishes that showcase AngloThai’s cooking philosophy include Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Sunflower Seed Satay & Puffed Quinoa, where a traditional peanut-based sauce is replaced with roasted sunflower seeds; Ryall Farm Hogget, Massaman Curry & Black Fig, using black-faced Hebridean sheep from Desiree’s family farm in Dorset; and Cornish Monkfish, Woodland Curry & Wild Mushrooms, a larger plate celebrating the aromatic, spice-driven flavours of Thailand with wild-caught monkfish cooked over coconut husks.
Rice, integral to Asian cuisine, is represented at AngloThai by ancient heritage grains, either simply steamed or used in standalone dishes like Wholegrain Farro, Long Peppercorn & Cured Beef. Farro grains are fried in aged beef fat, then braised in beef stock and seaweed. The tender grains are glazed with a beef reduction infused with peppercorns and spices, finished with grated cured and coconut-smoked beef heart.
To finish, the Delica Pumpkin, Fig Leaf & Pumpkin Seed Ice Cream offers earthy notes from the fig leaf with crunch from the candied seeds and layers of pumpkin, offering a seasonal and harmonious dessert. The Cacao Ganache, Rum Caramel & Salted Coconut pairs richness with decadence, complemented by the contrasting flavours of the salted coconut, creating an indulgent, complex end to the meal.
The Wine
Desiree’s wine list celebrates relationships with growers, winemakers, and importers that have been pivotal to AngloThai’s journey. The list champions thoughtful producers who place excellent craftsmanship at the forefront of grape growing, harvesting, and winemaking. The wines offer a sense of place and time, made with love and respect, ensuring each bottle is alive with energy and flavour.
The wine list is inclusive, offering accessible price points with distinctive provenance and winemaking methods, including Stajerska Kollektiv from Slovenia, and premium bottles like Château Le Puy from Bordeaux. Classic pairings such as Wittmann Riesling from Germany and cult winemakers like Charlie Herring join English sparkling wines from Hampshire’s New Forest. Back vintages, including Hermann Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshohle Riesling Spätlese, are featured in magnum format. House wines are created in partnership with Nibiru Wines in Austria’s Kamptal region, affectionately named Rufus and Aubretia after the couple’s children. Rufus is a light-bodied red, bursting with black fruits and tension, while Aubretia is an aromatic white with tropical notes and textured skin contact. The wine list moves with the seasons, highlighting local wineries such as Blackbook, based in the couple’s home borough of Battersea.
The Restaurant
Located on Marylebone’s historic Seymour Place, the site retains a quaint neighbourhood charm, just steps from Marble Arch and Hyde Park. The building reflects 18th-century London architecture, housing a 50-cover ground-floor dining room with an open kitchen. The interiors, designed by Thai-American designer May Redding, draw inspiration from Thailand’s contemporary design movement while evoking the warm, comforting feel of a well-loved home.
Moonler, a furniture manufacturer in Chiang Mai that works with Indigenous Chamchuri wood, has created bespoke tabletops, chairs, and a four-metre-long dining table for Baan – the restaurant’s private dining room, opening in early 2025.
Lighting by Robert Sukachard of Pern Baan illuminates the space with Ban Pa Ao lighting, named after the last village in Northern Thailand to make wax-cast brass items. Textile designer Pichatorn Nuladaisri of Yarn Story Studio has created a feature art installation made from woven metals and recycled textiles. Archivio Asazak, an artist and reiki healer based in Chiang Mai, has contributed an abstract art piece that intertwines his passions for art and spirituality.
Earth and Fire in Northern Thailand’s Lampang region created ceramic tiles for the dining room walls and bespoke items like wine buckets and crockery. Additional ceramics come from Chiang Mai’s Prempracha and Bangkok’s Lamunlamai Studios, known for freeform styles with colourful glazes. Welsh ceramicist Matthew Jones has produced the majority of the crockery, made from local clay with glazes inspired by Thai celadon.
Music plays a key role in the restaurant’s atmosphere. John, a former musician, has collaborated with Ben Baple, a close friend with 15 years in the music industry working with artists like The Strokes, Little Simz, and Lady Gaga, to curate the restaurant’s playlists. The eclectic music program features tracks from around the world, spanning from the 1960s to the 2020s, incorporating modern Thai artists alongside Western instrumental and vocal pieces, creating a unique listening experience that complements the food, drink, and service.
AngloThai officially opened on the 11th November.
