Mayfair restaurateur Samyukta Nair (left in photo) opens her latest restaurant, Koyn Thai, in collaboration with Bangkok-born chef Rose Chalalai Singh (centre) this Sunday, 16 June.
The restaurant is taking over the basement dining room of Samyukta’s Japanese restaurant Koyn, off Grosvenor Square, with Koyn executive chef Rhys Cattermoul (right) running the kitchen. Each restaurant can accommodate 75 diners, and the downstairs space has been refitted with a black oak ceiling, hand-painted tapestries and works by Thai artist Kitikong Tilokwattanoitai.
Rose, who has Thai, Chinese and Indian grandparents, was inspired to cook by her Thai grandmother and honed her skills professionally after opening a tiny 12-seater restaurant, Rose’s Kitchen, in Paris 15 years ago.
Her menu at Koyn Thai is based on home cooking from regions across Thailand, with signature dishes including pomelo salad with toasted coconut and prawns; a ‘Changi Mai platter” of roasted capsicum relish, crackling pork, northern spiced homemade pork sausage & sticky rice; and a southern Thai crab curry. Multi-course tasting menus start at £45 (vegetarian) or £55 (omnivore) a head.
Rose says: “I’m excited about my new home at Koyn Thai in Mayfair and the opportunity to be able to come to London and collaborate with Sam in the best way I know – with great spirit and the very best of Thai flavours.”
Samyukta adds: “The cosmos of Koyn has always focused on duality and KOYN Thai is an exciting addition that takes this a step further. Travelling with Rose, eating together and finding inspiration that celebrates the diverse flavours of Asian cuisine is at the forefront of our collaboration, one that I am particularly excited to bring to London this summer.”
Having grown up in the family that founded India’s luxury Leela Palace hotels, Samyukta announced her arrival on Mayfair’s restaurant scene in 2016 with the opening of Jamavar, following up at regular intervals with street-food specialist Bombay Bustle, Chinese restaurant Mimi Mei Fair, Koyn and French Riviera-inspired Socca – the latter in partnership with chef Claude Bosi.
