Bangkok, Thailand, September 26, 2025 / TRAVELINDEX / The renowned Thai gourmet restaurant KHAAN Bangkok, under the direction of visionary chef Aom Sujira Pongmorn, proudly presents its new tasting menu – a bold, playful, and deeply personal reinterpretation of Thai street food. Inspired by Aom's travels throughout Thailand and her ongoing exploration of local ingredients and regional culinary traditions, the new menu reflects an intrepid culinary spirit rooted in tradition, sustainability, and modern techniques.

Since opening in 2023, KHAAN Bangkok has earned an outstanding reputation for celebrating everyday Thai street food at the highest level. The restaurant has recently been honored with the following accolades: MICHELIN Guide 2025, Tatler Thailand's 20 Best Restaurants 2025, and Tatler Asia's Best New Restaurant 2024, further cementing its reputation as one of Bangkok's most exciting culinary destinations.

Now, head chef Aom takes her guests on a new journey – a journey that celebrates Thailand's biodiversity, forgotten ingredients and local food culture, while further advancing KHAAN's zero-waste philosophy.

A menu based on curiosity and craftsmanship

“This menu is more fun. It’s more intense in flavor, bolder in texture, and full of ingredients I’m eager to share with you,” says chef Aom, who has spent the last six months traveling around Thailand – visiting local farmers, gathering wild herbs with communities, fishing on the south coast, and exploring new possibilities with forgotten or underestimated ingredients.

Her journey took her to Chiang Mai, where she worked closely with a small village known for its fertile soil and pristine natural resources. "The land there is incredible," she recalls. "We discovered herbs and produce that are rarely found in the markets, and I was reminded of how much of Thailand's culinary identity still lives in these quiet corners."

In addition to her travels within Thailand, chef Aom also participated in a culinary research trip to Italy, where she learned about traditional European preservation methods, the maturation of sauces with natural bacteria, and the close relationships between producers and chefs. These inspirations are incorporated into KHAAN not as mere imitation, but rather form a deeper understanding of the importance of time, seasonality, and intention in Thai cuisine.

One of the standout dishes on the new menu is Cassava: มัน 5 นาที, inspired by the popular fried noodles. Chef Aom transforms this simple local dish into a gourmet experience by using มัน 5 นาที – a rare, quick-cooking variety of cassava with a naturally soft yet firm texture. She reinterprets it as noodles, stir-fried with a homemade sauce of slow-roasted vegetables and sweet fruit remnants like pear and apple, perfectly in line with the kitchen's zero-waste concept.

To finish the meal, guests are served toppings such as crispy freshwater seaweed (เทากรอบ), organically sprouted mung bean sprouts, and dried pine pepper (พริกยอดสนแห้ง), allowing them to season the noodles to their liking – just like in familiar Thai street food. The result is a dish that is soft, savory, and slightly sweet, with an irresistibly chewy texture that blends tradition and innovation in every bite.

Crocodile tongue, reinterpreted

Among the new dishes premiering here is one that is already generating buzz: a crocodile tongue stir-fry – a reinterpretation of a game dish from the perspective of fine dining.

“In Thailand, eating game meat is nothing new. It’s even part of our traditional food culture – deer and wild boar have always been common,” explains chef Aom. “Crocodile meat is also eaten in other countries, but often in a very rustic way. I wanted to take a different approach.”

The inspiration for the dish came from Chef Aom's experiments with the whole animal, but the tongue stood out in particular. "The texture, the quality of the meat – it was so interesting in itself. It didn't need heavy seasoning. I wanted to highlight the ingredient itself and process it as little as possible."

The dish is finished with a tangy pad-cha sauce (ผัดฉ่า), a stir-fry sauce made with Thai herbs such as fingerroot, holy basil, and green peppercorns—reminiscent of the spicy, herbaceous aroma traditionally associated with wild herbs in Thai cuisine. “It’s about honoring our culinary traditions while redefining the boundaries of fine Thai cuisine,” she says.

Innovations in the field of zero waste continue.

KHAAN Bangkok has long been committed to sustainability – not just as a marketing term, but as a lived practice. The new tasting menu is no exception.

Every ingredient is used to its fullest potential. Seafood trimmings are fermented to create savory sauces; vegetable stalks are processed into pickles, purées, or chips; fruit peels serve as tea infusions or garnishes. The team works directly with farmers and fishermen from Rayong, Ranong, and Krabi, ensuring freshness and traceability with minimal waste through careful planning and preparation.

“Our goal is not perfection, but progress,” says chef Aom. “We want to ensure that everything we bring into the kitchen has a purpose. In this way, we respect the ingredients, the producers, and the environment.”

This approach also introduces creative constraints into the kitchen—a driving force for innovation. Dishes are often conceived in reverse, starting with what's left over from another course. "Sometimes the most exciting flavors come from the parts people throw away," she adds.

A culinary experience with depth and storytelling artistry

Each course on the new menu is more than just a dish – it tells a story. From an amuse-bouche inspired by the street food stalls of Bangkok's Chinatown to a dessert that evokes Chef Aom's childhood memories from his time on Charoen Krung Road, the entire experience is designed to awaken emotions and memories.

Guests are encouraged to pause, listen, and reflect as each dish is served with a short story about its origin, inspiration, and regional connection. The dining room itself—cozy, down-to-earth, and elegant—reflects this philosophy: warm lighting, handcrafted ceramic tableware, and attentive yet unobtrusive service.

The wine and non-alcoholic beverage menus have also been updated to complement the new food menu. They include biodynamic wines and Thai-inspired tea infusions designed to enhance, rather than overpower, the bold flavors on the plate.

Available from September 3, 2025

The new tasting menu will be officially launched on September 3, 2025, and is available exclusively for dinner by reservation. The price is 3,850++ THB; beverage pairings (wine, tea, or juice) are available as an optional extra.

This menu marks another exciting step in Chef Aom's mission to elevate Thai street food to the realm of fine dining while remaining true to its soul – flavorful, expressive and rooted in the community.