John and Desiree Chantarasak on bringing regional Thai cuisine to London, family influences, and building a restaurant rooted in sustainability and respect for producers
“I just love the colour purple,” Desiree Chantarasak declares, draped in a purple jumper and a lilac water bottle by her side. The co-owner and general manager of AngloThai and broad logistical oven of John Lewis’s dining empire, colour, mine’s pale pink, before the Chantarasaks and their daughter.
“It has so many layers for us, because there are so many iterations,” she explains. These range from the rich opulence of their restaurant’s private dining room to the warmth of the lilac on the laundry of their home in Battersea. Purple can be regal, magical, cheerful and brooding. Certain shades are “reminiscent of wine. It’s not a colour you see often in restaurants, because consumers often associate purple with romance.”
AngloThai is a classy restaurant that welcomes kids. It serves Thai-influenced dishes made with British produce, British-grown Thai ingredients like holy basil and chillies, but no rice, because that would have to be imported.
And it’s a debut restaurant that has over the years already picked up accolades and recognition.
It’s this method restaurant, opening from over years of supper clubs around Europe, run by husband-and-wife team John and Desiree Chantarasak.
Their backgrounds further explain why.
John grew up in the Midlands, where his English heritage fully combined with the AngloThai concept, having cut his teeth at Som Saa in Spitalfields, one of the first regional Thai restaurants to open in London nine years ago, before a influential role in Bangkok-based Michelin-recognised restaurant Nahm.
“I’ve always had one foot in Thai food and one foot in modern British cuisine,” John says. “Running AngloThai gave me an avenue through which to bring those influences together.”
Q: Where did your passion for Thai food begin?
A: My grandmother was enthusiastically Thai from Isaan. I spent summers in Thailand as a child and food became the bridge between those worlds. I remember helping at markets, seeing ingredients grown locally and understanding that food reflected place, season and culture.
That shaped my approach to cooking. Thai cuisine isn’t just recipes, it’s an understanding of ingredients, balance and respect for where food comes from.
Q: You’ve said that calling your food “fusion” doesn’t sit comfortably with you. Why?
A: I know “fusion” is a banished word in the 21st century, but I’m not making green curry linguine or anything like that. Thailand will always have a strong imprint on what I want to cook, but I do so with the utmost respect.
I describe what we do as Thai cuisine viewed through a British lens. We use the best ingredients available to us here and apply techniques, flavours and ideas inspired by Thai cooking.
Q: How did AngloThai come together?
A: Launching in grown-up Marylebone rather than the edgy east London many expected came from practical considerations. As a tactical move, I’m moving towards my forties and we wanted a neighbourhood where customers could return regularly and become part of a community.
Opening AngloThai has been very rewarding. Family is key to this; the restaurant is really a place where our daughter can grow up around food and hospitality.
Q: Was opening a family-friendly restaurant a deliberate decision?
A: Absolutely. We were always going to be family orientated. We were always going to source the best possible produce, with respect for the producers and the environment.
I don’t understand why people who don’t do those things still get accolades. It feels very contradictory to me.
One of the first things we did at AngloThai was install baby-changing facilities and highchairs. It sounds simple, but not every restaurant makes families feel welcome.
Q: How important is sustainability to your approach?
A: It’s central. We spend a lot of time working directly with producers and farmers, and sourcing the very best ingredients available.
We challenge ourselves constantly to ask: what can we do with what’s in season right now? How can we support local growers? How can we reduce unnecessary imports?
That approach shapes the menu every day.
Q: Your cooking combines Thai flavours with British ingredients. How does that work in practice?
A: Thai food has got better and better in Britain, but historically it was often adapted to local expectations. We want to take the principles, flavours and techniques of Thai cuisine and apply them to the incredible produce we have here.
At the time of writing, for example, we had a curry of Windsor Estate venison with peppercorns and Jerusalem artichoke. Instead of rice, it was served with sides of wholegrain spelt or naked oats.
It captures what we’re trying to achieve, maintaining Thai flavours while pushing the boundaries of what people think Thai food can be in the UK.
Q: Has British understanding of regional Thai food changed?
A: Definitely. For many people their first interaction with Thai cuisine came through takeaways and local restaurants. Those places are important, but Thai cuisine is incredibly diverse.
We’re now seeing more interest in regional Thai food and more curiosity from diners. Restaurants like Som Saa, Plaza Khao Gaeng and others have helped create that awareness.
That’s exciting because it gives chefs more freedom to explore the breadth of Thai cooking traditions.
Q: What role does wine play at AngloThai?
A: It’s a huge part of what we do. Historically people didn’t always associate Thai food with serious wine programmes, but we wanted to challenge that perception.
Our list includes wines from Austria and Germany alongside lesser-known regions. We’re looking for freshness, precision and wines that complement the complexity of the food.
Q: Looking ahead, what excites you most?
A: The chance to keep evolving. Hospitality is about people, produce and place, and we’re still at the beginning of our journey.
We’ve been incredibly welcomed by the Marylebone community and I look forward to seeing the restaurant grow with the people around it, continuing to evolve our concepts and cuisine with us.
ANGLOTHAI
22-24 Seymour Place
W1H 7NL
anglothai.co.uk