The name may sound like a fancy French restaurant but the food at Le Du is stylishly inspired by local Thai fare. Armed with an education from The Culinary Institute of America and working experience in the some of the world’s best kitchens—Eleven Madison Park and Jean-Georges, included, Thitid Tassanakajohn or Chef Ton opened Le Du in Bangkok in 2013 with a mission to revolutionize Thai food. As the name “Le Du” (a pun on rue doo, which means season in Thai) suggests, the menu is created around the best local seasonal produce (so expect the menu to change quarterly) and elevates them with modern touches, inventive cooking and refined presentations.
A cold starter of beautifully plated blue swimmer crab salad (฿400) features fresh crabs from Pattani paired with cucumber, Thai eggplant, pennywort and yellow chili. A gel made from bitter melon adds a kick of tartness, while a sauce made with prawn fat brings complexity to the dish. Chef Ton’s reinvention of centuries-old recipes gives a new twist to khao chair (฿400). This creamy delicacy is a real feast for the eyes (and taste buds), and is made with jasmine-scented water and served with green pepper stuffed with pork and salted fish paste, shrimp paste balls and white radish puree. Finish off your meal with either panna cotta pudding (฿250) made with pork blood (surprisingly delicious, ฿250) or candied kaffir lime that’s served with caramel ice cream, mulberries and granola (฿250).