The appeal of Thai cuisine has increased as Thailand’s reputation as a popular tourist destination becomes increasingly robust The appeal of Thai cuisine has increased as Thailand’s reputation as a popular tourist destination becomes increasingly robust

Have you noticed an increase in the popularity of Thai cuisine?

Steve Deconinck, executive chef, The Palace Downtown Dubai: The appeal of Thai cuisine has increased as Thailand’s reputation as a popular tourist destination becomes increasingly robust. Its cuisine is popular and diverse and appeals to everybody who loves a mixture of ingredients. Thai food is also flexible in the sense that you can adapt certain dishes to your own preferred level of spice.

Idin Asmitha, executive sous-chef at Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara: Thai cuisine is known for its bold taste while being refreshing, light and spicy. The rich combination of flavours and spices achieve a balance of the five fundamental taste senses in a dish: spicy, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. It also offers various options of meat, seafood, noodle or vegetarian dishes, which other cuisines don’t necessarily bring to the table.

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Nauremol Poolkuan, chef de cuisine, Benjarong: Thai cuisine has now become an internationally celebrated cuisine, attracting even the most finicky taste buds. Dusit Thani Dubai, in its own little ways, persists in showcasing authentic, royal Thai masterpieces which also include vegetable, fruit and ice carving, as well as live Thai musical entertainment.

Pang, Sabai Thai, The Westin Doha: We can see from a number of Thai restaurants both here in Doha and across the GCC, that there has been real growth in the number of Thai restaurants and the general availability of Thai food and ingredients. When you go shopping, many malls have areas providing fresh and dried Thai products. I think there is a real surge in demand for Thai cuisine which is very exciting to see.

What is the latest trend in Thai cuisine?

Poolkuan: The ‘delivery revolution’. Convenience in a fast-paced city such as Dubai has become a norm and recently, even fine-dining Thai restaurants have embraced this trend. Benjarong, for example, has partnered with Deliveroo, a food delivery service provider. This huge step gives you a royal Thai experience in your home.

Asmitha: As in other types of cuisine, a need for more health conscious options can be observed in Thai cuisine, such as gluten-free and vegetarian options.
 
Deconinck: The latest trend in Thai cuisine is to combine sweet and sour with organic dishes to make delicious combinations.

Pang: Currently, there is a real interest in local food, with people bringing out special dishes from their hometowns and sharing them more widely. That localised approach is something we at Sabai Thai are keen to develop as well — and we are paying more attention to the origin of ingredients that people don’t usually use.