Samyukta Nair to open KOYN Thai in Mayfair

Located beneath Nair’s contemporary Japanese restaurant KOYN in Mayfair​​, KOYN Thai is inspired by the duo’s love of Thailand.

It will replace the basement space that was previously a second, larger dining room for the Japanese restaurant.

Paris based chef Chalalai-Singh is known for her home-style Thai cooking and also for being a new archetype of the celebrated café society in Paris. She is well known within fashion circles having cooked for Vogue Paris, Dior and Hermes and has recently cooked with Margot Henderson in the UK and Thailand.

Having grown up in Bangkok, she moved to Paris fifteen years ago to open Ya Lamai, her Thai restaurant named after her grandmother in the 11th arrondissement. Following the success of Ya Lamai, Rose opened Rose Kitchen, the private kitchen on Rue st. Sabin 11e. 

KOYN Thai will serve ‘fiery small plates’ inspired by the dishes Chalalai-Singh’s grandmother cooked for her in Bangkok, where she grew up.

Drawing inspiration from the north, south and central provinces, launch dishes will include toasted coconut pomelo salad; wild garlic, green chilli and Thai basil ‘escargots’; a Chiang Mai platter featuring spicy homemade pork sausage, capsicum nam prik, sticky rice and crackling pork skin; river prawn choo chee; and southern Thai crab curry with wildbetal leafbush.  ​

“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," says Chalalai-Singh.

Nair opened KOYN on Mayfair’s Grosvenor Street in 2022 with the restaurant taking inspiration from Mount Fuji to explore Japanese cuisine. The space was split into two distinct areas: a first floor dining room called Midori that is representative of the top of the mountain and a ground floor space called Magma, in which KOYN Thai will now sit, that took its design cues from the active volcano below.

“The cosmos of KOYN has always focused on duality and KOYN Thai is an exciting addition that takes this a step further," says Samyukta.

"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."  

KOYN Thai will open on 16 June.