Taking the small upstairs space that was previously occupied by chef Shaun Moffat, Bangkok Diners Club will offer a short menu of dishes designed to share made with a mix of high quality local ingredients and imported Thai produce.
The menu will include pork jowl taco with burnt tomato jaew; mutton gaeng khua with pickled celeriac and roti; roast pork belly pad prik king with rhubarb and holy basil; and papaya salad with smoked peanuts and shrimp floss.
“Barbecue is huge in Thailand, but it’s usually fast and furious over fire,” Ben says. “Last year we spent some time in Miami - we had so much mega BBQ, and I found for me the best dishes had Mexican or Korean heat and citrus which cut through the richness of the meat. It got me thinking about how I could do that with Thai flavours and techniques.”
Humphreys cooking CV is focused on Asian-inspired restaurants, including Australasia, Tattu, Tokyo Ramen, Rabbit on the Moon and Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat.
He is best known in Manchester for District, a progressive Thai fine dining restaurant that was critically well received chalking up a positive review from Marina O’Loughlin but closed in 2022 after two years’ trading.
Bo was born and raised in Thailand’s northeastern Isan region, before moving to Bangkok as a teenager.
Ben has travelled Thailand extensively, often spending months in the country each year.
“Bangkok is right in the middle of Thailand, the cuisine is the most complex and diverse there. They draw inspiration from all across the country - vivid with fresh turmeric and depth of shrimp paste from the South, an array of herbs and dry spices from the cooler mountainous North, and the distinctive spicy and sour flavours from the northeast Isan region.”
“That exciting approach is what we’re trying to do here - it’s all rooted in a deep respect for the Thai cooking traditions and an obsessive understanding of how Thai dishes are built; how the flavours are layered and the heat builds - but without the constraints of identifying with a single region.”
Bangkok Diners Club launches later this month.
An interview with Ben and Bo Humphreys and their business partner Danny Collins will be published later this month.