On Bedford Street, the 75-cover restaurant will sit alongside the soon-to-launch Arcade Food Hall Covent Garden, joining the original Plaza Khao Gaeng in Tottenham Court Road and a larger Borough Yards site that opened late last year.
Farrell - who is also behind the two-strong Speedboat Bar - will focus on the cooking of Thailand’s southern border regions, including Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat aka the country’s ‘deep south’.
The menu will centre on coconut charcoal-grilled meats and seafood, alongside salads and fritters made with wild vegetables.
A key dish will be Gai Gorlae, a southern Muslim-style chicken skewer (also known as Ayam Golek), coated in red curry paste and coconut cream and cooked over charcoal.
The Covent Garden site marks a shift in emphasis for the group - which is part of JKS Restaurants - with grilling taking a more prominent role than at previous locations.
The design will take its cues from roadside canteens and market stalls, combining bamboo and wood with tiled surfaces, counter displays and a prominent charcoal grill. It will also feature stainless-steel tables, posters and lightboxes.
“Southern Thai cuisine in London has come a long way since we opened the city’s first Plaza Khao Gaeng,” Farrell says. “Each iteration of Plaza has brought something new, and at Covent Garden, this is the grill. We began this journey four years ago with gleeful trepidation, and it has been a joy to see it embraced so fully while sharing the depth and variety of this regional cuisine.”
Late last year, Farrell told Restaurant that he had a lot more planned for Chaiyo Restaurants including the launch of a more formal concept that would explore the cooking of Thailand’s royal courts.