Pair of notable Thai chefs team up to open new Toronto restaurant this month

A duo of chefs who've been behind two of Toronto's most talked-about Thai restaurants are joining forces to open a new place this month.

It's only been about a year since Pii Nong Thai opened the doors of its ambitious second location, a multi-storey "Thai experience" that includes a restaurant, spa and market that's been a veritable success, but its team is already moving on to what's next.

The eponymous Chef Pii Nong, having built notoriety at her pre-existing restaurants with flavours and dishes inspired by her childhood spent by her mother's side selling street food in Bangkok, is about to head in a new direction with her latest restaurant, set to debut this December.

Replacing what once was Pii Nong Thai's original Bayview location, Chon Modern Thai Cuisine is slated to be the newest addition to the fleet, this time centring around "a new facet of Thai cuisine, one grounded in ancient recipes yet expressed through modern artistry."

She's not going into this new venture alone, though. Pii Nong will be joined by Chef Chatchalit Chuayruk, a master and innovator of Thai cuisine in his own right, with experience in kitchens in the U.S.A., Australia, Korea and Thailand, leading the kitchen.

The result is a menu of Thai cuisine that feels at once familiar and wholly new, drawing from ancient Thai recipes, lesser-known regional dishes and traditional cooking philosophies, all redefined and reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.

Among the standouts, you'll be able to try Rawang curry, a cousin of green curry that's teeming with punchy flavours, topped with your choice of chicken, striploin or pork rib, and crispy Tom Kha fish, a pan-fried fillet of halibut served atop creamy, coconutty Tom Kha soup.

For those who've tired of the tried-and-true rotation of pad Thai and Panang curry, Chon Modern Thai Cuisine promises to offer eats that'll both satisfy your Thai food cravings and open you up to brand-new favourites.

The best part? You won't have to wait much longer to sample it for yourself: Chon Modern Thai Cuisine is set to open to the public on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Chon Modern Thai Cuisine will be located at 1677 Bayview Ave.