CT Exclusive: Chef Chalee Kader Of Bangkok’s Michelin-Starred Wana Yook Talks To Us

For every thali relished in India, Thailand has khao kaeng— a hearty rice meal served with curries and toppings. The beating heart of Thailand’s culinary scene lies in its affordable rice-curry meals that have nourished the heartlands for centuries. So, when Chef Chalee Kader had the novel yet sincere idea to give the humble khao kaeng an elevated spin, it was initially met with scepticism. Today, Wana Yook, Chef Chalee Kader’s passion project in Bangkok, holds one Michelin star, and its core, a celebration of Thailand’s ubiquitous khao kaeng (rice and curry).

Bangkok’s Michelin-Starred Wana Yook Comes To Bengaluru

Tucked in a 100-year-old colonial house in Bangkok, Wana Yook’s seasonal tasting menus centred around khao kaeng, have earned it one Michelin star (Michelin Guide Thailand 2024) and a spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. What brought, Chalee Kader, the visionary behind Wana Yook, to Bengaluru was ‘The Thai Tasting Table’. A two-night culinary experience (July 11-12) presented by Conosh at JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru.

The award-winning chef and restaurateur of Indian-Chinese heritage, hosted an exclusive 7-course tasting menu of his Michelin-starred signatures. A night of bold, inventive interpretations of traditional Thai cuisine was laid out.

I was invited to experience the Michelin-starred Wana Yook outside of Thailand, right here in Namma Bengaluru. And what followed was a two-hour sojourn into the most refined interpretations of unfamiliar Thai delicacies. I tucked into a cured trevally with an aromatic turmeric Naam Yum broth; let the freshly poached crab and scampi sitting on a rainbow-hued Tai Pla Powder amaze me; and chuckled on receiving a ‘Thai thali’. Basically, a wholesome Kao Gaeng Set!

After four courses of the most beautifully presented(and divinely tasting) small plates, the 5th course came right to the point with khao kaeng. A simple steel plate was adorned with bowls of different sizes. One held the staple, rice; the other a fiery Southern Style Crab Curry; a soupy chicken-prawn turmeric broth sat unassumingly; Chef Chalee Kader’s signature fried eggs gleamed invitingly, and a salad balanced it all. Each course, weaved magic, where every bite was packed with spicy, astringent, salty, sweet and umami flavours.

A velvety white foam hiding a tender piece of chicken, reminded me of my favourite, Tom Kha. Familiar flavours with edgy interpretations! Just like the beloved Mango Sticky Rice was given a sorbet-meringue twist at Wana Yook. Ingenious way to soothe palates after the intense and no-holds-barred spicy crab curry!

Following a highly immersive experience of Thai storytelling through food, I caught up with the man of the hour, Chef Chalee Kader for a tête-a-tête.

Chef Chalee Kader In A Tête-a-Tête With Curly Tales

1) Thai food is often limited to Pad Thai, red and green curries, at least in India. At this Wana Yook pop-up, what kind of Thai flavours do you want to introduce your guests to?

I guess you see the same nine things everywhere else as well. Rice and curry stalls in Bangkok are a good representation of cuisines from all regions of Thailand. So, we want to bring a little bit of each region here (at the Bengaluru pop-up) as well. 

The degustation menu has dishes from the south like the Crab Curry, Tom Kha Gai from the central region. We’re showcasing a different side of Thai food beyond the red and green curries. 

There are curries, salads and relishes that are white-coloured. And every Thai dish doesn’t have to be too spicy. Guests will be introduced to dishes that they don’t really get to see much. And through our food, they can experience the essence of Bangkok’s rice-curry stalls. 

2) Why did you come up with the idea of turning Thailand’s simple khao khaeng (rice with curry) into a fine-dining concept?

The whole khao khaeng concept, like you said, is a very simple idea. You see it on the street, you see it on the highway… It’s a staple. 

And the beauty of it is that when you eat at a khao khaeng stall, when you pile everything onto your rice, you get a little flavour of everything, and you’re trying to balance it on your plate. 

So, you’ll get a little bit of curry, maybe a stir-fried vegetable, crispiness from a fried fish on that, and then everything will just mingle and bleed onto the rice. When they all come together, it creates a new flavour with all those layers, similar to a thali. 

Everything is swimming, but you’re not disgusted by it. Once I got the idea, I realised that we’re sitting on something concrete that everyone can resonate with. 

But then we also met people who said, ‘Umm.. It’s too easy, it might be too gimmicky.’

That discouraged us a bit. But the idea kept ringing at the back of my mind. So, I finally thought, ‘Let’s try. Let’s go for it.’

And we didn’t think Wana Yook would come to where it is right now, to the distance and extent it has come, to all the accolades it has won. 

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3) Did you ever think Wana Yook would one day get a Michelin Star? Have you cracked the code?

I don’t think there’s a way to crack it ( Michelin star). 

It’s all about having a stand-out idea and then pushing through with it. Doing very good food and not giving a crap about anything besides that!

We were lucky to (obviously) be hard-working, and also we were sitting on an idea that was so close to our hearts. And so simple that nobody thought of it!

It (rice-curry concept) differentiated us a bit, gave us an edge as individuals trying something new. I think a (Michelin) star is normally associated with the food. But everybody makes really good food these days.

And when you open a restaurant, it’s not like how it was back in the day. All the other aspects matter today as well – the whole packaging, storytelling, hospitality and service. That’s how you get up there!

4) There’s often a notion that it’s difficult to elevate traditional Southeast Asian dishes without compromising on their authenticity. How did you achieve this balance?

At Wana Yook, we always try to highlight the original flavours without sacrificing them with too many tricks and techniques. As long as the dish has the original flavours, and something we do enhances it, we go ahead. 

We keep things quite straightforward without any gimmicks. We are pushing the envelope by making our diners relish at least 3-4 elements in one bite. So, balancing everything is a challenge. At the end of the day, the function comes first, and everything else later. 

5) Have you ever faced any challenges in the culinary industry that demotivated you?

Anything you do is never always sunshine and rainbows. There are days when it’s harder to come up with things.

It’s also more difficult to think of something new. It’s not like every day you’re going to wake up happy, even if it seems like it’s a very happy job. 

I guess there are always challenges, always days that you’re going to have to dig deep to find more ideas, newer ways to go about your food. So, yeah! It’s always a challenge. 

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6) Did you get the chance to explore Bengaluru’s restaurant scene?

I tried the filter coffee once. Actually, I’m not a big coffee drinker. 

Shreya(Mudgil of Conosh) and Aditya(Muralishankar of Conosh) took me to Paragon. We did Airlines Hotel for breakfast, and had dinner at Bengaluru Oota Company. I was inspired by the hospitality and the personality of Oota. It’s not something you can find anywhere else. Most of the food there has soul. 

So, I think places like that are always going to outshine the others. We also stopped at a ramen place. I guess I needed a noodle fix!

(He chuckles, with a glint in his eyes.)

Naru Noodle Bar? (I immediately interject. Not telepathy, but the obvious choice)

(Chef Kader immediately smiles and confirms.)

It’s amazing how busy the place is! Actually, the soup is very, very good, and the noodles are made in-house, using local flour as well. Quite impressive! 

Rapid Fire Time With Chef Chalee Kader

1. A must-try dish at Wana Yook

Kai Dao or Signature Fried Eggs

2. Your favourite comfort food

Noodles

3. A dish you ate to celebrate your Michelin star 

We had a small party, but I don’t remember what we ate. 

4. Your favourite cuisine apart from Thai

Japanese and Chinese

5. A dish you find overrated

Salmon

6. A dish you find underrated

Dosa and Hoppers

7. The weirdest dish you’ve tried 

Alligator, snake and rat meat. 

I’m not going back to rat meat, it was too gamey. They were field rats. 

8. A travel destination you want to visit for its food 

San Sebastián in Spain.

9. A one-line advice you have for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs

Work hard and just don’t give up too soon!

Chef Chalee Kader signed off with a wide grin, strolling nonchalantly toward the serving pass to wrap up a night in Bengaluru where stars twinkled above— and in the kitchen too.

Cover Image Courtesy: chaleekader/ Instagram