LIFE

In the hot seat

Guru, Jarupat Buranastidporn, Published on 04/12/2015

» When conversing about Chinese cuisine in Bangkok, the mention of Chef Man Wai Yin and his restaurant Chef Man is inevitable. Who popularised the lava bun? He did. Whose restaurant once had a month-long waiting list? Guilty. He managed to turn ubiquitous dim sum into a new dining experience with his restaurants. Then came the fancy flair and five-star presentation of M Krub, which seems to have won over those foodies who could afford it. His latest venture, Chairman, is a world apart, spurning lazy Susans, leather seats and tablecloths, and instead looking back to childhood days in Hong Kong spent at a traditional cha chaan teng (local cafe or eatery). Chairman’s decor is reminiscent of exactly that, with vintage tiles, wooden counters, iron partitions and verdant green window panes looking out on a 2D mock-up of a sea of neon-lit billboards. Surprisingly, the cafe hits the casual mark for which it was aiming, avoiding gimmickry — a difficult task indeed, especially when you’ve set up shop inside a glitzy mall.