A Night of Thai Excellence – Fine Dining, Motorsport, and Luxury Tourism

Gridlock and calm chaos ruled supreme over London’s Wednesday night due to the far-reaching tube strike, but nothing could dampen the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s celebration: A Night of Thai Excellence. Held just North of Marble Arch in the feted one-star Michelin restaurant, AngloThai, the Thai ambassador mingled with influencers, content creators, journalists and, star guest for the evening, Formula 1 Thai/English racer Alex Albon, who was interviewed before dinner.

Racing for the Atlassian Williams Racing team, Albon is based near Milton Keynes, born to a Thai mother and British father who introduced him to go-kart racing at the tender age of seven. Currently positioned seventh with eight races to go, this season is set to be his best ever and as well as talking about his Buddhist faith (there’s a monastery very near him in Milton Keynes where he can knock on the front door should he wish to exchange words with a monk), he discussed the anticipated first ever Thai race, scheduled for 2028. Naturally, he’d love to be standing on that podium in Bangkok whilst the Thai national anthem plays in the background and, one presumes, the hairs would be standing on the back of his neck. 

As we ate, influencers and content creators buzzed with excitement after having their photo taken with Albon, and everyone asked if I’d been to a GP that year, which I thought was a bit rude until I realised they weren’t talking about any old doctor’s visit but, of course, a Grand Prix. I had to disappoint but could, at least, claim some kudos by having attended the first ever GP in Abu Dhabi, where Beyoncé, Aerosmith and Kings of Leon gave free concerts as part of the ticket package.

Chef and AngloThai co-owner, John Chantarasak, was also in attendance throughout, more in the kitchen than out of it, preparing a wonderful dinner which kicked off with Tarbet Scallop in a fermented soybean paste not dissimilar to miso. Mains included a luxurious presentation of tender, rare aged ribeye served with green curry and peppercorn sauce, a squid ring stuffed with an unusual but impressive confit of cuttlefish, hake and spring onion and, what looked like rice but was, in fact, naked oats stir-fried in a riot of beef fat, garlic, coriander root, chilli and oyster sauce.

For dessert, Coconut flan was served with a mixture of confit, fresh and jammed strawberries. One of Thailand’s oldest wineries, Monsoon Valley, provided wine pairings but, on a sober September mission, I abstained. Coincidentally (or more likely, not), Albon is collaborating with Monsoon Valley, so watch out for a new wine from them both in the future. 

The evening finished with the Thai Ambassador raffling prizes and merchandise signed by Albon. These included Atlassian Williams notebooks and jerseys. I didn’t win either but did win a signed blue baseball cap which perfectly topped off the night of Thai excellence. Here’s wishing Albon an impressive rest of the season and hoping the Bangkok GP in 2028 is a big success.