Follow the scent (and smoke) of a Thai barbecue in Bangkok and you’ll likely find yourself at Luke Farrell’s home. The chef-patron of Plaza Khao Gaeng and Speedboat Bar, among London’s most popular Thai restaurants, lives in what is known as a muu baan (an urban village) in Sathorn, and his front garden is full of herbaceous plants and two large, rotating grills.
“I wanted to cook with charcoal and cook outside, just like in a traditional Thai home,” says Farrell of property hunting in the capital, where he has lived on and off for 18 years. Thai houses generally have an indoor kitchen, known as a western kitchen, and a separate outdoor area for cooking Thai food that involves more grilling, frying and the pounding of pungent curry pastes.
Luke Farrell shops for ingredients © Natthawut Taeja
The blue swimmer crab and coconut curry with lemon basil © Natthawut Taeja
Farrell prepares the blue swimmer crab © Natthawut Taeja
