Chef Bo – Bo.lan Bangkok Thai Restaurant

Their culinary journey travels down from Bangkok to Adelaide then up to London then back to Bangkok. Chef Bo completed her masters in Gastronomy at the Le Cordon Bleu School at Adelaide University, Australia. When she returned,  Bo was working with Chef Amanda Gale at the former Cy’an in the metropolitan Hotel. Amanda introduced Bo to David Thompson who in turn invited her to be a part of his Michelin starred team at Nahm in London.

By Laurence Civil 

There her interest in Thai food was nurtured and she absorbed more valuable knowledge from David and his partner Thanongsak. As her passion grew so did her desire to open a world class Thai restaurant within Bangkok. It was there that she met Australian Chef Dylan Jones who became her husband and partner in Bo.lan which they opened in 2009 in Sukhumvit Soi 24 and relocated to Sukhumvit 53 last year.

A complete Thai meal needs the five elements salad, dip, stir fry, curry and soup. Those elements are harmoniously brought together in their Bo.Lan Balance menu which changes every two months.

“If we are just going out for a meal then I’m more concerned about the quality of ingredients and the execution from the kitchen,” says Chef Dylan. “ However if it’s a dinning experience then we are looking for attentive but not overly stuffy service, knowledgeable advice and or guidance with menu and wine list. But more importantly good company to sit and share the experience with. In terms of the meal itself, quality and execution are paramount.

How they feel at the moment dictates what they want to eat. Sometimes it can be as simple as some crusty bread and cheese at home, at other times it might be a good quality pizza or a quality Japanese meal. As the couple say food is so dependent on ones current state of mind.

Being a chef/restauranteur its virtually impossible for them to simply sit down and just enjoy a meal. They always looking for the little things. Either that make the experience great or poor. Actually that’s not entirely true you are not looking for them they just stand out. As they spend all day every day trying to control other people’s dinning experience it’s hard not to see the way others do it too. It’s not that they are being critical its just that they see the whole picture more than the average customer. At times too they find it makes them more understanding when things aren’t going entirely right.

Their favourite dish is one that has thought behind it, one with integrity and balance of flavour. Where the ingredients sourced reflect the philosophy of the cook. Where the cook shows skill and understanding of the ingredients and techniques. Their favourite dish is one that evokes feelings or emotions. What upsets them most is when the restaurant delivers false promises and the meal has been poorly executed.

Bo.Lan 

The restaurant committed to keeping a zero carbon footprint. To achieve this, they have built a vegetable garden, a water filtering system and waste recycling scheme.

Address 32/5 Thong Lo 1, Khlong Tan Nuea, Bangkok, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel: 02 260 2962  www.bolan.co.th

Another restaurant by Chef Bo 

Err: Urban Rustic Thai restaurant where the food focuses on in house preserved food. The entire menu was created by Bo & Dylan. The restaurant maintains a close relationship with local farmers and artisanal producers in Thailand.

Address: 394/35 Maharaj Road, Tatien, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phranakorn, Bangkok  10200

Tel : 02 622 2291 – 2 Email : info@errbkk.com  www.errbkk.com