8 | LUXlife Magazine Modern Thai Cuisine Prepared by an Authentic Thai Chef Located on the northern coast of Japan’s Kyushu Island, Coco-Nuts Fukuoka Cafe & Dining opened its doors in January 2021 to serve a variety of new-style modern Thai dishes. The restaurant is committed to delivering the best dining experience to its guests, providing warm and welcoming service in a casual environment. Thanks to the hard work of Owner Paritat Phalee, known as Chef 'Dong', and his team, CoCo-Nuts was awarded Best Modern Thai Restaurant in the Restaurant and Bar Awards 2023. Owner Chef Dong established CoCo-Nuts with the goal of bringing authentic Thai flavours to the people of Nishijin, Fukuoka. The establishment is a small 20-seater restaurant, providing a modern fast-casual setting in which guests can enjoy the depth, richness, and vibrancy of Thai’s diverse culinary traditions. Chef Dong puts a twist on the refined Thai taste with his own original recipes. He creates fresh, simple dishes using the finest local ingredients wherever possible, made with homemade dressings and sauces. The restaurant’s kitchen is happy to make adjustments to these recipes based on the customer’s preferences, for example by customising the spiciness level and catering to specific dietary requirements. CoCo-Nuts is different from other Thai restaurants in Japan because it tailors its dishes to suit the tastes of the Japanese population. For example, one of its most popular dishes is its Green Curry, which is filled with plenty of seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes, bitter gout, broccoli, and carrots. It is made with more coconut milk to make it milder and silkier in texture. Another popular dish is the Khai Man Gai (Thai chicken rice), which it prepares using western cooking techniques. The chicken is slow cooked for four hours to ensure it is incredibly soft and tender. CoCo-Nuts also prides itself on its unique and creative recipes such as its Gapao cheese nachos, a dish that combines Mexican and Thai cuisine. Instead of taco meat, the nachos are made with Gapao, Thai flavoured chicken mince. CoCo-Nuts strives to offer modern Thai food that denotes the cultural exchange between Thailand and Fukuoka, uniting people with good food. It also aims to help people discover what modern Thai food is all about, enabling them to better understand the country’s culture. Chef Dong has an extensive background in high-end hospitality, having worked around the world in a number of luxury hotels. As a result, his restaurant operates based on the belief that great customer service is essential for a business to become a market leader. For this reason, CoCo-Nuts prioritises its customers, striving to ensure that every guest leaves the restaurant feeling completely satisfied. It aims to be the best Thai restaurant in Fukuoka, not only because of the great food it offers, but also because of the excellent dining experience its staff deliver time and time again. To achieve this, CoCo-Nuts implements the Japanese concept of welcoming and caring for customers with warmth, graciousness, and attentiveness, combined with the Thai concept of greeting them with a smile and providing friendly and casual service. When recruiting new staff, CoCo-Nuts seeks assistant chefs with a proven background in high-end hospitality, ensuring that they have superior knowledge of food handling and hygiene as well as the necessary skills to consistently deliver high-quality dishes. It also looks to hire service staff who can smile naturally and have a sincere interest in different cultures. The restaurant encourages kitchen and service staff to work together to put the customer first. It can be difficult for tourists to find an Englishspeaking dining establishment in Japan. CoCoNuts also hires staff who speak English to create a sense of comfort and ease for its nonJapanese customers. Unlike most restaurants in the area, it provides bilingual menus with detailed descriptions in both Japanese and English. This enables it to attract customers from different nationalities who want to enjoy delicious modern Thai cuisine. As a result of its outstanding dishes and its customer-focused services, CoCo-Nuts Fukuoka Cafe & Dining has been awarded Best Modern Thai Restaurant in the Restaurant and Bar Awards 2023. Chef Dong and his team have recently celebrated the launch of another concept restaurant called Soi21, which offers a seasonally driven menu with an emphasis on bringing together Western and Asian cuisine. The restaurant invites guests to enjoy a range of offerings, including comforting A La Carte dishes, a creative course menu, Asian noodles, and a tropical afternoon tea set during lunch hours. Contact: Paritat Phalee Company: Coco-Nuts Fukuoka Cafe & Dining Web Address: coconutsfukuoka.square.site Mar23215
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