Michelin Chefs Do Lao Food in Luang Prabang

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By Lesly Lotha

With a Michelin star already under their collective belt for Paste Bangkok, chefs Bee Satongun and Jason Bailey are now looking to make their mark in Laos. Their new restaurant Paste at the Apsara, which will soon open in Luang Prabang, is the product of a long-term friendship and a desire to revive the heritage of Phia Sing, who is recognised as the godfather of Lao food.

Ivan Scholte first walked into Bangkok restaurant Paste at Sukhumvit 49 in 2012, unaware that he was about to meet his future business partners. But after being blown away by the flavours of the food on offer, he knew he had to bring the concept back to Laos.

Scholte, who owns the Apsara hotel in Luang Prabang, now has his wish. Power couple and chefs Bee Satongun and Jason Bailey will open their third restaurant at Scholte’s riverfront hotel later this year, to be named Paste at the Apsara.

“[Ivan] met us in the hard period when you first open a restaurant,” chef Bee Satongun told Southeast Asia Globe. Scholte’s experience with their food made a lasting impression and he continued to follow the chefs’ rise and the opening of their second restaurant in Gaysorn Village, Bangkok. Through the years, he invited them many times to Luang Prabang in the hopes of collaborating on a project, but it wasn’t until last year that the ball started rolling. “They hadn’t been to see the place so it was always, yes, yes, yes but then finally, last year, they managed to get here.” And here they are.

Overlooking the Mekong river and running through the UNESCO Heritage site of Luang Prabang, the new restaurant sits serenely on quiet street that comes to life in the evening with the setting sun and illuminated lanterns. The decision to open the restaurant in Luang Prabang wasn’t a tough one. “I love Luang Prabang” said Satongun with a laugh. Although she hasn’t visited any other part of Laos, she seems confident in her decision. “This place is beautiful. It’s like a working holiday,” she adds.

Satongun began cooking with her mother and helping her in their family restaurant when she was five-years-old, but it wasn’t until she was 28 that she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. That was when she met Jason, who was already a chef and owned a Thai restaurant in Bangkok.

“I wanted to go and work in a professional kitchen, and he was the one who was crazy enough to say ‘okay, I will train you’. And that’s how everything started,” Satongun said.

Soon after, she moved to Australia to begin training with him and after an eight-year stint, they moved back to Bangkok and opened the first Paste followed by the second one in Gaysorn Village.

It has been a good year for Paste; having been awarded the coveted Michelin star, Satongun was also awarded Asia’s best female chef 2018.

She attributes the success of Paste Bangkok to the research that went into the old forgotten recipes of Thai cuisine: “People say that there is complexity of flavour,” Satongun said.

Full article: sea-globe.com/paste-at-the-apsara

Paste at The Apsara 

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