The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok

Concept

Kintsugi Bangkok by Jeff Ramsey takes the classical Japanese Kaiseki cuisine and while remaining true to its ancient roots Japanese-American celebrity chef Jeff Ramsey explores the potential of daring new directions. Kintsugi translates as “connected with gold” and is a reference to the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold lacquer. The pottery isn’t repaired to cover the damage, but rather to highlight it with gold. The refurbished pottery is considered beautiful, regardless of being imperfect. Chef Ramsey uses this as a metaphor for his style of Kaiseki cuisine.

Ambience and Décor

The design of Kintsugi Bangkok by Jeff Ramsey evokes the style of a sleekly modern Japanese restaurant, combining a pure minimalist aesthetic with rustic elements in the furnishings, clusters of hanging lamps, and strong vertical lines in the semi-transparent screens. In this styling, the traditional heritage of Japanese dining is brought into the modern world without losing its classic form. The preparation kitchen and serving counter are to one side, with seating, while tables and two private rooms provide other seating options.

A gingko leaf is depicted in the restaurant logo, the gingko representing endurance and history, as it is the oldest species of tree in existence. Four trees that were alive during the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima are still growing today. Chef Ramsey’s mother was born the same year in Hiroshima. In autumn the green leaves of the gingko turn a brilliant yellow, paving streets in Japan with a golden carpet from the fallen leaves. The blue represents the ocean and tranquility.

Menu

Chef Ramsey is a third generation Japanese chef, his food being rooted in tradition but always forwards thinking. For his new venture, he says that Kaiseki is the original tasting menu that has influenced restaurants the world over, and that he is simply bringing the world back to Kaiseki. Jeff and his Japanese wife’s family roots both lie in Western Japan. Kintsugi focuses on ingredients sourced from Western Japan and combines these with produce from Thailand. The philosophy of Kintsugi guides the theme of the restaurant, with the connecting of cultures through food being a key feature.

Chef

Jeff Ramsey was born in Japan, the son of an American Air Force officer and his Japanese wife. He began his culinary training in 1996 by working as a dishwasher at a taco grill in Bethesda, at Maryland in the US. He then trained in Japan with Masayoshi Kazato, the official Sushi Ambassador of Japan, becoming the first non-Japanese Master Sushi Chef. Chef Ramsey then took a culinary detour and left the sushi world to broaden his perspective and gain knowledge of other techniques in order to develop an original style. He studied under Chef Jose Andres, protégé of the legendary Catalonian chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli. From there he was selected by Japanese super-chef Hide Yamamoto to open The Molecular Bar Restaurant in Tokyo, earning a Michelin star rating, making him the first and still only American to earn a Michelin star outside of the United States. His restaurant Babe in Malaysia is a multi-award winning restaurant and the premiere destination for creative gastronomy in the country. Chef Ramsey has been awarded as the King of Kitchens by Hapa Awards series for 2018-2020 and is the Chef Ambassador for Perrier-Jouet Champagne and Martel Cognac for Malaysia