Features

• Feature

Thai Food Entertainment

• delicious Japan
• May 2020

Thai restaurant Gapao is the place to try all kinds of real Thai food, prepared by Thai chefs. It has three smart-casual branches in Aoyama, Ebisu, and Shibuya. We talked to Mr. Tomoya Takahashi, who is the overall manager, as well as a DJ.

What’s the biggest selling point for your restaurants?

Real Thai food, prepared by a team of chefs from the Isan region in the north of Thailand, led by master chef P. Boo, who is a top chef even in Thailand. We deliver punchy dishes at extraordinary speed.

What are the main characteristics of Thai food?

Thai food uses lots of spices, herbs, and vegetables. It uses generous amounts of spices that provide physiological improvements, and herbs with relaxing e• ects. It includes the same kinds of processes as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, and it’s the kind of food that is delicious and improves your physical condition.

Can you be more specific?

For example, chili. It produces spicy heat while giving the dish more vivid color, and those properties make it indispensable for Thai food. It also promotes metabolism and stimulates appetite. In Japan, it has become famous for its slimming e• ect. It also acts on the central nervous system, and it is said to help to relieve stress.

I’ve heard that Thai food is a good match for Georgian wine.

Georgian food and Thai food both use a lot of coriander. That common point leads to a good pairing between Georgian wine and Thai food.

What are the characteristics of Georgian Pheasant’s Tears wine?

This wine was born from a passion for Georgian culture and heritage. Its fermentation and brewing are performed in traditional Georgian clay vessels called qvevri. Qvevri are the oldest fermentation vessels in history, with some having been unearthed that date back to 6,000BC. Qvevri are made of clay and coated with beeswax. They are buried in the ground, which maintains a stable temperature all year round, fermenting in the natural coolness of the Earth.

What kind of restaurant does Gapao want to be?

Thailand is the country of perpetual summer. The way its people stay healthy and cheerful when it’s hot all year round might be thanks to all the herbs they eat. We work in the spirit of “delicious and fun food” with Thai meals, for a happy heart and a happy body.

Gapao Rice
A Soupy dish of minced chicken and rice that uses plenty of fresh Thai holy basil.

Larb gai
Spicy salad with minced chiken. A famous dish from the Isan region of northern Thailand, where master chef P. Boo comes from. It is fragrant with chili, herbs, lemon, and toasted rice powder.

Khao-Tom-Mad
Taro root, banana, coconut milk, and sticky rice are steamed together to make this traditional handmade Thai sweet.