Chef’s Cheat Day: Where to find Chef Ferran Tadeo on his day off in Bangkok

From Barcelona to Bangkok, we sit down with one of the most compassionately Catalonian chefs in the city right now. When he’s not in the kitchen at the newly revamped Embassy Room at the Park Hyatt Bangkok, where does new-in-town Chef Ferran Tadeo like to hang out?

We’ve interviewed few chefs who radiate such a deep love and connection to their homeland. A continent and a half away, Chef Ferran Tadeo moved to Bangkok earlier this year, and has brought with him a warm wave of Mediterranean spirit.

Chef Ferran has wanted to be a chef since he was six years old, and it shows. He trained under the renowned Ferran Adriá, the man to put Spain on Michelin’s gourmet map, and stayed at the world-famous El Bulli until its closing. He moved on to become a Research and Development Chef at the Michelin-star-struck José Andrés Restaurant Group, before moving to Hong Kong to become Executive Chef at La Rambla by Catalunya. Now, the European native who wears his Catalonian heart on his sleeve has arrived in Bangkok, taking on the role of Chef de Cuisine at the Park Hyatt’s Embassy Room.

Those who have visited Embassy Room in recent months will know this. Ferran Tadeo has brought to the city a beautiful, complex, and distinctive take on Catalonian cuisine. In Bangkok, he continues to pay homage to generations of Catalonian chefs, but also presents a deep respect for the cuisine and food culture of the countries he has lived in, and the country he currently calls home. Read on for Ferran Tadeo’s top tips for your next chef-style cheat day, from lobster noodles and gyoza over to a satisfying serving of 15 chicken wings and a beer.

[Hero and Featured Image Credit: Park Hyatt Bangkok]

Chef’s Cheat Day: Where to find Chef Ferran Tadeo on his day off in Bangkok

For breakfast or brunch, Ferran Tadeo heads to Fran’s

For a city that is bursting with brunch and breakfast spots, the popularity of Fran’s is a truly commendable. Even months after its opening, getting a table at Fran’s requires smart planning and quite some luck. Located in Yen Akart, it is beloved and known for getting the classics just right. At Fran’s, Ferran Tadeo likes to order the famous velvet egg and bacon (“here they know how to cook eggs to perfection with a nice piece of bacon or steak”), as well as the onion soup (“wow, cheese, bread, herbs, so good”). However, his recommendations also come with a fair warning: “there’s always a line to wait outside.”

Find out more at Fran’s Brunch & Greens.

Whenever he’s missing Hong Kong, he heads to Shantao Tube Noodles

Located in Charoenkrung, this spot is a real ‘if you know, you know’ kind of place. Famous for their noodles, Chef Ferran likes to come here to reminisce. “Before I moved to Bangkok, I was living in Hong Kong for five years, and one of my favourite cuisines is Chinese. Here you will find comfort Chinese food, very street food style.” In true form, his must-orders here include the lobster noodles (“nice layers of rice roll which melt in your mouth”), and the “full of flavour dumplings.” Not a fan of dumplings? Do not fear. “The pan-fried gyoza is one of the best things; crispy outside, juicy inside. What can be better?”

Find out more at 168 Flavour Shantou.

A fellow Spanish chef recommended Sanguan Sri to him, and now there’s no turning back

Located near Lumpini Park, Sanguan Sri is tucked in between sky scrapers and big-deal business buildings, offering unpretentious, hearty Thai flavours in one of the city’s most buzzing spaces. The Bib Gourmand eatery has been open since the 1970s, and was recommended to Chef Ferran by the notorious Chef Álvaro Ramos of Vaso. Here, Chef Ferran’s top picks include the spring rolls and the sweet and sour pork, as well as the beef curry. “Curries are the top food in this restaurant. Perfect, juicy beef, a spicy sauce that you can’t ask to be made less spicy, and an order of rice to eat it all together.”

Find out more at Sanguan Sri.

When chef is in the mood for a walk, he goes to Nai Ek Roll Noodles

Most Bangkokians will be familiar with Nai Ek Roll Noodles, for when it comes to a comforting roll noodle soup, there’s no place quite like it. Located in one of the busiest street food areas in the city, Chef Ferran Tadeo does as the locals do when he’s craving this dish, and takes a walk around Chinatown before stopping at this restaurant. “It’s a very peppery broth with handmade noodles and the crispy pork you can order extra. You can’t have enough of this crispy and juicy pork.”

Find out more at Nai Ek Roll Noodles.

For Ferran Tadeo, not much beats wings and a beer at Sekai No Yamachan

We all have a go-to for those simple, no-fuss, slightly messy, feel-good meals. Sekai No Yamachan has several branches around Bangkok, and several chefs about town can be found here on casual nights off. The Japanese restaurant specialises in wildly popular and addictive Nagoya-style fried chicken wings, amongst other Japanese dishes. Chef Ferran describes it as “my perfect spot to get chicken wings and a beer…. Really juicy, a perfect marinade, and a bit spicy. You can order 15 pieces per person and it will be easy. You cannot stop eating them.”

Find out more at Yamachan Thailand.

Lastly, for comfort food, it’s got to be Giglio Trattoria Fiorentina

Sathorn really gained a truly beloved new Italian restaurant when Giglio Trattoria Fiorentina opened on Sathorn Soi 12. It is also where Chef Ferran likes to go when he’s looking for a comfort meal. “I love the ambience, it reminds me of an old trattoria where Nonna is making pasta.” He highly recommends “all the pasta,” and gives a special nod to the wild boar ragu, which is one of his favourites. He always ends the meal with a tiramisu at Giglio. “Every Italian place I go, I try the tiramisu. It is something I like to try. This one at Giglio is perfect.”

Find out more at Giglio Trattoria Fiorentina.

Catch Chef Ferran Tadeo in the kitchen at Embassy Room — Catalan Cuisine, 9th Floor, Park Hyatt Bangkok, 88 Witthayu Road, Lumpini, Bangkok, +66 2 011 7431.