The bon vivant and self-taught chef behind La Paillote French Restaurant talks about work and life in Hua Hin
 | La Paillote was born from a passion for good food and good times with friends. I opened the restaurant together with a French friend 10 years ago and, when he wanted to retire, I bought his shares around five years ago. La Paillote is a succesful restaurant but it’s not only about the money; food is a real passion of mine, and I want to foster a real community spirit at the restaurant. I’ve been passionate about food ever since I was young. When I was 14 I started to host my own dinner parties for friends and I even baked my own breads. I’ve never lost this passion. I love meeting people, and getting people around the dining table to enjoy good food and fine wine and good conversation. |
The idea of La Paillote is not to be a restaurant that would win Michelin stars. This is about offering high quality food at affordable prices and giving people an enjoyable and memorable dining experience. I want guests to feel at home; feel like they’re back in Europe.
One of the biggest challenges I face is ensuring my Thai chefs know the tastes of the food so that they can create each dish just as you’d find it in Europe. In this respect, I’m very hands on in the kitchen, and it gives me great joy to teach my chefs to cook French cuisine, and then ensure they learn those tastes so they can replicate them time and time again.
Most of my service staff has been with me since the restaurant opened 10 years ago. My head chef has been in the kitchen for six years, the assistant chef for nine years, so guests can be sure of consistency when they visit La Paillote.
I first came to Hua Hin in 1995 to play golf and immediately fell in love with the place. Back then it was very different, of course, just a couple of five-star hotels and one main golf course (I stayed at the Sofitel and played at The Royal). I knew I wanted to do something in Thailand; I just didn’t know it would be in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin has changed tremendously over the past 10 years, going from just a couple of high end hotels to having a host of the world’s most famous brands. The dining scene has developed too. Three years ago, for example, TripAdvisor listed just over 200 restaurants here. Now there are 350. And I am proud to say that La Paillote is still in the top 12!
Prior to setting up La Paillote I owned a company which sourced technical and spare parts throughout Southeast Asia for factories in my native Belgium. I sold this company in 1994. I didn’t want to lose links with my family in Belgium when I moved here, though, so I set up another company (this one in the construction/waterproofing business) which has become succesful, and which, thankfully, I can leave in the care of a manager.
I spend three months of each year in Belgium. Not in one go, of course, but at various points throughout the year. This is great for me as it allows me to experience food in fine French restaurants, speak to the chefs and owners there, and come up with new ideas for menus and interior design. It’s best to learn about French restaurants in France, or in French speaking countries, so I’m really happy I can be inspired by these restaurants and bring new ideas back to La Paillote.
Running a restaurant is a challenge because each day you start from scratch – preparing your dishes, maybe changing the layout of your seating to accommodate a special event. But when you hear that your guests are having a wonderful time it makes all the hard work worth it. To be able to make people happy really gives me joy. You need a lot of energy, but the customers give you that energy.
La Paillote French Restaurant, 174 Naresdamri, Hua Hin Tel: 032 521 025
One of the biggest challenges I face is ensuring my Thai chefs know the tastes of the food so that they can create each dish just as you’d find it in Europe. In this respect, I’m very hands on in the kitchen, and it gives me great joy to teach my chefs to cook French cuisine, and then ensure they learn those tastes so they can replicate them time and time again.
Most of my service staff has been with me since the restaurant opened 10 years ago. My head chef has been in the kitchen for six years, the assistant chef for nine years, so guests can be sure of consistency when they visit La Paillote.
I first came to Hua Hin in 1995 to play golf and immediately fell in love with the place. Back then it was very different, of course, just a couple of five-star hotels and one main golf course (I stayed at the Sofitel and played at The Royal). I knew I wanted to do something in Thailand; I just didn’t know it would be in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin has changed tremendously over the past 10 years, going from just a couple of high end hotels to having a host of the world’s most famous brands. The dining scene has developed too. Three years ago, for example, TripAdvisor listed just over 200 restaurants here. Now there are 350. And I am proud to say that La Paillote is still in the top 12!
Prior to setting up La Paillote I owned a company which sourced technical and spare parts throughout Southeast Asia for factories in my native Belgium. I sold this company in 1994. I didn’t want to lose links with my family in Belgium when I moved here, though, so I set up another company (this one in the construction/waterproofing business) which has become succesful, and which, thankfully, I can leave in the care of a manager.
I spend three months of each year in Belgium. Not in one go, of course, but at various points throughout the year. This is great for me as it allows me to experience food in fine French restaurants, speak to the chefs and owners there, and come up with new ideas for menus and interior design. It’s best to learn about French restaurants in France, or in French speaking countries, so I’m really happy I can be inspired by these restaurants and bring new ideas back to La Paillote.
Running a restaurant is a challenge because each day you start from scratch – preparing your dishes, maybe changing the layout of your seating to accommodate a special event. But when you hear that your guests are having a wonderful time it makes all the hard work worth it. To be able to make people happy really gives me joy. You need a lot of energy, but the customers give you that energy.
La Paillote French Restaurant, 174 Naresdamri, Hua Hin Tel: 032 521 025
