With its enticing exotic aromas and rich complex flavours, Thai food is certainly one of the most popular cuisines in the region and indeed all around the world. And recently, Banyan Tree Macau at Galaxy Macau elevated its famous signature Thai restaurant, Saffron, to even greater heights, both literally and figuratively, relocating it from the lobby level to its stunning new home high up on the 31st floor, and bringing in renowned Executive Chef Jan Ruangnukulkit to head the restaurant.
This month, Chef Jan celebrates one year at Saffron and her creative influence on the menu is certainly evident, although she explains that she was careful not to make too many changes too quickly.
“We only had four people in the team when I first arrived. The rest of the team joined in early 2023 and then I introduced the new tasting menu in April, at Thai New Year,” says Chef Jan. “For the A-la-carte menu I had to think about a few things. First, Saffron has many regular guests and they expect certain things to be on the menu. I wanted to make sure that it was still a place for them to come with family and friends to celebrate, even though we are fine dining. I wanted to respect them, so I kept some dishes on the menu, just changing them to my recipes.
“Second, Saffron is a name associated with Banyan Tree so it has to have a certain characteristic. I wanted it to be recognizable as Saffron, but not exactly the same as every other Saffron. And of course, I wanted to add my touches and personality to the menu”.
Chef Jan brings an impressive range of expertise to Saffron, having worked with some of the best chefs in the industry including Thomas Keller of Napa Valley’s three-Michelin-starred, The French Laundry, and Australian chef David Thompson, founder of the famed Nahm in London and Bangkok and Aaharn in Hong Kong.
In the early days of her chef training, she was impressed by Chef Keller’s rigorous working ethic, and he taught her a valuable lesson that she has always remembered.
“After every service, he would scrub the kitchen until it was sparkling clean,” she recalls “I was so surprised at the time because he was one of the best Michelin star chefs in the world and he would clean his own station by himself. He said to me: ‘The kitchen is your home, you need to treat it like your home and clean it by yourself. This is the starting attitude you need to be a great chef’”.
Chef Jan’s career has not been a typical one. Born into a Thai-Chinese family with two sisters and a brother, she studied a bachelor’s degree in Communications and worked in the advertising field for a few years, but soon found she wanted to do something more creative.
Her sister suggested she try cooking and she decided to enroll at the Bangkok’s School of The Oriental Hotel Apprenticeship Programme (OHAP).
“I was very honest with them when I applied. I had no previous cooking experience, I didn’t even know how to use a knife,” admits Chef Jan. “At home my mother did all the cooking and my two sisters helped her. I was the one who washed the dishes.”
Despite her lack of experience, Chef Jan was one of 15 successful candidates chosen from 200 applicants, and so at the age of 26, she began her exciting and challenging journey into the world of fine dining gastronomy.
Throughout the one-year course she was trained in the disciplines and techniques of French, Thai and Chinese cuisine. And a week after graduating, she was employed by Le Normandie at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, where she worked with a number of visiting chefs at the pinnacle of French fine-dining.
“I worked there for three years,” she comments. “It was a very demanding time in my life. We had to change the menu every month and work with a new guest Michelin chef every quarter. But I was really inspired by these chefs. I decided I wanted to work in good restaurants and see the world. It really helped me to grow into the chef I am today.”
Another turning point in Chef Jan’s career was her decision to shift her focus from French cuisine to her native Thai.
“I heard Chef David Thompson was going to open his Nahm restaurant in Bangkok so I decided I wanted to learn from him.”
Nahm went on to become one of Bangkok’s first restaurants to receive a Michelin star, and Chef Jan eventually become Head Chef at the Michelin-starred eatery in 2018.
Last month, Saffron was recognised as a Michelin Selected Restaurant in The Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2024. And as Executive Chef at Saffron, Chef Jan heads a talented all-Thai staff including a female sous-chef Meaw Tanyakarn Chuenprapa and female restaurant manager, Ramitta Sophon.
“I like to support junior female chefs and help them to grow and develop their careers,” she says.
Has it been a challenge being a woman in the male-dominated fine-dining industry?
“I honestly didn’t really feel any extra pressure being a woman. I don’t think gender identifies people anymore, it’s about the person. I’m proud to be female and I’m proud to be a chef, but I don’t feel proud to be a female chef. I just want to be proud to be a chef,” she says. “I believe that the difference is not that I’m a female chef, the difference is that I am me.”
The difference can be experienced and tasted in many of Saffron’s signature Thai dishes including Aromatic Tom Yam Tiger Prawn Soup, Southern Style Alaskan King Crab Curry, Wok-fried Assorted Mushrooms with Cha-om Thai Acacia, Grilled Wagyu Beef Salad, Coconut Sorbet with Thai Sweets.
The seasonal menus created by Chef Jan not only capture the essence of Thai cuisine in terms of spices, ingredients, herbs and textures, but also bring out the artistic and creative angle of dishes.
“We are lucky to be offering Thai fine dining in Macau because the people here are used to eating fine dining cuisine and are willing to pay for that kind of experience,” notes Chef. “I still want to find a balance between fine dining and family friendly. The quality of the food and the service is all fine dining, but the atmosphere and the way we interact with the guests is still warm and friendly, with a genuine Thai feeling.”
At the heart of authentic Thai dining are some essential ingredients, which Chef Jan explains.
“Number one is good quality fish sauce, then palm sugar and lime, not lemon. These are the three key seasonings. And for the base of Tom Yum you must have four ingredients: Kaffir lime leaves, thai challots, lemongrass and galangal.”
Saffron
31/F, Banyan Tree Macau, Galaxy Macau
Dinner & Bar: 18:00 – 22:30 (closed on Tuesdays)
+853 8883 6061
