Chef David Thai’s story is one of movement, mastery, and memory. From the kitchens of Versailles to the shores of Vietnam, he has carried the elegance of French technique across continents, blending it with diverse influences. His craft, honoured by Michelin and Iron Chef, reflects both heritage and horizon.
For Chef David Thai, cuisine has always been more than craft - it is a dialogue between cultures, an echo of journeys past, and a canvas for dreams yet to come. His path began in France, where the rigour of classic training shaped his discipline and refined his artistry. A Brevet de Technique in 1987, followed by CAP diplomas in catering, cuisine, and pastry through the early 1990s, built a foundation both precise and profound. With mastery of savoury and sweet alike, he emerged as a chef fluent in the full language of French gastronomy.
At La Table de Cana in Versailles, his early role as Chef de Partie was less a beginning than a baptism. It was here that he understood how flavours could tell stories, how meals could hold memory. By 1997, his journey expanded with Hyatt, where he helped shape landmark openings, including the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme - a temple of refinement that would earn a Michelin star. Rising swiftly through the ranks, he learned not only to command a kitchen, but to inspire one.
His compass soon pointed east. In 1999, at the Grand Hyatt Amman, he brought the grace of French training to Indochinese and Asian cuisine, weaving together distant traditions with quiet confidence. From Dubai to Spain, his touch was felt across Hyatt properties, his excellence marked by accolades, including Best Asian Restaurant in Jordan and recognition at Dubai’s Grand Gourmet Summit in 2005.
Returning to Vietnam in 2005, Chef Thai found a stage where memory and destiny converged. With Six Senses, he brought refinement to resorts along Vietnam’s coast and highlands, before taking a bold step in 2011 to open Le Bouchon de Saigon - a French bistro that became a city’s beloved gathering place. That same year, Iron Chef Vietnam called his name, and more than a decade later, in 2023, he triumphed in the celebrated culinary battle.
Today, his story is distilled in Kobe Bistro, honoured by the Michelin Guide in 2024 and 2025. Here, amid the clink of glasses and the cadence of laughter, his philosophy shines: a cuisine rooted in the elegance of France, shaped by the rhythms of the world, and carried always by passion.