New Thai food spot that pulls from history opens in Toronto

A new spot for Thai cuisine that pulls deep from history is bringing some forgotten dishes to Toronto.

Pii Nong Thai, a Yonge Street favourite, has been gaining major traction as one of the city’s best spots for Thai cuisine.

With this momentum, the team behind the restaurant recently revealed that it has overhauled Pii Nong’s original Bayview location (the restaurant opened its flagship Yonge and Lawrence restaurant, which boasts over 120 seats, a market and a spa late last year) and transformed the eatery’s original location into a whole new concept.

According to a release, the first Pii Nong location on Bayview Avenue has debuted as Chon Modern Thai Cuisine, building on the foundation laid by Pii Nong, while aiming to “reimagine Thai cuisine through a contemporary lens while preserving the cultural depth and soul of Thailand’s culinary traditions.”

Chef Pii Nong, the culinary powerhouse behind the original location’s namesake, has been celebrated citywide for creating dynamic menus inspired by her childhood watching her mom craft and sell street food in Bangkok.

Fellow co-owner of Pii Nong and the new Chon Modern Thai Cuisine, Tom Ha, is working tirelessly to ensure the new location, set to open within the old location’s community, does everything to keep its spirit alive. 

“We’re doing our soft opening and the response has been so warm and so welcoming,” Ha told youcitywithIN.com. “People were sad to see the old Pii Nong go, but we said it’s still within the same family, and I think everyone finds it to be a nice change.”

Now, with this new space taking shape, chef Chatchalit Chuayruk, who has previously worked in hotel kitchens, is stepping in to collaborate on the foundation of Chon Modern Thai Cuisine, to create a landscape of Thai food not seen anywhere else in the city.

With the flagship Bayview location set to celebrate its grand opening next week, Chon Modern Thai Cuisine promises a warm and inviting environment to enjoy some of the world’s best comfort food throughout the winter season and beyond.

Dishes that are being put in the spotlight by Chuayruk are said to be lost to time and now renewed in the kitchen, including Rawang Curry, Crispy Tom Kha Fish, and Fried Branzino.

The team behind Chon Modern Thai Cuisine has highlighted that the majority of the location’s menu draws on ancient Thai cuisine and recipes that have been lost to time.

Fam Pantila, the general manager at Chon Modern Thai, says the menu items are harder to find, even amongst Toronto’s many acclaimed and beloved Thai outposts.

Ha agrees.

“Chon means spoon, the first cooking utensil invented by mankind. Using ancient recipes and reviving them, that’s a cool story,” Ha says.

“With Chon, there are a lot of dishes you won’t find in other places. Our halibut, our version of green curry, these are things you won’t find coast to coast in Canada.”

Chon Modern Thai Cuisine is set to open on Dec. 13 on Bayview.