French Cuisine Meets Thai Soul: Duet by David Toutain Presents a Collaboration of Talents, Techniques and Flavours
A partnership between two celebrated chefs brings a modern French fine-dining experience to Bangkok, one that weaves in native Thai elements, adding to the city’s thriving dining scene.
30 May 2026
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Duet’s contemporary French cuisine, peppered with Thai elements, adds to Bangkok’s buzzy fine dining scene | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Duet’s contemporary French cuisine, peppered with Thai elements, adds to Bangkok’s buzzy fine dining scene | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Duet by David Toutain is not your typical fine-dining French restaurant. With a special space in the new Ritz-Carlton Bangkok in the One Bangkok Complex, the restaurant’s eye-catching environs, designed by award-winning Thai firm PIA Interior Design, suggest a caged forest, with vaulted high ceilings and glass walls through which you can watch the sunset across the skyline.
Opened in January 2025, Duet has already made its mark on Thailand’s dining scene, winning Thailand’s Best Restaurant and Chef of the Year for chef de cuisine, Valentin Fouache, in the Koktail Thailand Restaurant Guide Awards 2025, and being included in Tatler’s Best Restaurants in Thailand 2026. Fouache, who has spent time at two-Michelin-starred establishments Le Chevre d’Or, Alexandres and Le Meurin in France, was previously at Alain Ducasse’s Blue at IconSiam. While his background is in classical French cuisine, the team at Duet presents a more contemporary take on tradition, with a focus on lighter presentations, modern techniques, and subtle regional influences.
He also strongly feels Duet’s place in Bangkok adds to the character of the food. “What makes Duet unique is the harmony between French craftsmanship and the energy of Bangkok,” says Fouache. “We aim to create an experience that feels elegant yet approachable, sophisticated yet creative.”
Chefs Valentin Fouache and David Toutain | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Chefs Valentin Fouache and David Toutain | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
The Bangkok Connection
“Bangkok is an incredibly energetic and inspiring city,” he says. “It is a place where many cultures, cuisines, and traditions come together, and that diversity naturally influences creativity. Thailand also offers an extraordinary variety of ingredients, herbs, spices, fruits, and local products, which continuously inspire new ideas. Even when the dishes remain rooted in French gastronomy, the influence of Thailand can often be expressed through flavors, ingredients, freshness, and balance.”
The nature-inspired environs boast Bangkok skyline views | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
The nature-inspired environs boast Bangkok skyline views | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Fouache works closely with Toutain to create dishes that are distinctly French but with a modern, contemporary vibe. Like Toutain’s outpost in Hong Kong, Feuille, Duet has a strong plant-focused approach. Hailing from Normandy, chef David Toutain earned two Michelin Stars and a Green Star at his eponymous Paris restaurant.
While premium proteins are imported from France, the restaurant works with local suppliers to source fresh seasonal vegetables and produce. “Thai herbs and condiments bring an entirely different dimension to our cuisine,” Fouache explains. “Ingredients such as kaffir lime add a vibrant citrus aroma and a delicate sourness that elevate the overall balance of a dish. We enjoy incorporating local Thai elements into our cooking as they create depth, freshness, and complexity while complementing French culinary techniques. Whenever possible, we work with locally-sourced ingredients, including herbs and seasonal produce, to showcase the richness of Thailand’s terroir.”
A key example of this is the chocolate dessert on their Signature menu—French in style and presentation, yet using chocolate from Chiang Mai. “The chocolate we use comes from Kad Kokoa, a Thai chocolatier known for producing exceptional single-origin chocolate from Chiang Mai. It is a very special product for us and plays an important role in one of our signature desserts, which explores four different textures and expressions of chocolate—a soufflé, crémeux, mousse, and crumble,” says Fouache. “Finding the right chocolate for this dessert was essential, and the Chiang Mai cacao offers remarkable depth, balance, and character. Northern Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai, has excellent soil conditions for cacao cultivation, which is why Thailand is now producing some truly outstanding chocolates.
Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
The Collaborative Process
To create the Spring Signature menu, both chefs draw heavily on their experience and backgrounds. The menus eschew rich sauces for light flavours and feature more nature-driven, ingredient-led options. Much of it is inspired by Toutain’s childhood spent by the coast in Normandy and by visits to his grandparents’ farm. Normandy is famed for its fresh seafood and bountiful fruits, which play a major role in the menus.
“We constantly share knowledge and discuss the best techniques to enhance flavour, texture, and overall balance,” says Fouache. “For example, when working with a seasonal fish, we may experiment with several cooking methods— such as grilling, roasting, or gently steaming—to discover which technique delivers the best expression of the ingredient and creates the most refined final dish.”
On Duet’s menu, a dish featuring Brittany Blue Lobsters provides interesting flavour combinations from both land and sea | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
On Duet’s menu, a dish featuring Brittany Blue Lobsters provides interesting flavour combinations from both land and sea | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Because the menu has a strong seasonal focus, the process begins by prioritising the quality of ingredients available at that time. For Fouache, the most interesting flavour combinations on the menu are the Brittany Blue Lobster with Brassica, Épicéa with Homardine Sabayon and the Pâté en Croûte “À La Duet” with Terre et Mer, Foie Gras, and Kanzuri Pepper. “The Brittany Blue Lobster dish is particularly memorable for its balance of delicate sweetness from the lobster, earthy notes from the brassica, and the aromatic depth of the épicéa, all elevated by the rich and velvety homardine sabayon.” The Pâté en Croûte “À La Duet” showcases how flavours from the land and sea can come together, blending rich foie gras with the subtle heat and complexity of Kanzuri pepper. This contribution comes from Fouache’s travels to Japan.
Duet’s menus have a strong seasonal focus and make use of regional herbs and produce wherever possible | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Duet’s menus have a strong seasonal focus and make use of regional herbs and produce wherever possible | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
The menu is paired with a selection of fine wines and a zero-proof offering, much of which is made in-house. The variety of the zero-proof drinks menu is wide and speaks towards a growing interest amongst diners. Highlights include the house-made Cherry Cola and Makrut & Palm drink, which contains Makrut lime leaves, Asian citrus, palm sugar and olive brine. “By creating our infusions, teas, juices, seasonal blends and culinary-inspired beverages, we’re able to build flavours that are more precise and more connected to the dishes on the menu,” explains Chef Valentin. “It also gives us the flexibility to reflect the same seasonality and philosophy.”
An Experience to Remember
While in recent years it has been trendy for menus to range up to 20 dishes, Duet’s Signature menu is quite succinct. This is intentional and allows the chefs to focus more deeply on individual dishes. The idea is to create an experience that stays with the diner beyond the table. “I hope guests take away more than just the flavours of the latest menu; I want them to leave with lasting memories of the overall experience, from the service and atmosphere to the emotions shared during their time at Duet, no matter the occasion.”
Menus are kept concise at four to nine courses, opening with bite-sized amuse-bouches that hint at the journey ahead. Inspired by seasonal market produce, these creations evolve regularly | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Menus are kept concise at four to nine courses, opening with bite-sized amuse-bouches that hint at the journey ahead.
Inspired by seasonal market produce, these creations evolve regularly | Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Because of its popularity, the restaurant is planning to offer its Signature Menu more permanently, as Chef Valentin notes: returning guests specifically wish to revisit the memories of the dishes. But the restaurant is still planning something new for the coming year. “Beginning in 2027, we are looking to introduce a different and more spontaneous approach for selected menus, one that is driven by instinct, creativity, and inspiration. These menus will be more surprising and ever-evolving, allowing guests to discover something unexpected and unique each time they visit.”
Photo credit: Duet by David Toutain
Author: Karen Fong
Karen Fong is a Singapore-based writer and editor who has previously spent time in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Canada. She writes parenting, lifestyle and travel content and has worked with publications including SilverKris, The Singapore Women’s Weekly, DestinAsian, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia and Prestige Hong Kong.