The new restaurant is well worth a visit with tasty fair, stylish decor and delightful staff Thai crispy banana fritters. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan Carlow’s new Thai restaurant Baht may be a recent addition to the town, however it has a very experienced long-standing culinary team behind it, being owned by the Srakhunthod family, with head chef and dad Noad plus daughters Nanphun (Nan) and Owee all involved. Thai food aficionados in Dublin will have been familiar with the Baan Thai restaurant in Leopardstown, of which Noad was co-owner with Eamon Lancaster of the original Baan Thai in Ballsbridge.
The Leopardstown branch opened in 2004 and closed in March 2024 having had 20 successful years there. Being in a business park, what with Covid lockdowns and people working from home, its customer base was badly affected. The Baan Thai in Ballsbridge, however, is as popular as ever.
With her dad having had 40 years in the industry, and growing up in a family full of chefs, Nan was inspired to study culinary arts at Technological University Dublin. She’s had the wonderful experience of being a stagiaire at the two-Michelin- star Gaggan in Bangkok, has worked in Pichet and is now also a chef in the ultra-chic Uno Mas in Dublin — a busy girl. Owee looks after the PR and HR for Baht and trains the front of house staff as well.
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