Rare, ‘ancient’ dishes on offer at brand new Thai restaurant in Toronto

To say it’s been a big year for the team behind Pii Nong, the groundbreaking, two-level Thai restaurant and spa that is still working overtime to meet customer demand at its Yonge and Lawrence location, is an understatement. 

Late last year, the 10,000-square-foot, two-level destination—complete with a 120- to 130-seat restaurant, a Thai market, and a second-floor spa (which opened later in the year)—began welcoming customers and quickly racked up accolades for its unique menu.

While head chef and co-owner Pii “Nana” Nong earned praise for her street food-inspired offerings, fellow co-owner Tom Ha split his time between the flagship Pii Nong (which started as a smaller restaurant on Bayview Avenue in Leaside) and the rejuvenated Saigon Star–a near-historic Richmond Hill mainstay that underwent a substantial makeover after serving customers (including beloved Hollywood star and martial artist Jackie Chan) for more than four decades. 

Now, with 2025 about to draw to a close, Ha and his team are throwing themselves into a new project: Chon Modern Thai Cuisine. 

“We’re doing our soft opening and the response has been so warm and so welcoming,” Ha tells INsauga.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.”

Last year, Ha and Jacky Yoh, marketing director with SEA Hospitality Group Inc., said they intended to let the first Pii Nong location go after opening the second three-in-one space in midtown, but decided to change course when residents said they’d miss having a go-to Thai spot in the area. 

“It was a quick facelift,” Ha says. “People didn’t want to see us leave, despite the close proximity of the new [Pii Nong]; they wanted us to have a presence in the Leaside neighbourhood. So if we have people willing to support us, why not? 

Chon Modern Thai, helmed by Chef Chatchalit Chuayruk, who has previously worked in hotels and is a close friend of Nong, boasts a menu “grounded in ancient recipes yet expressed through modern artistry.” 

Located in Pii Nong’s first haunt at 1677 Bayview Ave, Ha says his team quickly transformed the space in preparation for the soft launch. 

“The biggest thing is that the space is more wide open, we want the food and service to do all the talking. A lot more wood, more of a darker tone, more of an intimate space as well. A finer, higher-class dining [experience] but the price point is super affordable–premium feel without a premium price tag,” he says. 

Ha says he and Chuayruk met when the chef visited Nong at the new Yonge and Lawrence restaurant and eventually started discussing possible concepts for the Bayview restaurant. 

“He came on board to lead the menu and his experience is different. Nana is more street food style; Chat is more refined. His background and focus are a little bit different,” Ha says. 

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. 

“Our curry, [Chat] said it was served to the royal family and high-class people in Thailand. It’s food you didn’t find easily there. He’s focusing on ancient food that he’s bringing back to life,” Pantila tells INsauga.com. 

Pantila says some of the most popular menu items are the rawang curry, crispy tom kha fish and fried branzino with mango salad. The rawang curry, she says, is a green curry dish infused with coconut cream, bamboo shoots, lime leaf and a choice of chicken, striploin steak or pork rib. The crispy fish dish includes a chilli-dusted halibut in tom kha coconut soup, while the fried branzino is served with sour mango, onion, cashews, chilli, cilantro and fish sauce. 

“The crispy fish, you can’t find it anywhere, not even in Thailand,” Pantil says.  

Ha says that while Nong is involved in the newest project, the new resto is distinct from the midtown hotspot. 

“Chon touches on a different aspect, the presentation is different,” he says, adding that when formulating the new concept, he looked at what was missing from the Toronto food scene and how the newest eatery can fill that gap.

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

Pantila says that while the restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, she’s seeing a mix of returning Pii Nong fans and new diners eager to try something fresh. 

“People expect Pii Nong but when we explain and say what’s special, they get more excited and want to learn more about the history of our Thai food,” she says. 

“We’re getting more new customers as well. The feedback so far has been pretty good.”

When asked if Chon Modern Thai has a staple as Instagrammable as Pii Nong’s famed teddy bear beverages, Yoh says he is currently “obsessed” with the chef’s beachy mango sticky rice. 

“He creates a beach in a bowl and visually, it’s stunning. It looks like a beach and tastes incredible,” Yoh says. 

Ha and Yoh say Chon Modern Thai will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 13, with a limited-time deal on an appetizer platter. Beyond that, the new Thai hotspot will be open seven days a week, 365 days a year and will, in time, launch a brunch menu. 

“Brunch will be the final component of this. Bayview is a ridiculously strong brunch street, so we’re going to join that scene as well in a way no one has ever seen.”