Bangkok's fine dining scene has just heard of the biggest—and saddest—news: Bo.lan, the purveyor of fine Thai cuisine, has announced its permanent closure after having had enough with enduring the devastating situation of coronavirus for almost two years.
One half of Bo.lan, Dylan Jones took to the official Instagram account of the restaurant to impart the heartfelt messages: "It’s time to call it a day… Bo.lan, as you know it, is closing." Dylan explained that the major reason behind this huge decision was due to "the government’s COVID response, and their collective incompetence in shepherding Thailand’s hospitality industry through this pandemic with an utter lack of financial and political support for small business owners (and in particular our hospitality industry) has certainly contributed to our decision to call it a day."
However, this won't be the finale of the talented culinary couple. The chef also hinted at many projects that he and his wife Bo have up their sleeves: "we have several projects for the future and most of them revolve around food and food systems. We still believe we have much to contribute to the hospitality industry, especially when it comes to evolving into a more environmentally minded direction." Dylan also thanked everyone from Bo.lan's patrons to all of the dedicated staffers who have been supporting them in building the restaurant to widespread praises throughout 13 years in the city.
Bo.lan is a Thai fine-dining restaurant by Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava and Dylan Jones who exuded their shared passions to elevate Thai food while raising awareness of the environment among the food industry. The restaurant debuted in 2008 and has since collected a big number of accolades, such as one Michelin star, Asia's best female chef by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and appearances on national and international media including a documentary on Netflix.
We got a chance to chat with Chef Bo on the phone regarding this news, and she promised that great things about Bo.lan will be revealed sometime at the end of May, so stay tuned.