Speedboat Bar Brings Bangkok Chinatown Flavors to New York

Speedboat Bar, the Bangkok Chinatown inspired restaurant from chef and founder Luke Farrell’s Chaiyo Restaurants in partnership with JKS Restaurants, is heading across the Atlantic for a three night pop up at The Otter in New York. Running October 22 through 24, the collaboration will transform the intimate rear dining room at The Otter inside The Manner into a lively interpretation of Bangkok’s Chinatown.

Known for bringing the energy of Bangkok’s late night canteens to London, Speedboat Bar combines Thai Chinese cooking with a lively atmosphere built around bold flavors, wok fired dishes, Thai music and towering servings of Singha. The restaurant currently has locations in Soho and Notting Hill, with its original Soho restaurant opening in 2022.

For its New York debut, Speedboat Bar will meet The Otter’s coastal personality inside The Manner, a 97 room hotel in SoHo. The Otter is known for a seafood focused menu and relaxed indoor and outdoor dining, creating a different setting for Speedboat’s fiery Thai Chinese cooking.

During the three night takeover, the rear dining room will be transformed into a little slice of Bangkok’s Chinatown. The experience will combine shareable dishes, Thai hyperpop, towers of Singha and the energetic late night character that has become part of Speedboat Bar’s identity.

The menu will feature some of Speedboat’s signature style, including crispy pork with black pepper curry, minced beef with holy basil and chicken skins with zaep seasoning. The cooking draws on the flavors and techniques of Bangkok’s Chinatown, where Thai and Chinese culinary traditions come together through wok cooking, spice, acidity and bold seasoning.

Speedboat Bar’s identity is closely tied to the energy of Bangkok’s speedboat racing culture. Founder Luke Farrell has described the restaurant as a recreation of the Thai Chinese restaurants and late night canteens that shaped his experience of Bangkok. His connection to Thailand also extends to the ingredients used across the restaurant, with specialist herbs, green papaya, Thai limes and chillies grown at his Ryewater Nursery in Dorset.

“I’m raring to rip the throttle on Speedboat Bar’s upcoming collaboration with The Otter in New York! It’s incredible to look back on a journey that began in Bangkok’s Chinatown and brought us to London, where every detail from ingredients and technique, to the rhythm of the kitchen, has been carefully considered to recreate this unique Thai Chinese cuisine without compromise. Now, bringing that same care and commitment to New York is a dream come true. What better city to revel in the same wok fired spirit and Speedboat Bar energy!” says Chef Luke Farrell.

The collaboration also brings together two hospitality groups with strong international ambitions. Speedboat Bar sits within Chaiyo Restaurants, the London based Thai restaurant group behind Speedboat Bar and Plaza Khao Gaeng, while JKS Restaurants operates a portfolio that includes Gymkhana, Ambassadors Clubhouse, Trishna, Kitchen Table and other established London restaurants.

For The Manner, the collaboration adds another international dining experience to a hotel that has become increasingly connected to New York’s fashion, entertainment and creative communities. The hotel’s current programming includes seasonal dining experiences, cultural events and pop ups across its spaces.

“We could not be more thrilled to bring Speedboat to The Manner, debuting a much anticipated pop up at The Otter. This is a culinary dream collaboration, and one that takes me back to my Thai heritage and roots. I am a huge fan of Luke and what the JKS team has done with Gymkhana and Ambassadors Club House, so we are beyond excited and honored to be the first to debut Speedboat in New York,” says Napat Thavisin, President of International Operations at Sansiri PLC, on behalf of The Otter.

The reservation rollout will give Dorsia members the first opportunity to book. Reservations are scheduled to open October 1, with select availability moving to OpenTable on October 3.

The October 22 opening night will offer two dinner seatings at 7pm and 9pm. On October 23 and 24, guests can choose from three seatings beginning at 6pm, followed by 8pm and 10pm.

The New York takeover offers Speedboat Bar an opportunity to bring its distinct Bangkok meets London identity into a city with its own legendary Chinatown and late night dining culture. At The Otter, the result promises to be a meeting point between Thai Chinese intensity and SoHo’s polished downtown atmosphere.