The Westside Wine Bar Expands Its Culinary Horizons With a Bold New Menu
By Dolores Quintana
Cardinale du Vin is one of the most exciting wine bars on the Westside. It offers an amazing curated selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and even coffee. Up until very recently, the menu was on the lighter side, with gourmet snack options and a high-class hot dog. But things have changed.
The owners, Justin Ngamthonglor and Jackie Liu, have brought in a new chef in residence who is making the experience at the restaurant even more special.
Paul Chuanchaisit is a Thai chef already getting the Westside talking with his imaginative takes on traditional dishes. This week is Seafood Week at the restaurant, described as follows: “Thailand produces some of the best seafood in the world. This week, Paul Chuanchaisit is rolling out a lineup of elevated versions of dishes he grew up with. This is a special menu for one week, heavy on the surf, light on the turf, and forage. Pasta and other regular menu mainstays return after Memorial Day. Book a reservation and FIRE THE WHOLE MENU AND DON’T SKIP DESSERT!”
Yes, it’s that exciting.
I had two of the desserts and one of the dishes that Paul prepared last week. The Thai-style fried bananas, condensed milk cream, and sesame caramel sundae is dynamite; the secret dessert menu item is a pandan, coconut, and matcha tiramisu, which is heavenly. Ask for it because otherwise you might not get a slice. Both are creamy and dreamy, but not too sweet.
His version of steak frites is unlike any I have ever had. It’s a combination of spices and sauce that you would not normally find in this dish, but the flavors burst forth. I also got to watch him magically carve crudo, which looked amazing and fresh.
While he was expertly slicing fish for several customers, I asked him a few questions about what motivated him as a chef and more about how he would like to bring the rich culinary traditions of Thailand to the Westside.
Paul Chuanchaisit: I moved here in 2017, and my very first job was actually just doing prep at Sapp Coffee Shop, not much cooking. From there, I transitioned into working at a few restaurants, including a sushi place where I trained for two years. That’s when I became a sushi chef and started learning omakase.
Dolores Quintana: Did you really shave your head for that?
Paul Chuanchaisit: Yeah, I did. In serious omakase training, shaving your head shows commitment. It’s a tradition, almost like a rite of passage. They want to see if you’re all in.
Dolores Quintana: So, they told you, “You must get rid of your hair” to be taken seriously?
Paul Chuanchaisit: Exactly. And they paid me $300 more a month for it! But it was more than that. Once I shaved my head, they started teaching me seriously. It was like they had been gatekeeping the knowledge until I showed I was committed.
Dolores Quintana: That’s wild. So after sushi, where did you go?
Paul Chuanchaisit: I went to Destroyer. That’s where I learned all the special techniques—how to make foams, gels, and other progressive methods. We shared recipes with the Vespertine kitchen, so I got exposure to their systems, too.
Dolores Quintana: And after that?
Paul Chuanchaisit: After leaving Destroyer, I started doing my own events, and eventually, I took over the kitchen here when Justin asked me to step in.
Dolores Quintana: Tell me more about your pop-up.
Paul Chuanchaisit: It’s called DAG, which stands for “Let’s F***ing Eat” in Thai slang. Something you’d say to a friend, not your elders! It started with a secret supper club in my apartment. Then we expanded into private catering and events. Now, we host a supper club monthly here.
Dolores Quintana: So people can come here and experience what you’re doing with DAG?
Paul Chuanchaisit: Yes! It’s a fun project that allows us to experiment beyond the menu here, which leans more toward Thai fusion. DAG is more purely creative, a different vibe entirely.
Dolores Quintana: Like your steak frites, it’s French, but with your twist.
Paul Chuanchaisit: Right. I wanted to show that Thai food can be refined and valuable. Too often, people think Thai food should be cheap, just Pad Thai or Katsu. But in Thailand, there’s a rich culinary world beyond that. I want to bring that forward, with beautiful plating and upgraded ingredients.
Dolores Quintana: Sounds like the same challenge Mexican food faces, people expect tacos for a dollar and nothing more.
Paul Chuanchaisit: Exactly. Then they resist paying for quality ingredients. But when you use better produce, better meat, the value becomes clear.
Dolores Quintana: So, as the chef-in-residence at Cardinal du Vin, which is kind of a French-style wine bar, how do you balance all that?
Paul Chuanchaisit: It’s about blending what I love with what people already recognize and introducing bold Thai flavors in familiar formats. My goal is to eventually serve 100% Thai dishes with elevated presentation. That’s where I want to go.
Dolores Quintana: You’re gradually shifting the perception of what Thai cuisine can be.
Paul Chuanchaisit: Yes. Some guests come in asking for burgers or hot dogs, so I include my own twists in those dishes too. My aim is to create food I’d eat myself: food with integrity.
Dolores Quintana: So this is just Thai food, elevated.
Paul Chuanchaisit: Right. Just using better ingredients. In Thailand, you’d find dishes like these with seafood sauces and grilled seafood. But when I moved here, I noticed many Thai restaurants just focused on money-making dishes, not the ones people truly enjoy back home.
Dolores Quintana: So you’re cooking the food you actually want to eat?
Paul Chuanchaisit: Absolutely. Every dish I make is something I’d eat myself. That’s how I know it’s honest.
Dolores Quintana: I have to say, the food here is flavorful, strong, confident flavors. Is that a conscious decision?
Paul Chuanchaisit: Yes. Thai food is all about balance, sweet, sour, spicy, salty, all in one bite. We love complex flavor profiles and textures. That’s what I try to bring to every dish.
Dolores Quintana: You also do desserts, like the pandan tiramisu, which was incredible. How did that start?
Paul Chuanchaisit: I didn’t set out to do desserts, but at Destroyer, I had to learn everything: baking, bread,and sauces. At first, my pop-up had no dessert options. Eventually, I started making my own to add value and create a full experience.
Dolores Quintana: Your Thai desserts aren’t too sweet, which I love. It’s more about texture.
Paul Chuanchaisit: Exactly. And it’s hard to find good Thai desserts here—so many are pre-made. I wanted to change that. I also love ice cream—I’ve made over 40 flavors!
Dolores Quintana: Really? What’s the weirdest one?
Paul Chuanchaisit: I made a mango-apple-yuzu sorbet paired with fish sauce caramel. It’s inspired by a Thai street snack—green mango with fish sauce and palm sugar. It sounds strange, but it works.
Dolores Quintana: That’s bold. And amazing. It really sounds like everything you cook is about pushing the boundaries while staying rooted in what you love.
Paul Chuanchaisit: That’s the goal. I want to bring people new flavors, new experiences, without losing the essence of where I come from.
