Restaurateur Ou Baholyodhin on Being an Aesthete and Arbiter of Taste

An aesthete and arbiter of taste, Ou Baholyodhin has blazed a trail with his design sensibility. He is now, as Founder and Director of Rongros Dining Group, focused on influencing the rejuvenation of Chinatown.

Deep into my conversation with Ou Baholyodhin, the second line of J.R.R. Tolkien’s poem The Riddle of Strider – from The Fellowship of the Ring – surfaces at the back of my mind: “Not all those who wander are lost”.

As I continue listening to Ou’s peripatetic creative journey, that line morphs into a placard. Ou Baholyodhin, of course, was never lost, and at 56 he is exactly where he wants to be: in Bangkok, reinventing himself as a restaurateur influencing the rejuvenation of Bangkok’s ‘Old Town’. As Founder and Director of Rongros Dining Group – which has Rongros, Rong Sabiang and Contento restaurants under its umbrella – Ou is an integral player in the gentrification and revitalisation of the historic parts of the city.

The next addition to his F&B line-up is Lucky Duck, a secret bar at the edge of Bangkok’s Chinatown. Deeply invested in this historic area, Ou admits he feels empowered by his significant contribution to the district’s transformation.

“I’m really proud,” he remarks. “I believe in this area. And normally, I would have thought I would pick somewhere else for my next outlet. But I’m seriously looking closely around here because I believe in creating a kind of critical mass, where if there’s enough of the same thing, it’ll bring people even more.”

Our chat takes place at Contento, which offers Italian comfort cuisine – a reflection of Ou’s childhood road trips through Italy with his mother, with the trusty red Michelin book playing guide. Imagined as a traditional trattoria with tile-lined walls, copper pans, a wooden counter, and lots of personality, Contento sits on Maitri Chit Road surrounded by brothels-turned boutiques, and erstwhile coffin shops.

The restaurant’s navy-blue exterior, a black door with brass fittings that appears to have done duty at Number 10 Downing Street, and several quirky white pineapple relief sculptures, are all the clues you need to find it. In contrast to the ground floor, the second level has a more luxe, club-like vibe, with white tablecloths, upholstered seating, and art on the walls from Ou’s collection. It’s here that Ou takes me through the various chapters of his life and his plans for reinventing the neighbourhood.

“I am just really proud to get this opportunity. I’ve always believed in trying something new and fresh, not copying people,” he says. “I have my take on things. It’s a hard journey to make things work. Still, it’s also really rewarding to see what you are doing is being appreciated.”

In many ways. the isolation brought on by the pandemic inspired Contento. “I missed Italy, Europe… craved the food. And I thought there must be other people like me who miss Europe and Italy. So I created Contento to help people ‘get away’.”

The creativity Ou digs into has deep roots in his diverse educational and professional background. From training in furniture and product design, to studying architecture at the Bartlett, political science at the London School of Economics, cooking in Florence, and industrial design in Paris, Ou has sculpted a layered personality with a very British self-deprecating sense of humour.

In the London of the 1990s, Ou was busy designing and crafting experiences for a slew of bars, nightclubs and restaurants, with clients like nightclub mogul Piers Adam (Café des Artistes, K Bar Chelsea, and K Bar Wardour Street Soho), and F&B guru Will Ricker (E&O, Eight over Eight, and Cicada). He also lent his creative flair to Atul Kochar’s Benares, several Thai restaurants, retail outlets on Savile Row and in Japan, and Martin Berasategui’s Lasarte in Barcelona.

In addition to the above, he also organised some of the most memorable music events in London, working with artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Kenzo, Nobu, Robert de Niro, U2, Sade, Gabrielle, The Corrs, and more. In his spare time, he designed private residences. Throw in lecture tours, exhibitions, and authoring two books – Living with Zen and Being with Flowers – and you are looking at a tumultuous couple of decades. All pretty high-octane.

Reminiscing, he speaks of a particular life-changing moment. “I was about to turn 40 and had just returned to England, after a short break, on a dark winter day. It was drizzling, the yellow sodium lights were on, and the streets were depressing. I had had enough. ‘Why couldn’t I take a year off ?’ I asked myself.”

Next thing you know he bought a Land Rover – on Christmas Eve – and headed for the continent, joined by his partner and Dalmatian. The trio drove south until they reached the edge of Europe and crossed into Morocco. “We spent three months in Morocco, some of the time in Berber tents in the Atlas Mountains, sometimes in the desert, and sometimes in luxury hotels to get washed up.

“It was a wonderful time of realisation,” he adds. “I was looking for answers and recognised being nomadic would never be enough. So, I picked up the phone and started calling my clients, many of them in tears, who had entrusted their homes to me. Interior design is not just about creating a pretty space; it’s about their lives and their happiness. I didn’t want any more of that responsibility and wanted to do something of my own.”

This search for self eventually brought him back to Thailand… to a coconut plantation in the south, and seven years of seclusion in a bamboo hut. He emerged to take on Jim Thompson as Creative Director for Home Furnishings for six years, and then took his design sensibility to Sansiri as the real estate industry’s first-ever Chief Creative Officer.

As we speak of his latest work, Ojo Bangkok – his first commercial restaurant project after a decade for The Standard – he suddenly declares, “You need to see it.” We then head across town to reach the Mahanakhon by sundown. The name Ojo plays on the Thai expression for wonderment, and the Spanish term for eye.

“There’s a lot of me here,” Ou reveals, as we take it all in. The palette of pink and copper with sprinklings of rose quartz and references to Mexican beliefs (macramé Ojos de Dios – Eye of the God) imbues the space with positive energy. Everywhere you look, the symbolism is unmistakable. All so effortless. So Ou. So Ojo

The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.

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