Since the pandemic hit, Esaan chef/owner Yutthpon “Tu” Wetchapinan has been running deliveries into DC for customers who’re craving fiery dishes from his stellar northern Thai restaurant in McLean. On Monday, September 28, Wetchapinan will cook in the District at Shaw rooftop restaurant El Techo for a pop-up celebrating Asian immigrant chefs. He’ll be joined by Kobe, Japan native Masako Morishita of Japanese comfort food pop-up, Otabe, and Saran “Peter” Kannasute, a Bangkok native who’s the chef and co-owner of omakase destination Yume in Falls Church.
The six-course collaborative meal ($65 per person) features two courses from each chef. Each plays with a fusion of Thai and Japanese flavors and cooking traditions from both cultures. You might find a riff on a papaya salad with Japanese cucumber, fresh chili, and salted egg, or a chirashi bowl with slices of seasonal fish, Thai jasmine rice, and spicy sesame. Cocktails, served a la carte, will also play with fusion flavors such as a mezcal drink with lemongrass and cilantro, or a mix of sochu, lemon juice, and sparkling water.
You can reserve tickets here for seatings between 5:30 and 8:30 PM.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
