Tabelog Top 100 First Selection: Yoyogi-Uehara's Modern Thai Restaurant 'thalee ling' Launches New Summer Course 'Natsubatake' Featuring Seasonal Ingredients

Modern Thai restaurant thalee ling (Taree Rin) in Yoyogi-Uehara has launched a new dinner course, 'Natsubatake (Summer Field),' themed around the peak of summer, starting Friday, July 3, 2026.

thalee ling proposes a new style of Thai cuisine rooted in Japanese sensibility and French techniques, under the concept of 'japa-thai,' incorporating seasonal ingredients from across Japan. The new 'Natsubatake' course unifies vibrant seasonal produce sourced from producers nationwide with the aromatic spices, tangy flavors, and fermentation techniques characteristic of Thai cuisine, expressing the intense heat and fragrance unique to midsummer, dish by dish.

In 2026, thalee ling was selected for the first time in 'Tabelog Top 100 (Asian & Ethnic Cuisine),' which highlights 100 highly-rated restaurants by category. This course offers guests a chance to experience thalee ling's unique sense of seasonality and the charm of modern Thai cuisine.

Tabelog page: https://s.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1318/A131811/13281551/

◾️ Enjoying Modern Thai Cuisine with Wine Pairing

Enhance your appreciation of the course with pairings curated by our in-house sommelier. Each wine is carefully selected to harmonize with the aroma and flavor profile of every dish.

Thai Cuisine × Wine?

thalee ling offers a lineup designed for guests to discover and experience unprecedented pairings, filled with delightful surprises.

A New Experience with Non-Alcoholic Pairing

For guests who prefer not to drink alcohol or are unable to consume it at the moment, thalee ling offers non-alcoholic pairings to enjoy alongside your meal.

We offer a diverse selection, including kombucha made with seasonal fruits, herbs, and spices, fermented vinegar drinks, roasted green tea, and non-alcoholic wines, providing innovative non-alcoholic options equivalent in thoughtfulness to our wine pairings.

A Summer Course Crafted Through Aroma and Temperature

The course begins with a refreshing coolness

'Kao Yum'—a rice salad featuring fatty Ma-wa sardines grilled over charcoal, topped with green plum sauce, pickled eggplant, and fresh tomato with chili vinegar. A light, summery dish where textures, acidity, and aromas layer beautifully.

Next, 'Gaeng Chao Wan,' a chilled soup infused with the flavors of green curry. Served with a smooth terrine of red stingray from Sukumo Bay, Kochi Prefecture, garnished with water spinach, it refreshes the body with a cool sensation.

Gaeng Chao Wan

Mid-course: gradually building warmth

'Kuay Tiao Lort'—steamed rice noodles wrapped with 'Jin Som,' pork fermented slowly for about 48 hours, along with live octopus, served with seasonal bitter melon.

Tom Hoi Pao Fu

'Tom Hoi Pao Fu' features tender simmered abalone paired with a rich sauce made from its liver, accompanied by a salad of golden zucchini and fried blossoms of zucchini. The depth and delicacy of flavor heighten anticipation.

Final stretch: experiencing intense, full-bodied heat

Midway through the finale, 'Gaeng Jued Tao Fu'—a chilled chawanmushi made with sweet corn and edamame—offers a moment of respite.

Then comes 'Gaeng Panang,' a soup curry blending the creaminess of coconut milk with the acidity of fresh tomatoes and the nutty aroma of peanuts. Complex layers of spiciness and fragrance mark the climax of the course.

Gaeng Panang

Dessert enjoyed as the warmth lingers: 'Kanom Krok Horapa.' A gelato infused with the spicy fragrance of holy basil, paired with semi-dried kiwi and lychee jelly, providing a pleasant cooldown for the heated body.

'Natsubatake'—a course that combines seasonal ingredients from across Japan with Thai culinary techniques, capturing the scent and heat of midsummer in a single journey. We invite you to experience thalee ling's modern Thai cuisine, available only for this season.

Course Overview

Launch Date

July 3, 2026 (Friday)

Location

thalee ling 1F Imai Building, 16-16 Moto-Yoyogi-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 3-minute walk from Yoyogi-Uehara Station

https://thalee-ling.jp/

Course Options

Seasonal Course: 7 dishes, ¥6,500

Seasonal Special Course: 8 dishes, ¥9,500

Menu Structure

The Seasonal Course includes 7 dishes; the Seasonal Special Course includes 8.

The Special Course adds 'Tom Hoi Pao Fu'—featuring simmered abalone with a rich liver sauce and seasonal zucchini blossoms—and 'Gaeng Panang,' a rich and spicy Southern Thai curry made with Tosa Akaushi beef, known as a legendary wagyu, offering a deeper experience of summer's peak season and heat.

《 Media Inquiries 》

We will respond individually to media requests.

Please contact:

PR: Takashige ([email protected])

《 Reservations 》

Please make reservations by phone or via the URL below.

https://www.tablecheck.com/ja/shops/thalee-ling/reserve

※ For parties of 7 or more, please call directly.

※ We kindly request that the number of course orders match the number of guests.

※ Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate guests with shellfish allergies due to menu composition.

◾️ thalee ling (Taree Rin)

Opened in January 2023 in Yoyogi-Uehara, a gourmet district, by Root Inc.—a company that has long focused on ingredients from across Japan and operated 'Japanese bistros.' thalee ling is a modern Thai restaurant conceptualized as 'japa-thai' (Japanese-Thai fusion).

The charm of a new Thai cuisine that only Japanese chefs can bring forth. We offer vibrant, joyful dishes that highlight the 'aroma' of abundant herbs, spices, and unique ingredients, with a meticulous balance of the signature Thai 'sweet, spicy, sour' trio. Experience our seasonal course, refreshed seven times a year.

◾️ Chef Takao Arai 'Pak-Chi' Profile

Appointed as the so-called 'Pak-Chi Chef' at thalee ling in spring 2026.

Born March 7, 2002. Currently 24 years old. From Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture.

Graduated from Tsuji Culinary Institute, worked at a long-established French restaurant in Tokyo, then joined Root Inc., serving at bistro locations before being assigned to thalee ling. Since then, he has pursued dishes that harmonize the depth of Thai aromas and fermentation with the subtlety of Japan's seasonal ingredients in a single plate.

He expresses thalee ling's unique Thai cuisine by blending Japanese ingredients with Thai traditions through his personal sensibility, while inheriting the 'japa-thai' philosophy cherished by thalee ling.

Chef's Comment

'At the peak of summer heat, I've intentionally structured the course with contrast—cooling dishes and spicy, warming ones—to offer a dynamic dining experience. Each dish features an abundance of seasonal ingredients sourced from exceptional producers across Japan, from Yamagata in the north to Kochi in the south.

Please enjoy!'