While Thai restaurants in India were growing, most either leaned into casual dining or adapted flavours heavily to suit the market. Vegetarian Thai food, in particular, was often treated as a compromise. There was no space that approached Thai cuisine with seriousness, restraint, and respect, while keeping it entirely vegetarian. tóa 66 was their response to that absence.
Ishaa Jogani Shah grew up in Bangkok. Thai food for her is not just a cuisine but a rhythm, the daily flavours of home, not just the well-known dishes but the small ones that mark routine. When she moved to India, she realised how much was missing here. That realisation became the starting point for tóa 66. Deval Shah comes from a strong hospitality background. Trained at Les Roches in Switzerland and shaped by Taj, Oberoi, Marriott, and independent ventures, he brings clarity to experience, how service is paced, how guests are greeted, and how a meal unfolds when time is valued.
To stay true to the cuisine, they flew in two Thai chefs, Kanchit and Natanong Vongvichai, a husband and wife team with over 35 years of experience. The menu was shaped with them over months, tasting and reworking dishes until each one could stand in a vegetarian format without losing its identity.
The name itself reflects their intent. “tóa” means table in Thai, a place to gather, eat & connect and “66” is the international calling code of Thailand. With only 26 seats, the restaurant was intentionally kept small so each guest could be given time and attention. The service is unhurried, the room feels grounded, and the menu moves at the pace of a conversation rather than a performance.
The dishes carry Bangkok’s everyday flavours into a fine dining space. Thod Man Khao Pod, corn fritters served with Thai herbs and a sweet and sour sauce, keep their street-style comfort but gain balance in texture and plating. Tom Yam Wonton holds the same familiar heat, only here it arrives with delicate dumplings and a clear consommé. Khanom Krok, found at street stalls across Bangkok, is presented as a molten-centred dessert that closes the meal with warmth and restraint.
Read the full story that first appeared in The Global Indian here:
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