Ou Baholyodhin

Founder, Rongros Dining Group

Industry : Food

For Ou Baholyodhin, a restaurant is never only about what arrives on the plate. The founder of Rongros Dining Group draws on design, hospitality and a life lived across cultures to consider the entire experience, from atmosphere and music to a restaurant’s relationship with place.

Bangkok-raised, Ou developed his palate in his family’s traditional kitchen before spending more than 30 years in the UK and Europe. His multidisciplinary education included furniture and product design at Kingston University, architecture at the Bartlett, International Relations at the London School of Economics, cookery in Florence and industrial design in Paris.

Ou founded Ou Baholyodhin Studio in London in 1996. His work ranged from interiors, concepts and branding for restaurants and bars, including Benares in London and Lasarte in Barcelona. Back in Thailand, he became Creative Director for Home Furnishings at Jim Thompson and later Sansiri’s first Chief Creative Officer.

Hospitality brought these strands together. With business partner Bon Tharapibarn, Ou has developed Rongros Dining Group into a collection of distinct concepts. Rongros serves Thai cuisine by the river near Wat Pho; Hor Samut explores Thailand’s coastal cooking; Bimbo takes a Mediterranean direction; and The Shed Bangkok brings together dining, drinking and lifestyle in Sukhumvit 26.

Across them, Ou treats food, service, interiors, lighting, music and atmosphere as interconnected disciplines, with every element shaping one identity, one energy and a seamless overall experience.