One of Thailand’s most famous chefs is heading to Malta to lead a new Thai restaurant at Iniala’s expanding Valletta hotel.

Ian Kittichai will lead Anaalā Malta, a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Grand Harbour that is set to open in July, and becomes the latest celebrity chef to help open a concept on the island.

As a child, Chef Kittichai used to help his mother sell street food from a cart in Bangkok. Later on, he was trained in fine dining cuisine in London and Sydney, followed by experience around the world. In 1998, at 30 years old, he became the first ever Thai national to be appointed the Executive Chef of a five-star hotel.

He has taken part in multiple TV cooking shows, including as a contestant on Iron Chef America, a Judge on MasterChef Thailand and Hell’s Kitchen Thailand, and a guest judge on Top Chef Thailand.

Chef Kittichai is renowned for fusing traditional Thai flavours with European fine dining techniques and elevating classical street food dishes and provides his expertise at a number of restaurants, including the Iniala Beach Club in Phuket.

Anaalā Malta will serve a rotating eight-day set menu, with each day spotlighting cuisine from a different region of Thailand. While the dishes will be elevated, the restaurant promises to retain a warm, homely Asian atmosphere and the Thai food vegetables will even be grown locally where possible.

The restaurant will operate exclusively in the evening, welcoming families from 6:30pm to 8pm, before shifting to an adults-only setting from 8pm onwards.

Chef Kittichai will also make regular appearances in Malta, spending several weeks on the island four times a year.

“After the success of Anaalā at Iniala Beach House in Thailand, I am excited to bring those same fire-driven flavours from the sands of Natai Beach to the historic heart of Malta,” Chef Kittichai said.

“My mission has always been to push the limits of how people perceive Thai food, and at Iniala Solis, we are marrying that authentic Thai heritage with modern techniques to create a truly global gastronomic experience.”

The launch of Anaalā is part of Solis, a new nine-suite wing within a palazzo situated just behind Iniala’s flagship hotel. 

Designed by Madrid-based studio A-cero, each suite features bespoke furnishings and stone surfaces that integrate into the architecture, using curated natural light to accentuate the raw texture of local globigerina limestone.