MOORE TWP., Pa. – A well-known Lehigh Valley chef has brought his culinary chops to a new dining destination in Northampton County.
Ratchaphol “Paul” Rojrattana, who won top honors at this year’s Allentown Fair Iron Chef cooking competition, on Sept. 11 held a soft opening of his newest restaurant, Bell Thai Kitchen, at 2716 Community Drive in Moore Township.
Ryan Kneller
The new BYOB restaurant occupies an updated space that previously housed Taste of Greece, a Greek restaurant that closed earlier this year.
“I’m so thankful for the community’s support,” Rojrattana told 69 News. “We’ve been packed every night so far during our soft opening.”
Rojrattana, a Thailand native who now lives in Bethlehem Township, has built a large local following as a partner at popular Thai restaurants La Kang Thai-French Cuisine in Palmer Township and La Kang Thai Noodles Bar in Hellertown.
Chef Paul Rojrattana won top honors at this year’s Allentown Fair Iron Chef cooking competition.
Bell Thai Kitchen
Friends, family and fans cheered him in early September as he advanced and ultimately won the Allentown Fair’s annual Iron Chef contest, where Lehigh Valley area chefs go head-to-head in high-energy cook-offs using surprise ingredients.
Bell Thai Kitchen, offering a “warm Thai dining experience, made with love for family and friends,” gives Rojrattana an opportunity to further cultivate his culinary career while serving up freshly prepared Thai comfort dishes that hold a special place in his heart.
“The concept is mainly Thai comfort food, with a lot of the dishes being food that I ate when I was young and continue to eat at home,” Rojrattana told 69 News.
“The idea for this actually came from my mom. My mom was here visiting, and she left around four months ago, but she was with me for around a year, cooking at the house with me. We made a lot of the food that I ate growing up, and that’s what led to Bell Thai Kitchen. So, with La Kang Thai-French, we offer more of a fine dining experince. But with Bell Thai Kitchen, I’m going to be doing more casual comfort food, and it’s sort of like I’m coming back to my roots.”
Rojrattana and his brother-in-law, Nakkarawoot “Noah” Krueawong, opened La Kang Thai-French Cuisine in early 2020 on Greenwood Avenue in Palmer Township.
The Palmer restaurant, blending French and Thai styles of cooking, offers popular dishes such as tuna tartare, grilled octopus, grilled prawn mango salad, spicy duck confit salad, pan-seared duck breast, Faroe Island salmon, Chilean sea bass, jumbo lump crab fried rice, red and green curry, pad Thai and pad see aew.
In early 2022, the family expanded operations with the Hellertown restaurant, La Kang Thai Noodles Bar, which serves authentic Thai cuisine with a focus on noodle dishes, including pad Thai, pad see aew, drunken noodles and short rib khao soi.
The Main Street restaurant also features several seafood selections, including dishes featuring shrimp, scallops, soft shell crab, lobster, salmon and branzino, along with signature dishes such as triple mushroom spring rolls, La Kang duck leg, grilled lemongrass chicken and braised beef massaman curry.
“Since we grew up in Thailand, we have seen and enjoyed so many foods that people around here have never tried, and we want to introduce them to it,” Krueawong previously told 69 News.
Bell Thai Kitchen
Rojrattana studied culinary arts at Northampton Community College, and prior to opening La Kang Thai-French Cuisine, he previously worked as a chef at other Lehigh Valley restaurants such as House & Barn in Emmaus and the former Roar Social House in Allentown.
He is the sole owner of Bell Thai Kitchen, while remaining an active partner in the La Kang restaurants and La Kang Thai Kup food trailer.
“Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to grow as a chef, experiment with different techniques and flavors, and meet so many wonderful people through food,” he announced on Bell Thai Kitchen’s Facebook page.
“Every restaurant, every service, and every guest has helped shape the chef I am today. But I’ve always wanted to create something a little more personal. That dream became Bell Thai Kitchen. Bell Thai Kitchen is my own small restaurant in Bath, Pennsylvania — a place where I can get back to what I love most: cooking comforting Thai food with bold flavors, sharing dishes inspired by my childhood and family, and adding some of the techniques and creativity I’ve developed throughout my career.”
Bell Thai Kitchen
Tapping his lifelong love of Thai comfort cuisine, Rojrattana has crafted a unique menu of classic and signature Thai dishes for Bell Thai Kitchen.
Selections, all made-to-order, differ from those offered at the La Kang restaurants, Rojrattana said.
Guests can enjoy small bites such as crispy Brussels sprouts, Thai chimichurri steak, smoky Thai charcoal chicken and curry cigar rolls (crispy golden rolls filled with curried potato, fresh cilantro and aromatic rice); and soups and salads such as mango avocado salad and beef boat noodles soup (slow-braised beef and rice noodles in a rich, Thai-style broth with warm spices, herbs, bean sprouts and broccoli rabe).
The menu also features classic Thai noodles and rice dishes such as pad Thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles and Thai basil fried rice, each available with optional choice of protein (chicken, tofu, shrimp, braised beef, crispy pork belly or crispy duck), along with “comfort plates “made Bell’s way” such as braised beef massaman, crispy duck krapow, crispy pork belly prik khing, double garlic chicken and crispy soft-shell crab curry.
Other menu highlights include a variety of curries and stir-fry dishes, including red curry, panang curry, Thai cashew stir-fry and roasted eggplant green curry, each available with optional protein.
“The city that I’m from is Pattaya, and it’s big on seafood because it’s close to the beach,” Rojrattana said. “So, I’m very familiar with the different Thai flavors and styles of cooking when it comes to seafood, and I’m excited to bring that to the Lehigh Valley.”
Bell Thai Kitchen
Rojrattana also is utilizing several long-held family recipes.
“You’ll see familiar Thai flavors, some dishes with my own twist, and food that I genuinely love to cook and eat,” he stated in the online announcement.
“Bell Thai Kitchen isn’t meant to be a big or fancy restaurant. It’s a small kitchen with a lot of heart behind it. My goal is simple: when you eat here, I want you to feel like you’re being welcomed into our family and having a meal that was made especially for you.”
Bell Thai Kitchen features an indoor dining room, with seating for around 15 guests, along with a seasonal outdoor dining area, accommodating around 15 additional guests.
Takeout also is available.
The restaurant has been updated with new wall paint, wainscoting, kitchen equipment and other upgrades, Rojrattana said.
“This next chapter means a lot to me, and I’m excited to share it with the Bath and Lehigh Valley community,” Rojrattana stated in the announcement.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported my cooking and followed my journey over the years. I hope you’ll come be part of this new one.”
Bell Thai Kitchen is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday (break time from 3 to 4 p.m.).
Ryan Kneller
For the latest Bell Thai Kitchen updates, follow the business’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Dining and Cooking