Travel has a quiet way of reshaping how a chef sees his own craft. In this third chapter of Behind the Counter, Chef Masa continues through Bangkok, moving between two very different tables. One holds the wide sweep of Thai flavours found at Siam Paragon. The other offers something closer to home, Japanese food, served far from Japan.
The Wide Table at Siam Paragon
At Siam Paragon, Chef Masa follows the variety rather than any single dish. There are warm pandan pancakes and grilled meats caught in rising smoke. He tries something with a soft, mochi-like texture, and the reaction is immediate, a run of delighted “wow” as he takes in the bite. When a dish arrives priced at seven dollars, the surprise is genuine. “Crazy,” he notes, weighing the value against the flavour.
A plate of black rice with coconut draws his attention too. He pauses over it, works out what he is tasting, and lands on a simple verdict: “very unique.” The word returns more than once, spoken with a smile. There is heat throughout, chilli that keeps announcing itself, and Chef Masa meets each mouthful with open curiosity rather than judgement. He is here to observe how Bangkok eats, and the breadth of it clearly holds him.
A Familiar Setting at Akebono Kushiro Hokkaido Izakaya
From that broad spread, the episode shifts to Akebono Kushiro Hokkaido Izakaya, a Hokkaido-style room where the language of the food is one Chef Masa knows well. Here the interest turns from discovery to comparison.
A tako (octopus) piece catches his eye for its size. He remarks that it is considered big, noting that such a cut is usually small, before agreeing on medium. The detail is small, yet telling: it is the observation of someone who handles these ingredients daily and notices at once when a familiar item is presented differently.
This is the quieter thread of the episode. Encountering Japanese food outside Japan lets Chef Masa see how it travels, how a Hokkaido izakaya reads in Bangkok, how portions and presentation shift with place.
For a Japanese chef working in Singapore, that perspective matters. He, too, brings his cooking across a border each day. Seeing how others carry their traditions abroad sharpens his sense of his own.
Why We Look Beyond the Counter
Behind the Counter follows Chef Masa away from his eight seats at Sushi Masa, into markets, malls and unfamiliar rooms. It is not about spectacle. It is about staying curious, watching how people gather, taste and share. These journeys feed the same attention he brings home to the counter. To eat widely is to keep learning, and that quiet learning never stops.
