Josh, the 36-year-old head chef at Tonic & Ginger, arrived in Hua Hin by way of a professional relationship rather than chance. Originally from Australia, he had worked with the restaurant’s owner, Glenn, at two establishments back home. When Glenn decided to open Tonic & Ginger in Thailand, the invitation followed naturally. For Josh, it was an easy decision.
“I love Thailand, I love Thai food, and I love Thai culture,” he says. “It didn’t take much convincing.”
His affinity for Asian cuisine began years earlier, during his travels through Asia. That experience reshaped how he cooked once he returned to Australia, influencing both technique and flavour. Josh eventually owned his own restaurant, where Asian elements became central to his menus—an approach he never abandoned.
What draws him in, he explains, is freshness. “There’s just so much going on in Asian food,” he says. “Italian and French cuisines are interesting, and I enjoy them, but the brightness and balance you get in Asian flavours is something I really connect with.”
At Tonic & Ginger, that philosophy plays out in a menu that is deliberately fluid. Josh avoids repetition, preferring to let the offering evolve constantly. “I don’t like doing the same thing every week,” he notes. “We like to keep changing things up.”
One recent addition, however, has proven unexpectedly enduring: the Sunday Roast. Introduced only a few months ago, it quickly gained traction. What began with around 80 diners in the first week soon climbed to 140, and now regularly sees around 150 covers every Sunday—even during low season.
“I think that surprised all of us,” Josh admits. “It just kept growing.”
Much of his inspiration comes from Thailand’s fresh markets, which he describes as one of the country’s greatest culinary assets. Wandering through them often introduces him to unfamiliar ingredients—produce he doesn’t always immediately recognise or know how to use.
“But you bring it back, you experiment,” he says. “You try to make it work in one dish or another, and sometimes you end up with something really special.”
Asked what diners should try first, Josh doesn’t hesitate. The Sunday Roast has become a local favourite, but his personal recommendation is the beef cheek rendang—a dish that followed him from Australia and has since become a signature at Tonic & Ginger.
Outside the kitchen, Josh spends much of his time doing what most chefs do when they get the chance: eating. He frequents other restaurants and night markets around Hua Hin, keeping an eye on what’s trending and how others are interpreting flavours. Among the chefs who have influenced his career, David Thompson stands out as a figure he deeply respects.
Beyond food, it’s the lifestyle that keeps him rooted here. “You can sit on the beach, relax, have a beer,” he says. “But you can also be eating incredible street food at three in the morning. That balance is something really special.”
For Josh, Hua Hin offers not just a workplace, but a rhythm of life that complements the way he cooks—relaxed, curious, and always evolving.