ABOUT
‘Issara’ is Chef Nikola Lesar’s latest restaurant venture in Phuket. Tucked away in the hills of Kata Noi, Issara translates to the meaning ‘free-dom’ in the Thai language. The restaurant cele-brates the diversity of Thai cuisine by sprinkling playful touches of Chef Nikola’s favourite travel ...More
‘Issara’ is Chef Nikola Lesar’s latest restaurant venture in Phuket. Tucked away in the hills of Kata Noi, Issara translates to the meaning ‘free-dom’ in the Thai language. The restaurant cele-brates the diversity of Thai cuisine by sprinkling playful touches of Chef Nikola’s favourite travel memories throughout Japan and South East Asia.
Guests are welcomed to the restaurant by the ‘Issara lady’, a rebellious geisha breaking away from expectations and expressing her freedom with bold tattoos and a sense of independence, symbolic of the beliefs that Chef Nikola values in his menu creations.
Issara’s innovative menu is predominantly Thai, with more than a little inspiration from Japanese cuisine and European cooking methods. By using a myriad of rich Asian spices and handpicked lo-cal produce, each carefully curated dish showcases exotic Southern Thai flavours and the best ingre-dients the island has to offer.
To dine at Issara is to feel welcomed, free from rules and valued for creativity. The restaurant brings together a team of some of Phuket’s finest hospitality talent, creative cocktails and a space that breathes tropical elegance, surrounded by lush greenery with bespoke art. Service is relaxed, approachable and attentive, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere that is intended for a memo-rable island dining experience.
ABOUT CHEF NIKOLA LESAR
Nikola Lesar gained an appreciation for food at a young age whilst growing up in Čakovec, Croatia. Inspired by his grandmother’s home cooking, this interest became a passion and developed into his dream of taking his place in the culinary world.
Beginning his career in 2009 at just 17 years old on ...More
Nikola Lesar gained an appreciation for food at a young age whilst growing up in Čakovec, Croatia. Inspired by his grandmother’s home cooking, this interest became a passion and developed into his dream of taking his place in the culinary world.
Beginning his career in 2009 at just 17 years old on the US Carnival Cruise line, he was able to explore his passion for hospitality and travel, whilst cruising the Gulf of Mexico exploring fresh Mexican flavors and Creole cuisine in the port base of New Orleans.
Upon his return to Croatia, Nikola’s love for food lead him to join some of Croatia’s most respected restaurants by award winning Chef Dino Galvagno - Restaurant Pra-sac and Restaurant 5/4. The experience provided Nikola insight to a professional kitchen and further fueled his aspiration to become a chef. This motivated him to compete in the popular culinary TV show Master Chef Croatia in 2012 and winning that very season.
After winning Masterchef, the desire to continue traveling and constant whispers of South East Asia’s dining scene prompted Nikola to embark on a trip through Japan, China, Vietnam, Nepal, India, Cambodia and then finally Thailand. He fell in love with the diversity of Thai cuisine and with Nikola’s eagerness to learn, he enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok, graduating top three in his class. After receiving his Diplome de cuisine, a stint at Bangkok Banyan Tree’s acclaimed restaurant ‘Vertigo’ proved to be a great place for Nikola to hone his skills.
Nikola’s determination to his craft caught the attention of famous Thai architect Duangrit Bun-nag who appointed Nikola as Sous Chef at his critically acclaimed Thai restaurant on the Chao Phraya river, ‘The Never Ending Summer’ in 2014. It was there that Nikola had the opportunity to expand his skills, work with new ingredients and was gifted the knowledge of Royal Thai heritage cuisine.
Keen to further explore different regional Thai food, Nikola made his move to the tropical Southern island of Phuket in 2015, taking the reins as Executive Chef at Rustic Eatery & Bar on the world famous Patong Beach. At Rustic, Nikola was responsible for the menu creation and concept. During his time there, Nikola once again returned to TV, participating in the cooking show ‘Iron Chef Thailand’ 2018, as the challenger and winning.
After 5 years as Executive Chef at Rustic, Nikola’s desire to cook his own food and explore his own creativity grew. Therefore, came the birth of ‘Issara’ in 2020, Nikola’s very own restaurant venture located in the hills of Kata Noi.
At Issara, Nikola’s experience from noteworthy kitch-ens and passion for locally sourced produce is translat-ed into his menu. His dishes are inspired by his globe-trotting experiences, combining soulful flavours and playing with textures. Nikola craftily curates innova-tive Thai cuisine, drawing influence from Japanese ingredients and European cooking methods, producing a perfect balance of culinary sensibility and modernism.
APPEARENCES
2012 MasterChef Croatia Season 2 Winner
2018 Iron Chef Thailand – Challenger
2020 Iron Chef Thailand – Challenger
RESTAURANT & KITCHEN CONSULTING
2019 Sundeck Phuket – Kitchen training,menu development, food cost & control
2020 BOOST Café Phuket – Kitchen training,menu development, food cost & control
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