Chef Nick grew up in a house where 4 AM was the start of the day. His mother woke before sunrise to prep the food she’d take to market — and the kitchen was where Nick learned everything that would later define his cooking.

He learned to break down a fish before he learned to drive. He watched his mother build flavour from instinct, not recipe — pounding green papaya, balancing fish sauce and lime, reading heat by sound. He never went to culinary school. He didn’t need one.

Roi Et — what Thai people call ถิ่นอีสาน, the Isan country — sits in the heart of northeastern Thailand. The food is bold, herbal, and unforgiving. That’s the foundation Nick brought to Boston, and it shows up everywhere on his menus, even where you wouldn’t expect it.

Especially the omakase. You won’t find this taste at any other omakase counter — Japanese technique, Thai rhythm. Omakase without the usual script.

Laughing Monk Cafe is, and has always been, chef-owned.