What associations the word Chinatown awake in you? A city within a city, signs with hieroglyphics, crowds of people, carts with street food.. What if we told you, that right here, in the heart of Yaowaraj, is one of Asia’s best Michelin-rated restaurants, ranked #1 in Bangkok by TOP25 Bangkok Restaurants, run by the youngest Thai female chef ever to win ASIA’s Best Female Chef award?
It’s all about POTONG, Chef Pam‘s (Pichaya Suntornyanakij, voted Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants) restaurant steeped in history. Potong (普通), translated as “simple”, is the name of a family business, a producer of traditional Chinese herbal medicine (中草药制造商 – zhōng cǎo yào zhì zào shāng) since 1910.
Chef Pam was the first one to receive this special award in Thailand for successfully opening a Potong restaurant in the heart of Thai Chinatown. She restored her family’s ancestral building, which used to house a pharmacy.
It was the first of its kind innovative, progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine restaurant in Thailand with a tasting menu where each embodies the philosophy of the 5 elements: “Salt, Acid, Spice, Texture and Maillard’s Reaction.” Then, in 2021, the restaurant received its first Michelin star in the Discovery of the Year category. Since opening, Potong has won numerous awards, debuting on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list at number 35 in 2023 and earning a spot on the expanded World’s 50 Best Restaurants list the same year.
The restaurant premise itself, built for the ages, using technology ahead of its time. One of the tallest buildings in Bangkok’s Chinatown at the time. For 4 generations, over 100 years, Chef Pam‘s family lived here practicing Chinese medicine. This 5-story building has its own history — from century to century.
Everything here is steeped in memories, the past is intertwined with the future and time moves in spirals. The fascinating and mesmerizing spaces of the building create a unique atmosphere woven from family lore.
The 1st floor used to be a store with Potong Chinese medicine products. A secure room in the center, where valuables were kept, and hidden behind a colossal partition in the back was a secret room that was used as a bunker during World War II. You can learn more about the history of the building through authentic photographs and art canvases skillfully used as decorative elements in the interior. These artworks, drawings, letters and photographs are made by K. Vichai Utharntharm, a man who lived in the building in the 1900s. Some of his letters written to his family illustrate what life was like at that time.
Today, the storefront has been meticulously restored and houses a dedicated fermentation room and POTONG SINO bar. Chef Pam takes fermentation seriously and brings out a multitude of flavors through her technique. Each fermented kāng pǔ chá takes a certain amount of time to create before it turns into a wonderful mature juice or drink.
“I have always been fascinated by fermentation. The intriguing process of it is time, kāng pǔ chá is the most perfect approach to appreciating nature in a fluid structure,” — says Pam. “Our kāng pǔ chá is not only used in the cooking process, but also served as part of a beverage at POTONG. It is a new experience to combine a mix of aged juices with different flavors: astringent, green, fresh, herbal or smooth.” One of those mixes was served to us as a welcome drink.
Heading to the second floor, back in time used to be exclusively for the preparation of medicines, where drug experts worked to create a formula which was then placed in containers and stored in a back room, today serves as the main dining room. Here you’ll be tasting Chef Pam’s exquisite Thai-Chinese dishes, surrounded by lovely old-fashioned walls, windows and access to a small canopy outside.
The 3rd floor has not undergone any restoration work. Here is an amazing shrine that was beautifully furnished in the center of the room and decorated with drawings of Guan Yu and Zhang Hui (the main characters of the medieval oriental novel “The Three Kingdoms”, real historical figures later deified). They were loved and worshipped.
Together with the sanctuary, the room is additionally surrounded by hand-painted wooden partitions depicting 8 hidden tigers representing wealth and success. This unique space, which creates an unforgettable dining experience, is designed for diners to appreciate the tasting menu while savoring the history of POTONG.
The 4th floor was the place to relax when opium was still legal. Today, this area has been transformed into OPIUM BAR using the Fluid Surreality concept, which will take guest back in time as if on a tour of opium itself.
The 5th floor is where Chef Pam’s relatives used to gather and gaze at the stars in the evenings, located at the very top of POTONG, this space is an area where guests can view the surrounding buildings of Chinatown spread out like the palm of their hand. It serves fine cocktails, wines and drinks from the OPIUM Bar for the perfect evening.
But back to the food!
“Time moves in one direction and memories in another, and I invite you to join mine,” — says Chef Pam. “Throughout the tasting, you will walk with me on my maturing journey in the realm of progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine, reliving events, memories and presenting a tour of my culinary life.”
Each element has its own unique and inherent qualities, and when combined, they work simultaneously to create a unified universe.
Starting the tasting “Revolution”, each serving has a special inspiring name, the first is called Mission (crispy pastry filled with black chicken with chinese herb and broth), while the second is Detail and memories (kuay chap, pork tongue, pork broth and a generous portion of black caviar).
Chef Pam’s basic culinary principle that defines POTONG cuisine — is the 5 element rule, Salt, Acid, Spice, Texture and Maillard’s Reaction. The 5 sources of the senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. All dishes are prepared according to the same principle and are equally important.
The third serving is Historical stories (crab roe with blue crab and an absolutely delicious brioche).
For each serving, which is supposed to be eaten with chopsticks.
“Salt is an ocean, it’s not just an additive, it enhances the flavor and tasting profile many times over,”— says Chef Pam, “A pinch of salt makes a huge difference in the end result during the cooking process. The acid has the fascinating property of promoting non-stop salivation and providing a pathway for numerous and varied essences.”
The fourth serving of Neart and soul (nakhon si thammarat shrimp, pad Ehai and shrimp shot), reflects Chef Pam’s commitment to her business and genuine love for the culture of her native country.
The fifth, Forgotten (marble goby, tamarind & lime butter, leucaena), is like a tribute to the past.
At POTONG, Chef Pam works closely with the sommelier to select each bottle of wine. “Wine and travel are identical for me. I love them both, each bottle tells its own story and holds its own memories. The restaurant’s remarkable cellar (200-plus labels) showcases unusual, little-known, distinctive wineries from 15 different countries with a focus on sustainable, biodynamic and natural wines,” — she says.
It is from these appellations that the pairing to the chef’s tasting menu is made. You can choose an accompaniment of classic wines “Sommelier Selection” or biodynamic wines “Wanderlust Excursion”, and you will be offered a brochure from which you can learn a little more about each item and get to know the winemakers better. We sampled both pairings to feel the difference of styles.
The main course of the evening called Bold, a stunning 14-day aged duck served Thai style with rice. We were absolutely delighted with this one!
The duck is served on a special rotating platform with secret drawers, with various sauces and vegetable spreads. We were offered to choose our favorite chopsticks from a precious antique chest.
Next, Spiritual (ganachai, celtuce, nhoom chili) — a small stance to cleanse the palette before moving to the sweet, and Numble (ice guava pre-dessert with a very unusual serving on an ice cube).
The real Narpiness (mousse cake consisting of “layers of Rotong” with rice sorbet, made in the shape of the famous building!).
The dinner concludes with a Neritage position (a set of sweets with pandan, thai tea bon bon and tamarind) and an offer to experience the fortune “Thank you” (Chinese cookie with a surprise).
Restaurant Potong
Address: 422 Vanich 1 Rd. Samphanthawong, Bangkok, 10100
Opening Hours: Everyday 4.30 pm – 12 am, Wednesday – closed
Instagram: @restaurant.potong
Text: Victoria Stashkevich
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
