POTONG, loosely translated as Ordinary in Chinese is far from ordinary
Where Memories, Ancestry And Heritage Ensued Through Gastronomy
Thailand is a cornucopia of culinary surprises. Head to the Michelin Guide where restaurants are ranked and filed according to the nods of expert gastronomes, it is not surprising to conclude that Thailand’s fine dining culture is pivoting towards staggering and exponential growth. Among the featured 468 restaurants, two have been awarded a Three- Star status, 33 One- Star and a growing “Michelin Bib Gourmand” awarded to restaurants serving high quality food without the exorbitant price, anywhere from local street stalls to casual eateries.
Thai’s gastronomy has not only peaked but interestingly evolved to one that fully embraces a culinary philosophy that is uniquely local, almost or completely abandoning the interpretations of Western epicure.
Today, top chefs who used to train abroad are paying homage to Thai culture, reinterpreting and curating dishes at the highest level that they call their own. That apparent fine line that used to divide haute cuisine from street food gets fainter as both starts colliding, heading towards a collaborative union.
At the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown in the quiet of the dark, light rain started drumming on the zinc roofs. Tuk-tuks are seen waiting in line for their next passenger. Tucked at an unpretentious corner, hidden behind an old shutter gate and acconpanied by a illuminating white neon sign overhead, sits a 1 Michelin Star upscale glass front restaurant celebrated for its progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine.
POTONG, loosely translated as “Ordinary” in Chinese is far from ordinary. The architecture itself is already a captivating living tale of its own. POTONG is the tallest landmark in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Yaowarat area. The 5-storey Sino Portuguese shophouse spans a history of 120 years with origins rooted in Chinese traditional medicine. What used to be an enduring home for 4 generations of Thai Chinese diaspora descendants became the solid foundation of the restaurant where memories, ancestry, and heritage ensued through the fine art of gastronomy.
Pichaya Soontornyanakji, commonly known as Chef Pam is the brainchild behind POTONG and the group’s successful arsenal of restaurants and bars both in Thailand and abroad. Crowned as Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, undeniably is the most celebrated Thai chef in the gourmet world and also the family’s 4th generation descendant. Chef Pam expresses creativity, history and family heritage through innovation in its dishes, built on a scaffold of nostalgia.
Transcending Through The Layers Of Time
At the ground floor, what used to be the storefront of the family medicine dispensary hall is now a front facing waiting area where diners are served aperitifs before being escorted to the main dining halls. A century old wood ceiling, a repurposed bunker from the Second World War and a chest of apothecary drawers remain visual anchors and reminders of the family’s history and heritage.
The second and third levels of the building housed the main dining halls of POTONG’s tasting courses. Here, you will find preserved heritage of old fashioned screen panels, glass stained windows, Chinese hand painted crafts and a elaborate shrine setting. Feels like a living museum, an elaborate and curated visual experience for diners to transcend through a time capsule over the course of POTONG’s culinary pleasures.
At the top of the building, a definitive space reserved for a panoramic view of Chinatown. Opium Bar as it is now called, was also where early family ancestors gathered when opium was legal at the time. Featuring a huge Chinese day bed and a private collection of used opium apparatus , this is now where diners can gather and loosen up in the same way, now replaced with POTONG’s mixology of various concoctions.
Science Behind The Kitchen
Back at the kitchen, POTONG’s dishes are created through an inventive approach of culinary science and flavors built on the 5 elements of palate science; salt, acid, spice ,texture and Maillard reaction to create the most complex of flavors and aromas.
Thai-Chinese ancestry and personal memories are then blended in through the pillars of five senses; sight, sound, taste, smell and touch to take the sensory experience further. The restaurant operates with a vision of collaboration with local farmers, fishermen and producers for the freshest of seasonal ingredients and products.
The Story On The Other Side Of The Plate: Of Fierce Rivalry And Power Dynamics In The Industry
On the other side of the plate, diners are often confronted with a long wait list for months on end. Reviews were mixed on hyped pricing, heavy-handed up-selling and an often crowded dining room less than appealing. The restaurant’s success has also reflected a rising trend of story-telling driven menu behind many of Thailand’s top restaurants. The fierce rivalry dynamics has pushed restaurateurs to digging deeper into their souls and origins to create meaningful narratives synonymous with their dishes for differentiation. What ends up is the becoming of a generation of restaurateurs claiming to preserve tradition and heritage through food like a broken record; a narrative that came from a good place ending up becoming too formulaic, and annihilating authenticity.
Deliberately Smaller For Better Connection And Continuity
“A story this personal was never meant for a crowd”
While chefs all over are busy framing dishes to long lost traditional recipes, ancestry heritage or even childhood memories, in May this year, POTONG announced temporary closure for renovation. The restaurant reopened on the 16 June, revealing re-designed layout with a renewed seating capacity from the previous 40 reduced to 28. A seating capacity of 14 divided between both levels of dining halls, inclusive of a private dining room for 10; a controversial move, considering a celebrated restaurant deliberately transforming to be smaller.
The renovation has also see its investment directed backstage where kitchen and cellar receive a major upgrade to improve operation workflow and a better working environment for its employees. An elevated dining experience with more intimate space for privacy and improved connection between diners and the working team. An unhurried pace to savor and soak up on the surroundings, fixing the “too much too fast” service problem.
A new seasonal menu was also launched. Less of a re-invention but more of debuting strengthened relationships with local fishermen and farmers to ensure continuity of Thailand regional products as a “here to stay” feature in the menu, not just a passing rhetoric. Some of the tasting courses include a tiger prawn from Nakhon Si Thammarat draped across a single sheet of rice noodle resembling the national flag accompanied with a wedge of lime. An abstract presentation with flavors remain faithful to its origin. A plump whole five spice roasted duck from Chachoengsao province glistening under the dimmed dining lights, nothing short of a theatrical culinary moment. The young tidal mud crabs spotlight seasonal ingredients harvested from the Andaman sea.
So what’s next for POTONG in an industry where growth equates success. Nothing too dramatic. Nothing that will ask the building to be more than what it is. It will still be that building in Yaowarat still standing, full of its usual apothecary drawers. The same white neon sign and iron shutter gates guarding the glass front among other buildings in wrought iron.
One building, one family and one heritage, in singularity. Refusing to morph into what the outside world demands of it. Perhaps, a story this personal was never meant for a crowd, POTONG’s most radical statement yet as its new chapter of culinary story unfolds.
