Interview with Saiphin Moore

From the age of 20 you opened your first noodle shop in Thailand. Was it always a dream to run your own business?

It’s always been my ambition to make my own money to support myself, so naturally for me, that meant running my own business and being my own boss.

You were brought up living on a vegetable farm and are now sourcing produce for your restaurant from a 3rd generation family business that has made noodles for over 80 years. Is helping families and communities important to you and will you be sourcing any local produce here in Cardiff for your restaurant?

Giving back to the farming community is one of the most important things for me and a cause close to my heart. At first, we wanted to source as many local UK ingredients as possible, but with Thai cuisine, it’s proven to be quite difficult to source very specific ingredients in large volumes. So we changed our strategy a couple of years ago and I’m really proud that a lot of the key ingredients we use across all of our restaurants, including at Cardiff, come from small-scale co-ops and farmers in Thailand. The tamarind paste that goes into our Pad Thai sauce comes from Lom Sak, near my home province in Petchabun. It’s well known throughout Thailand that my hometown grows some of the best sweet and sour tamarinds in the country! We also work with a family who produces all of our curry pastes, they’re based in Trang in the southern part of Thailand where the best curries are made. For our coconut palm sugar, we use coconut flower nectar (not palm sugar), made by farmers in Samut Sakorn and Petchaburi provinces.

You were born in Thailand and taught to cook by your mother and aunts. Are your dishes inspired by family traditions?

Yes, each dish on our menu is tied to a specific memory or experience growing up in Thailand and Hong Kong. One of my earliest memories was helping my nan squeeze the tamarind pulp and turning that into a Pad Thai sauce. All these somewhat tedious tasks were often assigned to younger family members so I’ve learnt all of the basics of Thai cooking by helping and observing my nan, aunties and uncles.

You have produced two cookbooks. Are these inspired by the food you serve at Rosa’s Thai?

Most of the dishes we serve (or have previously served) at Rosa’s Thai are in the two cookbooks. Some are also dishes that I would cook at home for my family. I wrote the books with our customers in mind. I want them to know more about Thai cuisine and be able to cook these dishes like how we cook them at Rosa’s. There are no secrets!

You are an inspirational hard-working woman that has gone on to achieve so much. What advice would you give to anyone wishing to start their own business?

You must love what you do unconditionally. You must always thrive to do the best that you can and give it everything that you’ve got. Work hard but, more importantly, never give up.

We admire that your passion for cooking has made you a huge success. Is there a popular dish that you always use at home and in your restaurants?

Chilli basil stir-fried with minced chicken served with jasmine rice and a fried egg on top! It’s a classic ‘no brainer’ dish for my family and our regular customers love them too.

We really want to try the Fiery Noodles on your menu. Could you tell us what is the most popular dish at your restaurants and why people should visit?

The most popular dish has to be our Prawn Pad Thai - it’s comforting and indulgent. Cardiff is one of the most vibrant cities in the UK so I’m really happy that we’ve found the perfect location for our first restaurant in Wales. Our team there is also brilliant with members from many cultures and backgrounds. I’d love to invite you to try our famous Pad Thai, but also get adventurous and explore new Thai dishes like Papaya Salad, Drunken Noodles, and Stir-Fried Aubergine!

Address: Rosa’s Thai Unit D, 5-10 Church Street, CF10 1BG