Michelin Ka

Bangkok-based nahm continues its reign as one of Asia’s most acclaimed eateries – with Pim Techamuanvivit now guiding the way

WORDS: CHRIS UJMA

On the streets of the culinary haven that is Bangkok, the aromas of delicious street food have little regard for your restaurant booking across town; tastebuds and appetite are fair game in bustling Krung Thep.

The sheer number of delicacies on offer in the Thai capital are mind boggling – yet hold your nerve and resist the tempting wafts of freshly cooked fare. Save the savouring for the menu at nahm; it’s well worth the wait.

Around the city, you’re certain to receive a broad smile when mentioning that you’re due to experience the chic eatery, located at COMO Metropolitan Bangkok. This Michelin-acclaimed enclave is a source of true Thai pride (in 2014 it was the only Thai representative in the Top 50 Restaurants of the World), and the patriotic delight has further swelled now that the head chef at the helm has local roots.

Since 2011 it was Australian chef David Thompson who shaped the venture, and when he chose to step away last year, Pim Techamuanvivit was approached to take the reins. Ms Pim’s pedigree was fostered 12,000km from Bangkok at Kin Khao, in San Francisco – a Michelin star restaurant she still helms, and which was the source of her initial reluctance to lead nahm into a new era.

“I was very intrigued and very interested, but at the same time I was quite sceptical,” admits Pim, recalling her 2017 approach by retail tycoon and hotelier Christina Ong, the owner of nahm. “I didn’t know how I could run two restaurants on two opposite sides of the world at the same time. It took me a while to become more comfortable with the idea, and to come to see how I could organise my life so I could do the job,” she adds.

What won her over was “The opportunity to cook in Thailand. I struggle to get good ingredients for my restaurant in San Francisco, whereas in Thailand I have access to so many artisanal producers and farmers. The quality of ingredients I have access to is just staggering. Also, working for such an inspiring businesswoman like Christina Ong was a great opportunity. I was also drawn to spend more time at home in Bangkok because my parents are getting older, so the opportunity to be closer to home and see them more than once a year was also pretty compelling.”

The family setting is where Pim’s culinary passion took hold – and was a guiding influence in her menu revamp. “My food is based on the food I grew up eating. I reference old books and old recipes, like all ambitious Thai chefs working in the country. But ultimately, it’s based on the flavours from my childhood – a lot of the foundational recipes are from my own family. I’m not trying to copy anyone or be like anyone. I just cook the food I love, using the best ingredients I can get my hands on,” she enthuses.

Which of these treasured dishes was she most eager to showcase, when taking over the kitchen? “Oh – so many. It’s hard to pick just one or two,” Pim confesses. “I’ve always struggled with choosing ‘signature dishes.’ Everything I put on the menu has my signature on it. Everything I put on the menu I love.”

Instead, she prefers to wax lyrical about the process. “Basically, I see nahm as a showcase for Thai cuisines. I’m going to do my best to find the most amazing local artisans who produce the most delicious ingredients for my cooking. I see it almost as a responsibility: I’d always go for small farmers or small producers first over big companies. Always,” she expounds.

Nahm uses three different fish sauces in the kitchen, the chef elaborates. “Each is sourced from a small producer. One is made from fresh water fish. One is made from salt water fish. And the final one is not made with fish at all, but tiny little krills we use in the making of shrimp paste. Each one has its own unique application, and flavour profile. It’s just about finding the right dishes to showcase the nuance of each sauce.”

Eventually, she does reveal a menu item she holds dear. “There’s a lunch dish that I particularly adore – it’s my favourite Sunday lunch my family would have when I was growing up,” she reminisces. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

The dish, Kanom Jin Namprik, is lightly fermented rice noodles served with a savoury, lightly sweet sauce made with shrimp, golden mung beans, peanuts, and coconut. It’s served with a myriad of sides, including some fresh, blanched and fried vegetables. “It’s a very historically traditional dish that’s not that easy to find these days.”

The dish is an example of how Pim’s local influence is a feather in nahm’s cap – and its sublime quality counts, too.

Yes, the city cherishes its Michelin Guide (and its star bearers), and nahm’s inclusion undoubtedly contributes to its sophisticated private dining rooms being reserved by politicians and celebrities.

Yet one of the interesting things about Bangkok – where one can satisfy seemingly any epicurean craving – is that good food is good food, without bias about where it is served up. “

If you asked me what earned Kin Khao its Michelin star, I wouldn’t know how to answer you,” admits Pim. “I just cook the food I’m proud to serve and I hope people like it, and I hope critics like it. But at the end of the day, my first priority are those basic principles of enjoyment. I don’t do it for stars, or to win a place on a list.”

With so much cuisine to choose from in Thailand, does Pim feel that a diner’s expectation differs when compared to, say, America? “I think all guests are just looking to have a great meal and a great experience,” she says.

“Perhaps there’s more pressure to be really good in Bangkok, because you’re competing with more Thai food there than, say, in New York. But at the end of the day I’m just going to serve the food I’m proud of, whether I’m in Bangkok, San Francisco or anywhere.”

Pim wants guests to depart nahm “Feeling that they’ve experienced the real taste of Thai cuisine, and that they’ve tasted Thai food cooked with the utmost care, using the best ingredients we could find. I hope they leave full and happy,” she says, with a smile.

They leave uttering a traditional Thai phrase, too: ‘aroi mak’ – the seal of approval bestowed only on ‘very delicious’ fare.