Potong, Bangkok
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In the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown, a striking five-storey building that once housed a century-old Chinese herbal medicine shop now hums with quiet reverence. Its name is Potong. And its story is as rich and layered as the tasting menu it serves nightly to diners who are not just eating, but travelling—through history, memory, and flavour.
Helmed by Chef Pam (Pichaya Soontornyanakij), Potong has quickly become one of Asia’s most celebrated fine dining destinations. Since opening in 2021, the restaurant has not only earned a Michelin star but also made a dramatic debut at No.13 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025, and secured a coveted spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. But perhaps more significant is the woman behind it all.
This year, Chef Pam became the first Asian and Thai chef to be named The World’s Best Female Chef 2025 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants—an accolade that acknowledges her culinary brilliance, fierce authenticity, and unrelenting drive to redefine Thai cuisine.
Potong’s tasting menu, aptly titled “Revolution”, is a reflection of Chef Pam’s personal and culinary journey. Designed to awaken all five senses, each course weaves a story that blurs the line between art and cuisine, tradition and innovation.
The journey begins with a complementary welcome wine, followed by Potong’s charcuteries—an elegant selection paired with a special collaboration wine that sets the tone for what’s to come.
From there, the menu becomes an immersive narrative. Mission introduces a delicate black chicken broth infused with Chinese herbs—a tribute to healing traditions. Detail and Memories layers pork tongue and kuay chap noodles beneath a shimmering pool of pork broth and caviar, evoking the comforting flavours of a childhood favourite reimagined with luxury.
Each course is deeply considered, rooted in both technique and sentiment. Historical Stories, featuring scallop with satay sauce on brioche, is an edible echo of cultural intersection. Heart and Soul pays homage to street food with Nakhon Si Thammarat shrimp in a deconstructed pad Thai and a shrimp shot, crowned with a miniature hoy tod.
Diners are brought to the edge of nostalgia with Forgotten, where Atlantic seabass and beurre blanc highlight the intersection of Thai ingredients and French culinary tradition. Then comes Bold I, where 14-day aged duck offers a robust and earthy centrepiece to the evening.
From this intensity, the experience softens with the cooling Spiritual (pickled cucumber, asparagus and northern Thai nhoom chilli), and the modest Humble, a palate-cleansing jicama dish featuring the underappreciated ma dan fruit.
Dessert at Potong is no afterthought. Happiness is a whimsical plate called Layers of Potong, representing the many textures and stories that shaped the building and its chef. Heritage follows—an ensemble of pandan, mango, Thai tea nama chocolate, and coconut sesame, that lovingly nods to Thailand’s iconic dessert palette.
Finally, a simple yet meaningful Thank You arrives in the form of a handmade fortune cookie—because every story deserves a thoughtful ending.
Chef Pam doesn’t just cook at Potong—she embodies it. The building once belonged to her family, and the renovation took nearly four years, done with care to preserve its history while transforming it into an intimate fine dining space. “We want the customer to feel like they’re travelling back in time to a museum of my family’s heritage,” she says.
That sense of legacy permeates every corner of Potong, from the architecture to the music, the lighting, the pacing of the courses. Chef Pam calls it her “5-element philosophy,” incorporating not just taste but sight, sound, smell, and touch to create an experience that lingers far beyond the final course.
Beyond Potong, Chef Pam has built an impressive culinary empire with other restaurants and bars, and has appeared on shows like Top Chef Thailand, Top Chef Arab World, World Cook Competition, and Iron Chef. She’s also the first Thai female chef to receive the “3 knives” distinction from The World Best Chef Award.
And yet, for all her fame, she remains grounded in a singular mission: to elevate Thai cuisine—not just the green curries and pad Thais the world expects, but its diverse regional expressions and forgotten ingredients.
At Potong, dining becomes a dialogue—between past and present, east and west, heritage and innovation. It is a place where a chef’s personal story is told through the language of food, and where guests leave not just full, but transformed.
And with Chef Pam now firmly positioned on the global stage, Potong is no longer just one of Bangkok’s most coveted reservations—it’s a symbol of a new era in Thai cuisine, led by the woman who dared to rewrite its future.
Location: 422 Vanich 1 Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Phone: 082 979 3950
