Her grandmother was a huge influence; “I lived with her from when I was very young, and I spent a lot of time with her, cooking and learning the foundations of Thai recipes as a kid, but being in the kitchen was almost like a punishment for me.” Like many children, Kim would have preferred to be outside playing, so “I didn’t really see it as anything fun. I regret not spending more time learning from her, because now I obviously love cooking. But she definitely gave me the foundations. She taught me the rules of life: how to be strong, how to live, how to be independent and how to survive, and that gave me a lot of strength to pursue my career.” That discipline, combined with what she has learnt under Ramsay, Clare Smyth, and Matt Abe in the kitchen, has given her precision and focus.
The shift from viewing cooking as a pleasure rather than a punishment came for Kim when she moved to England to study economics at the age of 16. “I started cooking [at university]. It was then that I really understood what my grandmother had given me. I was studying economics and then realised I wanted to work in kitchens. My parents wanted me to pursue a business career, but I suppose that was an escape too, a way of becoming independent. I didn’t really see cooking as a professional career at the time. But now it’s completely different. Having done it for so many years, it becomes your life.”
Kim has managed to get back to Thailand over the years, and tells me fondly of trips to Bangkok, a city that “never sleeps and there’s always something going on. You can get food 24-7. If you go to Chinatown, the choices are unlimited. You can literally snack all day long.” With that, Kim gives us her five not-to-be-missed Michelin-starred favourites in the Thai capital, before heading calmly back into that infamous Chelsea kitchen for service.
Sorn
At Sorn, the menu looks to southern Thailand, so I connect with it very well because it’s where I’m from. It earned three stars last year, and I went a few years ago with my mum to see how Chef Ice [Chef Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsiri] puts together the menu. The way he finds inspiration and ties Thai cuisine into the details was incredible. It was super inspiring to see the dishes presented to you as a story, and I really enjoyed it. Some would say southern Thai cuisine is spicier than the central food or the cuisine of the north, and there’s also a lot of seafood and coconut in the dishes. You’ll need to plan ahead to get a table here because booking can be really tough, but if you get in, the food is an incredible blend of traditional and modern cuisine.
