The Potong Experience
Situated in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Potong is a fine dining restaurant, located in a beautiful heritage building by Chef Pichaya ‘Pam’ Utharntharm. It serves 20-course tasting menu of innovative Thai-Chinese cuisine in the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown.
📖 “The New Experience”
1️⃣ Homemade kombucha made from fermented genmaicha tea infused with sesame and nitrogen to add sweetness.
2️⃣ Cured Pork Meat 🍖
Cured pork meat & fats w five spice & Chinese rose wine
Cured pork meat & fats, no spices but marinated with wine
Cured pork meat & fai all 4 spices & wine
SPICES
Black pepper
Sichuan pepper
Fennel seeds
Coriander seeds
3️⃣ Kitchen bite / chicken mousse / x.o.
2nd canapé made of chicken mousse and XO sauce dusted w callion powder
4️⃣ dear | phang district orange /
wild chrysanthemum honey / salted plum leaf
Beautiful bonsai tree-like display of white chocolate appetizer filled with lemon and lime juice, topped with mandarin orange jelly
5️⃣ Brown sugar biscuit topped with salted plum, green mango marinated in jasmine tea and cream cheese underneath
6️⃣ Tray displayed different appetizers made of the same ingredient - palm fruits produced by local palm farmers from the south of Thailand to showcase that palm fruit can be used in many different ways; be it the roots for medicine, the trunk for furnitures or the meat and seed for food
🎱 Sesame ball with palm apple filling marinated in five spices
🍭 memories | toddy palm sugar lollipop
Toddy palm lollypop made of 100% palm sugar infused with coconut, chilli lemongrass
🧃grateful | ‘baan raj” palm juice / burnt bamboo
Palm jus
🍞 born | Palm Sugar Bun | cashew nut pate
Cashew nut butter infused with red curry paste to be eaten with the palm sugar bun
❤️ in love | marinated palm seed / shaoxing wine / cilantro oil
Palm seeds resemble the texture of scallop, hence made into ceviche infused with Chinese wine
🧈 details | palm “jao” / 5-spices / chewguk
7️⃣ alive | “surat thani” oyster / black squid / black pearl
🦪 Oyster harvested from from Surat Thani
Province in Southern Thailand, Topped with local fish roe from Hua Hin, chilli paste and crispy kombu with a side of clam juice!
8️⃣ reincarnated | grated shrimp yolk / yin-yang egg noodle / morel / caviar
🍜 Yin yang egg noodle inspired by Chef’s fave childhood food cooked by her mom Rat Na (very similar to our beloved hor fun with flat rice noodle drenched in viscous cornstarch or tapioca starch sauce) Topped w local caviar from Hua Hin and sprinkled w homemade katsuobushi.
9️⃣ beautiful | blue crab / mud crab roe emulsion / black pepper jam / crab butter bread / crab broth 🦀
Crab broth made from the trimmings of the crab
Black pepper & butter emulsion
Mud crab roe emulsion
Toasted brioche glazed with brown butter
🔟 sacred | chinese date / carrot tuile
Some palate cleanser before the mains: Chinese date ice cream with carrot tuille 🔴
1️⃣1️⃣ proud | pomfret fish rillette
White pomfret fish harvested from the southeastern province of Trat where the local fishermen eat the whole fish including the bones. It's charcoal grilled served with kailan and kailan powder. Sauce made from shrimp paste & fish head stock. Fish rilette made from the trimmings of the pomfret fish. 🐟
1️⃣2️⃣ humble | skeleton / dehydrated herbs / lapsang souchongl
1️⃣3️⃣ favorite | dry aged surat thani white pomfret / kapi / tamarind 🐠
Pomfret bones dry aged and deep fried till golden brown! 🎏
🌟The highlight of the meal was all about duck, served on a beautiful display of lazy susan inspired by chef's childhood memories!
1️⃣4️⃣ community | 14-day 5-spiced aged duck
Signature 7-14 days dry aged duck
1️⃣5️⃣ bold | roasted duck brain / duck heart
Spicy duck brain
1️⃣6️⃣ thai-chinese | sichuan pepper duck / egg custard / scallion
Pickled green mustard with Chinese olives topped with cucumber
Duck leg chawanmushi
Chinese brussel sprouts
Chinese bbq sauce
Scallion sauce
Chilli oil
Accompanied with ‘XO sauce fried rice mixed with mushroom, taro and scallion
🥩 Wagyu Beef
1️⃣7️⃣ layers of flavours | inside-out pomelo
Palate cleanser was made up of different parts of pomelo! To be eaten from the most bitter sweetest:
Pomelo meat (bitter aftertaste, 0% milk)
Pomelo peel or white skin in between the skin and the meat (sour, 50% milk)
Pomelo zest or skin (sweet, 100% milk)
1️⃣8️⃣ history | chrysanthemum / cacao nibs
Main dessert: chrysanthemum in different forms!
Chrysanthemum mousse infused with cocoa nibs served with lemon sorbet & jelly, topped w flower meringue and chrysanthemum powder
1️⃣9️⃣ legacy | the remake of thai-chinese street desserts
Petit 3 served on adorable pushcarts inspired by the street vendors at Chinatown's famous Yaowarat Road!!
Sour mango with shrimp dipping
Black sesame ball
Thai tea
2️⃣0️⃣ thank you | fortune
VERDICT:
Exceptional experience for progressive Chinese food. It is not only variety of foods (20 courses) but the chef also design all as journey of her life and family.
Flavours were strong, great ideas and techniques in the execution. Excellent procurement of ingredients.
My favorite main dish is ‘roasted duck’ as it is perfectly cooked. Dessert made from Chrysanthemum is also remarkable as all elements are combined beautifully. This restaurant needs reservation in advance (2-3 months for weekend).
Two things they could improve on:
1️⃣ would be the entire story itself. It’s a little too much to take on. And 2️⃣ would be that their dessert aren’t the strongest.
I would return when they change menu, if I can get a seat that is!
OVERALL:
Food: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Aesthetic: 🌟🌟🌟
Service: 🌟🌟
Value: 🌟🌟🌟
Must Try in Bangkok:🌟🌟🌟🌟
(Out of 5 Stars)
