Bringing back the authenticity of home at Nahm Restaurant

 The relaunch of Nahm restaurant at Como Metropolitan Bangkok, with award-winning Chef Pim Techamuanvivit.

When it comes to Thai food, I love home-cooked dishes that has been passed down from one generation to the next, and I am fortunate that my mother is skilled in the kitchen. I think this is similar to how most Thai people who live in Thailand feel, so to entice a Thai audience at a fine dining Thai restaurant with a meaningful price point, one really has to perform at a certain level. Chef Pim does not disappoint.

The authentic tastes remind me of royal Thai cuisine, and I loved every single dish I had. There has been a misconception that royal food will have to be sweet, and also many foreigners believe that Thai food has to be inordinately spicy.Traditional Thai dish is not all about the spicy taste and strong flavour only; to me it should be well-rounded tastes where all the ingredients blend together smoothly. 

Chef Pim uses a lot of local ingredients, and with them she creates multi-layered, multi dimensional tastes of depth and excitement. One of the appetiser dish, Yam Pak Yang Tawai (leaves and fruit salad with vegetarian tawai dressing), is originally from the Tawai people, and the dish was previously served in noble Thai households where it took extensive time in preparation.This heritage dish has a profound taste; the dressing rather than the common sour vinaigrette-like dressing, has a rounded sour-salty and sweet taste. The crispy fruits and grilled vegetables make this sophisticated dish not only delicious but also very healthy and visually-pleasing. 

For the main course they served Tom Kati Gai (chicken and green mango in savoury coconut broth) as a start; it is so refreshing and has a complex favour that leaves an aftertaste in your mouth which leaves you wanting more. It is a great dish to prepare your palate for the other main courses. Some of the other dishes are Nahmprik Mai Sai Makhampom (charcoal grilled wagyu beef with burnt relish), Gapi Pla Prik Thai On (relish of wild prawns from Songkhla, Chumphon shrimp paste, green peppercorn and somsa citrus), and Pad Pak Goot (stirred fried young fiddle head ferns). The last is a seemingly simple dish yet the cooking is perfectly done and brings complexity to your experience. All main dishes are served with Surin’s Jasmine rice and Suphanburi’s green rice (immature rice). 

As you can see Chef Pim selected the ingredients from the local small producer as she explained  “As a chef, it’s my responsibility to go out of my way to find and buy those ingredients so that these people gain a sustainable living and that their work is passed on. Because if no one is making good shrimp paste anymore then my relish is going to taste terrible. It’s choices you need to make."

Last but not least, as a Thai dessert lover, especially the traditional one that is rare to find, I am more than pleased to have a few variety of desserts – fermented rice Khao Mak and Thong Eak (Thai dessert made of egg yolk and sugar), to name a few. It is a perfect ending to a memorable dinner. 

Since she splits her time traveling between San Francisco and Bangkok, I asked her how she  maintains consistency in the kitchen when she is not around. She said she is confident in her team, and since she started here she has calibrated their flavours exactly to her taste. It is refreshing to see Thai fine dining back in the hands of Thai women on the world stage.

NAHM Opening Hours: Lunch Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 2.00pm

Dinner Daily 6.30pm to 10.15pm (last order)

For reservations please call : +66 2 625 3388