Khun Biaw @ Baan Thong Kham
Our focus this month remains firmly on the wonderfully local food strip along Naebkhehard Road. This month we shine a spotlight on Baan Thong Kham and see what makes them so popular.

Feast Thailand spent some time with Khun Fang from Baan Thong Kham and asked her some questions.

How did your restaurant start?
Khor Moo Yang
Khor Moo Yaang
Being from Hua Hin, Khun Fang’s mother, Khun , used to make Som Tam in their home near Bintabaht Road. It became very, very popular and Khun became quite well known in Hua Hin. When Khun Fang discovered the closed Nittaya Steakhouse, along Naebkhehard Road, she immediately enquired about renting it and Baan Thong Kham was born.

What dishes did you start with?

“We started in December 2015 with Som Tam, Tom Saep and Laap initially,” she said. “As we have become more popular, the menu has increased to now encompass many, many Isaan dishes.”

Why is it that you chose Isaan food over the food of the Hua Hin region?

“Other than my brother’s wife, the rest of us are not from Isaan, but the food of that region has been our passion for many years. We learned the flavours and now pass on what we know to our customers. We cook from the heart!”

What is your most popular dish?

“It’s Som Tam, of course” says Khun Fang. “To my mind, this has almost become Thailand’s national dish. We do it in all its forms; standard with papaya, but there are also so many variations like with fruit or corn instead of papaya, or the addition of raw crab.”

What makes your Som Tam so sought after?

“We only buy the freshest ingredients for all our dishes, but Som Tam is the most important as there is no cooking”, she says. “All of the ingredients for a good Som Tam must be of the highest quality. It is also about the taste of the dressing. Our Som Tam has the authentic taste of Isaan, which is what our customers demand.”

Who does the cooking in the restaurant?
Som Tam Thai @ Baan Thong Kham
Som Tam Thai
“I choose all the ingredients fresh from the local afternoon or evening market. They are delivered here daily. Along with my husband, I am also the host, meeting and greeting each customer as they arrive. It is our job to make sure every customer is happy. Usually my mother or sister-in-law make all the Som Tam. I do on occasions when it is not too busy. I make it the way my mum taught me. The cooked dishes from the kitchen are usually done by my 2 sister-in-laws. It’s a real family affair.”

Who is your customer?

“We have a great many local customers who come in regularly. We also receive many visitors from Hong Kong and Singapore. Thanks so much to your food tours, support amongst Western travellers, ‘farangs’, is also starting to grow.”

Do you find your customers having to wait long for their food?

“Everything is cooked fresh here, so the only thing that requires some wait time is Som Tam. We only make one serving at a time not a big batch, so if we have multiple orders for Som Tam, then the waiting time increases. All other dishes are to the guests within 10 minutes”.

What else is important about your restaurant?

“Apart from our customers, the single most important thing is the freshest ingredients. If your ingredients are top quality, then what is produced can also be of the highest quality,” Khun Fang says.

You all appear to work together so well. Why is this?

“Being a single family unit really helps,” says Khun Fang. “We have all known each other for so long, that communication is simple and it helps us to work together.”

You can experience some of the best that Baan Thong Kham has to offer on Feast Thailand’s Foodies Food Tour, which operates daily.

Baan Thong Kham
10/43 Naebkhehard Road,
Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
Tel: 097-113 4371
Open: 10:30am – 9pm Everyday