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Guest Edit: Chef Pam Pichaya Utharntharm of Potong, Bangkok

ART | FOOD | DINING
potong, BANGKOK NO.35 ASIA'S BEST
Guest Edit:
Chef Pam Pichaya Utharntharm
ART | FOOD | DINING
POTONG, BANGKOK NO.35 ASIA'S BEST
Guest Edit:
Chef Pam Pichaya Utharntharm

Chef Pam of Potong, known as one of the first restaurants in Bangkok to serve a progressive Thai-Chinese chef’s tasting menu has fast become the city’s most talked about restaurant ranking No. 35 in Asia's Best Restaurants of 2023. We spoke with Chef Pam as she shares some of her favourite works on AucArt – and lets us in on seeing art beyond the context of food, service, and dining.

Chef Pam of Potong, known as one of the first restaurants in Bangkok to serve a progressive Thai-Chinese chef’s tasting menu has fast become the city’s most talked about restaurant ranking No. 35 in Asia's Best Restaurants of 2023. We spoke with Chef Pam as she shares some of her favourite works on AucArt – and lets us in on seeing art beyond the context of food, service, and dining.

How is the art in Potong – from your interiors up to the menus important to you?

Potong and Art are intertwined from the design decision down to the food plating. Everything in Potong has a design concept of Juxtaposition and this can be presented everywhere in Potong

At Potong, during your cross in the structure, you will discover different canvases on the dividers and surrounded settings. These glorious pieces are artistic creations, drawings, letters, and photographs taken by K.Vichai Utharntharm, the individual who lived in this structure during the 1900s time frame. After he passed away, these pictures were recognized and displayed to show regard and respect for his artistic talents and creativity. Some of his letters written to the family vividly represented how life must have been during that time.

To safeguard the original work, they were copied onto a material board and cautiously duplicated and executed to picture outlines. These pictures are representations of his excursion from Chinatown, Thailand to Australia, and the United State of America during the time of  The Second Great War. In all of these workmanship pieces, you will experience some of the most interesting stories, emotions, history, and times of Potong.

How and why do you think certain restaurants choose to incorporate art so vividly within their restaurants?

I believe cooking food is definitely one of the art forms. It’s the way to express our feeling, emotions, narrations and dialogues to our guests. Sometime art represents countless words and meaning, without saying anything. Sometimes arts represents different meaning to different person – this is just like how we express our food.

What purpose can seeing emerging art serve outside of food, service, and the experience of dining?

Seeing emerging art can serve several purposes beyond the context of food, service, and dining. For us arts gave inspiration, cultural enrichment, and social commentary. Take arts at Potong for example – these are the representation of my heritage, its true Thai-Chinese culture with a mixture of historical event that form a memory of my ancestor’s life.

Do you collect art yourself? What kind of art do you look for?

I do, mostly any piece that I start forming my bonds to it. If it’s special – it’s special for me. 

 You mentioned you paint yourself, can you tell us a little bit about your practice and your art?

I have one art piece that were painted when I was at younger age. It was displayed in my “peacock glasshouse” dining room, which is the only VIP private room at my restaurant Potong. It tells my childhood story. I believe every art pieces tell a different stories of its own. 

Sometime art represents countless words and meaning, without saying anything. Sometimes arts represents different meaning to different person – this is just like how we express our food.

Sometime art represents countless words and meaning, without saying anything. Sometimes arts represents different meaning to different person – this is just like how we express our food.

Artwork Picks from
Chef Pam:

One particular artist that got my attentions was Thénie Khatchatourov. I feel drawn to the subject matter as it has the similarity to my uncle Vichai, who was the one drawn our art decorations in our Potong. I can see the artist is seeking a way of integrating it in a contemporary setting. Just like how the drawing is, it was like a communication between time. At Potong, we always look back at the past and the present. 

Artwork Picks from
Chef Pam:

One particular artist that got my attentions was Thénie Khatchatourov. I feel drawn to the subject matter as it has the similarity to my uncle Vichai, who was the one drawn our art decorations in our Potong. I can see the artist is seeking a way of integrating it in a contemporary setting. Just like how the drawing is, it was like a communication between time. At Potong, we always look back at the past and the present.

Thénie Khatchatourov

Le Bain, 2021
£850

Just like how this drawing is, it's like a communication between time - like at Potong, we always look back at the past & present.

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