World’s best female chef cooks in Benjarong
Unarguably, chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij is the hottest and most-in demand Thai export at the moment. In 2024, she was heralded as Asia’s Best Female Chef and then this year, she was proclaimed the World’s Best, the first for an Asian and a Thai to receive such a prestigious title. On top of that, her Bangkok restaurant Potong got a Michelin star, further elevating her status in the global culinary stage as well as proving that she has the chops to be in the big league.
The acclaimed chef indulged us with her food and presence by collaborating with Benjarong’s Watcharaphon “Ja” Yongbanthom who, like Pam, is also carving her own name in the food world by presenting Royal Thai cuisine with elegance and precision in Dusit Thani Manila’s signature restaurant.
It wasn’t chef Pam’s first visit to Manila. Two years ago, she had a successful four-hands with Miko Calo in Metronome, and prior to that, she flew in regularly.
“The Philippines is very close to my heart because my husband worked here years ago when we weren’t married yet and I used to come here every weekend,” said the soft-spoken Soontornyanakij. “I feel like Filipinos are very much like Thai people and when I arrived here at Dusit Thani, it felt like home.”
Her recent return was months in the making, a work that commenced in October 2024, to be exact. It was a concept conceived a while ago but only came to fruition recently, given the chef’s sudden acclaim and, consequently, multiple engagements and busy schedule. She managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Manila and for two sold-out nights (Sept. 19 and 20) got to serve an eight-course tasting menu to excited guests.
The meal started with two snacks: a traditional one-bite wrap snack from Thailand called the mieng kham, composed of shrimp, cashews and ginger cradled on a chaphlu cup and leaf; and a tiger prawn skewered in lemongrass stalk and topped with chili and Thai lime.
This was followed by a duo of appetizers, a cold and a hot one that came in similar fashion. The former was in the form of chutoro slices that delicately sat on a pool of coconut yum sauce dotted with basil oil, while the latter had slices of seared Hokkaido scallop on a wet bed of satay sauce and peanut vinaigrette. It was accompanied by a grilled buttery brioche.
Just before the main course, chef Ja served the beloved northern Thai curry noodle soup, aka khao soi. Her version had crab leg, shallots, black cardamom, pickles, fried homemade noodles and baerii caviar on a bowl of coconut shell. The warm curry broth was poured table-side, releasing an aroma that made the dish a lot more endearing.
The heartiest dish of the night was chef Pam’s perfectly cooked A5 Wagyu tenderloin with beef jus, a side of pickles and Sichuan peppercorns to add subtly spicy notes.
The two desserts that succeeded also had identical presentation—Thai lime sorbet encapsulated in white chocolate on a fried sweet potato nest capped with a tuile, and coconut and white sesame mousse with puffed rice cracker and mango compote covered with a pandan tuile. Both were refreshing and light, fitting enough to tame the potent flavors that preceded.
The same can be said about the curated wines served by Philippine Wine Merchants—Yalumba Angas Brut Premium Cure, Montes Alpha Special Cure Chardonnay 2022, Kaiken Nude Ross, Montes Alpha Special Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, and Yalumba Angas Moscato, all of which were apparent but mellow enough not to compete with the dishes they were paired with.
The dinner had a good and seamless progression, which is a telltale of how the two chefs beautifully worked together. The plates weren’t too complicated, yet the flavors were complex and duly satisfying. Individually, they are great, but together, they did wonders.