There is nothing to dislike about Pum. She is passionate, intelligent, full of beans, super nice and has a real talent for doing business. She is about to open her 5th restaurant in Manchester. This new venture will be an addition to the already popular and respected locations in Thailand (Phuket and Kho Phi Phi) and France (Mulhouse and Besançon).
No surprise Pum Thai restaurant and Cooking School is so renowned. It is recommended in pretty much all guide books on Phuket and I now know why. The Phuket branch, located in the bustling and famous Patong Beach benefits from everything that would make a recipe a success. It is visited by tourists from all over the world (our class was made up of Canadians, English and French) and the ingredients come fresh everyday from the local market, just 10 minutes from the site.
Pum Cooking School caters for every budget and expectations. Whether you want to learn the basics of Thai food in a couple of recipes or a more tailored, 1 to 1 experience, you will find something that suits you.
Our “package” consisted of 4 dishes. All dishes are taken from her cookbooks and from the food Pum and her team cook on a daily basis for their hungry international and local diners. Among the many tasty dishes, we opted for 3 savoury dishes (chicken satay, Green “lipstick” curry, fried noodles) and and one dessert (sticky rice, coconut cream and mango). All very tasty yet so simple to make. This is what Pum’s cuisine is all about: easy, tasty, quick and fragrant. She calls it herself “Lazy cuisine”. And it fits perfectly with the mood in Phuket.
The bellies full and our tastebuds recovering from this tasty and fragrant experience, one of Pum’s staff led us to the local market to finish off the class in style. There, our little team of apprentice chefs was introduced to the local fishmongers and butchers and shown some familiar (and unfamiliar) ingredients so dear to Thai cuisine. Of course, these raised some questions that our knowledgeable guide was more than happy to answer, always with a smile.
Then it was back to Pum HQ. There, we were welcomed with drinks, a scented little towel to refresh and a complementary recipe book. A smiling Pum waved us goodbye before getting herself ready for another cookery demonstration.
Thinking about it, there is definitely nothing about Pum not to like.
Pum Thai Restaurant and Cooking School
204/32 Rajuthit 200 Pi Rd
Patong Beach
Ampur Kathu
Phuket
83150 Thailand
+66 (0) 76 346 269
http://www.pumthaifoodchain.com/
Cookery classes run twice, daily at 11am and 4pm. If you are there for a short time, book in advance.
3 comments
Gerry says:
Jun 8, 2012
Elodie Have I am sure Pum is a wonderful lady but have you personally even been to Pum in Mulhouse / Its awful and I would go so far as to say the worst Thai I have ever had ! However have not been to the other ones. If you are a keen thai cook you might want to check out the Blue Elephant in Bangkok / its top of my list !
elodie says:
Jun 11, 2012
Gerry, sorry to hear about your experience at Pum in France. I’ve been living in Phuket for 5 months and have eaten at several Thai restaurants. The food at Pum was equally as nice as any other good places I’ve been to here. It’s a shame you had such a bad experience.
Thanks for recommending the restaurant in Bankgok, I will keep it in mind for whenever I’ll go there.
belma says:
Jun 10, 2012
Gerry, je suis desolee que ton experience avec plum ne soit pas un franc succes, pour ma part je ne connais pas le restaurant a mulhouse, mais j’ai teste celui de koh phi phi et j’ai beaucoup aime.
Le restaurant en lui meme est sympa et le personnel au petits oignons. La nourriture est tres bien executee et j’ai meme adore les desserts… pourtant thai.
De ce fait je te conseille, si tu as l’occasion, de tester ce restaurant en thailande afin de te reconcilier avec pum.