![ASIN'S HOT SPOT](https://cdn.magzter.com/Hong Kong Tatler/1680059098/articles/uCJm6cv6O1680151135982/ASINS-HOT-SPOT.jpg)
Bangkok has long been renowned for its street food. But increasingly, gourmets are turning their attention to its high-end restaurants, helped by the likes of the Michelin guide and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Leading the charge is a clutch of innovative, independent venues helmed by overseas-trained local chefs who are redefining what constitutes Thai food, elevating it to fine-dining status in the process.
One of the newest arrivals is Potong, a glamorous paean to the mixed Thai Chinese heritage of its founder Pichaya Utharntharm and the humming Chinatown district in which her forebears settled. Better known as Chef Pam, she conceived the idea for Potong after visiting the landmark 120-year-old Sino-Portuguese shophouse which now houses the restaurant with her father and grandfather; the building has belonged to four generations of their family, and they resumed possession of it after leasing it out commercially.
Nearly three years of painstaking, Covid-impacted renovations ensued, with restored period details juxtaposed against sleek additions. Five distinct zones offer guests a sensory journey that includes bars, the main dining room, private spaces and an alfresco rooftop. When the restaurant finally opened in 2021, it received rave reviews, earning a Michelin star in its first year of operation; it is currently booked out three months in advance.
Utharntharm says she has been cooking since she was a child, “for as long as I remember, taught by my perfectionist mother”. After obtaining a degree in communication and arts, she enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and “knew at that moment that I was born to cook”. A three-year stint at then threeMichelin-starred Jean-Georges in New York followed, an experience that she credits for her ability to marry French technique with Asian ingredients and flavours.
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Tatler Hong Kong.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Tatler Hong Kong.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![THE LAST WORD](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/X2Uqigoeb1719484527419/THE-LAST-WORD.jpg)
THE LAST WORD
Every issue, we ask our cover star a round of quickfire questions that give us a little more insight into their personalities. This month: Gulf Kanawut lays it bare
![WOMEN AT THE WICKET](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/ZBGruVIZP1719484339181/WOMEN-AT-THE-WICKET.jpg)
WOMEN AT THE WICKET
Asia's women's cricket teams from outside the Indian subcontinent have been rapidly rising up through the ranks, creating opportunities, breaking barriers and changing the game as they go
![TIME TURNER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/nESP4rrwT1719484107768/TIME-TURNER.jpg)
TIME TURNER
A 2024 Turner Prize nominee, British Filipino artist Pio Abad talks to Tatler about carrying on family legacy, unearthing historical connections and why the Philippines is always at the core of his work
![ROYAL RICHES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/Vb2uZQ-p-1719483970354/ROYAL-RICHES.jpg)
ROYAL RICHES
Ahead of the opening of Prince and the Peacock, Black Sheep Restaurants' latest establishment, Tatler joins the hospitality group on a culinary pilgrimage to India
![MAKING HER POINT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/VPu9S66wb1719483660654/MAKING-HER-POINT.jpg)
MAKING HER POINT
Foil fencer Daphne Chan is happy to see the rising interest in her sport since Cheung Ka-long's historic win, and is headed to the Games with impressive wins behind her. But she's not allowing the pressure to get to her, and is most excited about who she might meet in Paris
![IN IT TO WIN IT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/RdIzeTTzM1719483490392/IN-IT-TO-WIN-IT.jpg)
IN IT TO WIN IT
Hong Kong freestyle swimmer Ian Ho, whose Instagram handle @Amphlb_ian playfully alludes to his aquatic prowess, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and won silver in the men's 50 metres freestyle at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. This month, he will represent Hong Kong at the Paris Olympics. He talks to Tatler about making Hong Kong proud, life as a student and professional athlete-and why relaxing is the way forward
![UNFINISHED BUSINESS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/sNJuHA2ax1719483329524/UNFINISHED-BUSINESS.jpg)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Two-time Olympic swimmer Camille Cheng thought Tokyo 2020 would be her last Games, but competing in Paris was too big a draw for the French Chinese athlete
![INTRIGUE AND INTRICACIES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/nIwNip-F-1719483099750/INTRIGUE-AND-INTRICACIES.jpg)
INTRIGUE AND INTRICACIES
Parisian artist Ugo Gattoni takes us through his elaborately designed poster for the Olympics and Paralympics in his home city this month
![Crafting a New Legacy](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/j1eBtqCTk1719483003982/CRAFTING-A-NEW-LEGACY.jpg)
Crafting a New Legacy
Nicholas Lieou, creative director of high jewellery at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, is reimagining jewellery, as the brand celebrates its 95th anniversary
![A Lasting Legacy](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/267/1744461/FX6PvD_pm1719482870840/A-LASTING-LEGACY.jpg)
A Lasting Legacy
Tatler explores Cartier's latest Watches and Wonders novelties with the maison's image, style and heritage director, who explains how the luxury house continues to create designs that are relevant today, yet rooted in legacy