PRESS RELEASES
November 09, 2017
Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai, the married chef couple at the helm of Ta Khai, Rosewood Phuket’s Thai seafood restaurant, first met over a shared passion for authentic southern Thai cuisine and since have honed their culinary skills over a 30-year union. Their love of aromatic flavors and seafood specialties are showcased at Ta Khai where traditional family-style sharing of dishes in a rustic, fisherman's village style ambiance ensures an authentic culinary journey.
Rotkaew “Nun” and Sangchan “Yai” Suttitummanon first met when Nun was working at a restaurant in Yai’s hometown of Trang. Yai was so enamored with a seafood fried rice dish that Nun prepared that she asked him for the recipe. Nun offered to teach Yai his culinary secrets and as they discussed their shared love for food, it sparked an attraction which ultimately led them to marriage and starting a family together.
Having operated the “Kook Thai” food stall in Trang for more than 20 years, a mutual friend recognized the greater potential for their delicious Thai seafood recipes and asked Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai to head the kitchen at Pak Nam Seafood restaurant in Ratsada, just outside Phuket Town. Here they held a successful tenure for 18 months before being recruited by Rosewood Phuket to produce the authentic Thai seafood menu at Ta Khai.
Guests benefit from the couple’s extensive knowledge of old southern Thai recipes, particularly within the “Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai Favorites” section of the Ta Khai menu, which features signature dishes that they have created together using traditional techniques and ingredients.
One of these favorites is the curried crab (Gaeng Poo) which uniquely features their own homemade curry paste whose recipe has evolved over the couple’s years together, guided by the tastebuds of a local community and feedback from patrons at their previous food stall in Trang. With knowledge handed down through the generations, the couple sources the freshest turmeric growing naturally in the south of Thailand and complement the pungent, bitter flavor with wild betel leaves from the same area.
Another example is the Hor Mok Talay, a traditional Tilapia fish mousse flavored with curry. As Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai grew up in the southern coastal region where an abundance of freshly caught seafood was readily available, they decided there to make their Hor Mok Talay with a whole variety of seafood ingredients and found the result won over even the most traditional of customer. As modern steaming methods were not presenting present in their small fishing community, they turned to the one thing that grew all around, banana trees. The dish is prepared using the time-honored technique of steaming the mousse wrapped inside a banana leaf, which infuses the flavor of the banana leaf juices, which they complement with their own blend of indigenous herbs and spices.
Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai oversee the entire culinary operations at Ta Khai and prepare their dishes as they would when welcoming guests into their own home. With a "mama is cooking" style of using only the freshest and finest ingredients to hand, they base their menus around the local fisherman's daily catch and the herbs that are grown in the kitchen’s own garden. The dishes arriving to the tables always stimulate the five fundamental taste senses in Thai cuisine; sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy.
“The secret of the most successful Thai cuisine is in the freshness of the ingredients, as well as finding the right balance of herbs and spices so that no element overpowers the other,” says Uncle Nun.
“Carefully chosen, aromatic seasonings not only provide a unique flavor to the food, but also have distinct medicinal benefits," adds Aunt Yai. “Of course, passion and dedication are also essential for the final outcome to be so tasty!”
For reservations, please contact your travel professional, visit rosewoodhotels.com, call the hotel directly at +66 76 356 888, or email phuket.reservations@rosewoodhotels.com.
About Rosewood Phuket
The 71-room Rosewood Phuket is situated along a 600-meter secluded beachfront at Emerald Bay, and marks the first Southeast Asia resort for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®. Four dining choices include authentic Thai dishes at Ta Khai, Italian cuisine at Red Sauce, simply prepared seafood at The Shack and a chic poolside lounge ambiance at Mai. The first Asaya, Rosewood's holistic wellness concept, debuts at the resort, featuring bespoke programs of alternative therapies, lifestyle coaching, fitness activities and specialized healing treatments. Recreation options include a fitness center, Rosewood Explorers children’s facility and beachside infinity pool. The Pavilion residential-style wedding and events space incorporates the 243-square-meter Glass House, Courtyard, Garden and Beach Lawn.
For more information: rosewoodhotels.com/phuket
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About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® manages 21 one-of-a-kind luxury properties in 12 countries, with 17 new hotels under development. Each Rosewood hotel embraces the brand’s A Sense of Place® philosophy to reflect the individual location’s history, culture and sensibilities. The Rosewood collection includes some of the world’s most legendary hotels and resorts, including The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris, as well as new classics such as Rosewood Beijing.
For more information: rosewoodhotels.com