have moved back to Thailand and that is my permanent home so all my business is based there now. I own and manage two resorts with their own restaurants and cookery schools one in Koh Samui and another in Chiang Mai The one near Chiang Mai is an artist’s retreat. Vatcherin: Yes, La Bhu Salah. It was always a dream of mine to have a place where artists could meet and learn new skills, printmaking etc.
From left to right: Moy Choudhury, Bunchoo Lamdara (head chef in E17), Vatcherin Bhumichitr, Atique Choudhury
A Grand Master comes to town Often regarded as Thailand’s answer to Gordon Ramsey, legendary chef and cookery writer Vatcherin Bhumitichr recently visited Walthamstow’s Yum Yum Thai Restaurant. Dominic Mandrell went to meet him to discuss his cookery writing and career in Thai food and hospitality. Vatcherin is a man who has run three of London’s most successful thai restaurants and written countless books on thai cuisine. He now lives in Thailand where he oversees the two resorts he owns. Last December on his visit to Wathamstow he caught up with his old friend, collaborator and Yum Yum founder Atique Choudhury for lunch and saw Yum Yum E17 as it prepared to launch. Dominic spoke to him and Atique. You and Vatcherin go way back don’t you? When was it you first met? Atique: Yes, way back in 1992 prior to the opening of Yum Yum in Stoke Newington. Before opening any new business I always do my research so before I started Yum Yum I asked myself who is the best Thai chef in London? The one who stood out for me, who had experience introducing thai flavours to the British public was Vatcherin. He had studied in England – in London specifically – and in his early days he had a thai shop. Yes the Thai shop was quite a significant game changer wasn’t it? It turned you into 20
a bit of an industry leader.Vatcherin: Yes, when I first came to London in 1976 most of the thai chefs here were cooking with dry herbs and pastes which don’t taste the same, so I set up one of the first shops in London to import fresh ingredients. That’s like the difference between colour and black and white. The freshness of the herbs and spices is everything in thai cuisine Vatcherin: That’s right. But there was so much waste. In those days refrigeration wasn’t great and lots of my supplies went off really quickly. I realised I would have to find ways to use them so I started cooking dishes myself and supplying shops. And the next logical step was to think of opening a restaurant. Vatcherin: Yes, My first was in Earl’s Court, London, then in 1982 I opened the Chiang Mai Restaurant in Soho which became one of the best known Thai restaurants in England. Are any of the restaurants you manage in England still operational? Not any more. I
You’re background was in the arts to start off with wasn’t it? Didn’t you originally train as a graphic designer? Vatcherin: That’s right I studied at the London College of Print. My first English teacher was an old retired tutor from the LCP. He was the one that made me aware that it was best for graphics. It was far more vocational and hands on than other courses - we worked with bookbinders and we had to work together as a team so you saw all sides of the job. So how did you make that transition from studying graphics into running a restaurant? Vatcherin: Well I first learned to cook from my mother. Helping her in the kitchen was like play. As a student in London I had to cook my own food so I learned more and more and ended up cooking for all my friends. Also I wasn’t earning enough as a part time book designer. So I got to thinking what could I sell in England that made use of my Thai background. That’s when I realized there was a gap in the market for someone who could supply fresh Thai ingredients. Which is when you met Atique – you went on to cement your friendship by starting the Thai Restaurants’ Association in 1995. Atique: Yes we were determined to raise the profile of Thai food in the UK. Well you certainly seem to have achieved that between you. I read somewhere that 25 years ago there were only 4 Thai restaurants in the UK now there are over 400! So Vatcherin, tell us about your recent cookbook. The recipes are ones I have perfected in the various restaurants I have run over the years. It’s called Stylish Thai in minutes and is available from Amazon. Great to speak to both of you. Vatcherin’s resorts: www.hoteldecharm.net/labhusalah www.cinnamonsamui.com www.yumyume17.co.uk www.facebook.com/yumyume17