Baan Lao Fine Thai Restaurant strives for takeout that's elegant and authentic
At her Steveston restaurant, chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng draws on flavours of her childhood
Yam Salmon Ma Muaang is on the Baan Lao To Go menu.
“FARM TO TABLE” fare is more than a catch phrase for local chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng. Growing up in Thailand, she lived it. When she wasn’t foraging for wild mushrooms or catching lizards and insects in the countryside region of Isaan, she was raising buffalo, chickens, and pigs. She and her family would cook dinners together using those ingredients as well as the fruit, vegetables, and rice they grew. Everything was always fresh, local, seasonal, and pure.
Those are the same tenets of the menu at Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine in Steveston. Phanthoupheng took a detour, however, before opening it.
Phanthoupheng first earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Her time spent working in health care was eye opening when it came to food and nutrition: she witnessed contamination, improper storage, and widespread use of pesticides and preservatives. She went on to get her MBA and became a cancer researcher at Princess Chulaborn Hospital.
After she and her husband relocated to B.C. in 2014, she found herself longing for the vibrant flavours of her childhood while yearning for a creative outlet. She set out on a journey to become a professional chef.
Phanthoupheng returned to Thailand to take private cooking classes with Chumpol Jangprai, the Iron Chef of Thailand and the only Thai chef in the world to achieve two Michelin stars. She also trained with chef Vichit Mukura, who served the Thai royal family before opening his own restaurant, which has a Michelin star.
In addition to learning how to make Italian gelato and ice cream, she obtained a diploma in Thai cuisine from the Blue Elephant in Bangkok, certification from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok Cooking School, and a carving certificate from Bussaracum Royal Thai Cuisine.
Operating Baan Lao during the pandemic and ensuing restrictions has driven Phanthoupheng to express her food-related creativity in new ways. Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has just launched a new line of artful takeout options.
The made-from-scratch lunch and dinner items feature organic, sustainable and wild ingredients, each dish presented atop a banana leaf and packed in biodegradable containers made of sugar cane. The chef tested the containers in her backyard herself to ensure they lived up to the claim of dissolving in 45 days.
Phat Thai graces both menus, while the dinner menu has three gourmet options. From the Field is for those seeking a plant-based meal; From the Land includes a fresh, organic beef tenderloin in red curry sauce; and From the Sea incorporates grilled wild sockeye salmon and Phat Thai with tiger prawns. (Phat Thai shows up on the lunch menu also.)
A chicken dish, also on both menus, features a half-chicken marinated for 24+ hours and cooked slowly on the in-house rotisserie, served with hand-pressed tamarind sauce, green papaya salad, and organic jasmine rice, grown in the Baan Lao rice fields in Thailand. Chaa Ma Naao (Thai iced tea) flavoured with freshly squeezed lime juice accompanies it.
“I love creating healthy meals that provide a feast for the eyes, nose and palate, while feeding the body,” Phanthoupheng said in a release. “In creating the Baan Lao To Go menu, I envisioned guests being able to open the container and enjoy a beautiful meal while picnicking by the water in front of the restaurant. Or take it home where it will look elegant served on their own plates with candlelight and wine. Takeout food can be beautiful and refined”,
Baan Lao To Go is available Wednesdays through Sundays, with lunch served from 11 am to 2:30 pm, and dinner from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Bann Lo’s Phat Thai Goong Baan Lao To Go.
Related Articles
