Since opening in 2018, Chef Supaksorn ‘Ice’ Jongsiri’s restaurant has transported Bangkok diners to the south of Thailand with its fiery food that pays no heed to tempering chilli heat to pander to a global palate. He speaks to 50 Best about the ethos behind Sorn, as it is named the Highest Climber, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles
For anyone lucky enough to have travelled to southern Thailand and enjoyed the region’s food experiences, one common denominator is all-pervading: it’s jolly hot. Up there with the vinegar-based vindaloos of southern India, Hue-style noodles of central Vietnam and the heady dried chilli associated with the Xingang province of northwest China, southern Thai food packs a punch that holds its own in this heavyweight spice division.
Chef Supaksorn ‘Ice’ Jongsiri – whose family hails from the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south – brings authentic flavours that put the bang into Bangkok. Further confirming its status as the ‘hottest’ restaurant in Thailand, this year Sorn wins the Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, rising a whopping 32 places from last year’s list to No.16 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020.
“It felt absolutely unreal to climb this high up the ranking,” says Chef Ice. “We are so honoured to be among all these other great chefs who I respect a great deal. It shows that southern Thai cuisine has a place on the global stage and this has motivated us to push even harder.”
Sorn has brought this style of cuisine to the masses through a 10-course tasting menu, with most of its dishes served family-style. The restaurant is housed in a historic 90-year-old house in the heart of Bangkok, but its ingredients come uniquely from the 14 provinces that comprise the region of Southern Thailand, from a network of small farmers, fishermen and rice producers. Despite only opening in 2018, it continues to grow in stature as it fine tunes its message through its menu.
Sorn's historic location in central Bangkok
“We have been developing ourselves continuously for the past two years by tasting our dishes every day and asking ourselves what we can improve,” says Chef Ice. “Our menu changes seasonally, but we will never change our concept of only using fresh products from the south of Thailand.
“Southern food is not only full of flavour, but also aromatic from a richness of herbs; the main star of southern food is the chilli. Spiciness is always there, so people with no tolerance for heat may not be ready for it.”
With a close association to Malaysian food – another style of cuisine that plays fast and loose with the capsaicin – southern Thailand has a lot in common with other equatorial countries in the way it eats. Chillies are used the world over in hot countries to help food stay fresh for longer, while the biothermal effect they have in regulating body temperature is a good counterbalance to the daily heat from the sun. “For generations, we have been cooking spicy food so that we can eat it with lots of rice,” explains Chef Ice. “Southern food is not from the palace, but from local villages.”
Sorn also welcomes the opportunity to educate guests on the ingredients it employs and their genesis. “We use rare ingredients that can only be found in one place,” explains the chef. “Whether it is vegetables and herbs from the forest, or a unique fish, each has its own story to tell. We preserve traditional recipes that are almost extinct; guests are always interested to learn about them.”
The Sea Holds the Forest from the Sorn menu
To best understand the ideology of Southern Thailand’s food, what dish on the Sorn menu explains it best? “Our rice salad dish ‘The Sea Holds the Forest’ probably sums it up best,” contemplates Ice. “The environment of the south is very different and the soil has a direct effect in how the plants taste. The area is surrounded by the sea too, so fish will always feature on traditional menus. For this dish, we use ‘budu’, a sauce made from fermented fish guts. It’s a true expression of the unique ecosystem of the south.”
The Highest Climber Award is sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 official concierge partner. The brand operates in 21 countries around the world and has the largest directly owned-and-managed concierge and loyalty solutions footprint in the world.
Browse the full list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 on the website and discover all the individual awards recognising the work of chefs and restaurants in the region. Follow 50 Best on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the latest news and initiatives in support of the global restaurant industry.
