Issue 9: 4 Aug 2014

Horizon Thailand catches up with Savoey Thai owner Sompong Dowpiset and his son Bheerapong at their bustling new location in the Mercury Ville Plaza, Chidlom to learn the secret of their success.

Restaurants come and go in Bangkok almost as fast as the changes in weather, so you would think that an establishment that has been around for over 40 years has figured out a few tricks of the trade. Such is the case with Savoey Thai, a Thai Select award winner that started four decades ago in Bangkok’s first mall – the Thai Daimaru (opposite Central World) – and is still going strong today with branches in several locations around the city, and more to follow.

Savoey Thai owner Sompong Dowpiset and his son Bheerapong

Aside from trying to create the most consistent product possible, which happens to be some very tasty food, owner Sompong Dowpiset attributes the chain’s success to doing their homework. “You can’t underestimate the value of marketing surveys when deciding where to set up shop, and you need to go where the traffic is,” says Dowpiset.

When it first opened, Thais came to the Daimaru Mall just for the novelty of checking out a mall and an escalator for the first time, and there happened to be some good food to eat there as well. In later years, Dowpiset opened a branch in the SuanLum Night Bazaar, getting huge drop-in trade from visitors and locals out for food and drink. “If you have a stand-alone restaurant, you need parking space, which in Bangkok, can be very expensive,” he says. “Better to go where the crowd is already headed.”

Once again this is the logic behind opening the latest branch at Mercury Ville, where thousands of office workers rush out each lunch hour looking for affordable and tasty food. “If you can get a local worker to come in twice a week to eat, you’ve already succeeded, and if they come in three times, well, they think you are the best,” explains Dowpiset.

The food at Savoey speaks for itself. No nonsense Thai food that has stayed the course for decades, yet has evolved to meet the times. Signature dishes such as poo pad pong garee(crab with curry sauce) and pla kapong tawt nampla (fried sea bass with fish sauce) are both pungent and filling, while evolved Thai-Chinese items like popiah Savoey (fresh spring rolls with homemade jam) demonstrate the restaurant’s ability to adapt. Their nam kana kale juice is one of a kind and, as far as I know, it is the only place in town serving such a drink.

Signature dish ‘poo pad prong ga-ree’ (crab with curry sauce)

Dowpiset’s son Bheerapong explains that Savoey Thai is now focusing on the younger generation and their tastes, to try to reacquaint them with good traditional Thai food. “Chain Thai food restaurants are disappearing,” adds his father. “Other than Kalpapruek On First, Baan Kanitha and Taling Pling, how many popular old style chains are left? We need to stick to basics, and yet we need to be able to adapt.” If the food and crowds are  anything to go by, Savoey Thai continues to do a mighty fine job at both.

Savoey Thai
Mercury Ville Plaza, 2nd Floor (Chidlom)
Tel. +66 (0)2 255 1790-2
www.savoey.co.th

Story and Photos by Dave Stamboulis

Ingredient Tips: Shallots

Shallot bulbs are used extensively in Thai food for their spiciness and unique fragrance. Sometimes they’re thinly sliced, as can be found in Northeastern laab or as fillings in Thai-style omelettes. Sometimes they’re used as a whole, as found in tom yum soup. The secret to bring out shallots’ fragrance in a soup is to lightly bash them before adding to the soup.

Thai Select

Savoey Thai is endorsed by the DITP under its Thai Select scheme. The Thai SELECT programme was launched to certify and promote authentic Thai cuisine around the world. It is a seal of approval granted to Thai restaurants – both overseas and local Thai eateries that serve authentic food – and processed Thai food products. The objective is to increase the recognition of quality Thai restaurants and processed Thai food products as well as to encourage Thai restaurateurs and food producers to raise quality while maintaining authenticity. For more details of the scheme visit: http://www.thaiselect.com