Meeting Thai chef Poom Sing Suraphan at Courtyard by Marriott serves two purposes. The first one is for the foodies. If you are a Thai food lover and want to eat some authentic Thai dishes, chef Poom's delicacies will satiate your appetite. And, if you are feeling low, spend a few minutes with him and you will crack up at his funny lines. One can gauge his popularity by seeing the happy faces of his colleagues at Marriott.
“How have you been?” Executive chef Girish Krishnan excitedly shakes chef Poom's hands as a group cheers him. A smiling chef reciprocates with a big smile as he relaxes on the sofa at the restaurant MoMo Cafe.
Chef Poom is a Buddhist and hails from Bangkok. His wife and son are back home and the reason for him to take long holidays. “I always take leave to meet my family. Once I took a holiday of four months,” he says with a laugh as Girish Krishnan raises his eyebrow and says, “Oh, I didn't know about your fetish for long holidays.” The group breaks into a big laughter. Creating exotic delicacies is a passion than profession. “I love food and love it more when people enjoy my food,” he says humbly.
His job took him to different places like Seattle, Singapore and Indonesia but coming to India has been a different kind of experience. He came to Hyderabad last year and has worked with Manohar before joining Marriott. Hyderabad has opened a new phase of life as the chef has been adjusting to this way of life. “There is not much freedom in Singapore but here it is not like that,” he says. Be it Hindi or meeting different people, he has enjoyed all that and is excited that people enjoy his company.
Chef Poom's Thai dishes might be sought after among Hyderabadis but the chef's mouth waters for Hyderabadi delicacies. “I love naan, chicken biryani, mutton biryani and chicken kebabs,” he says.
Finally, chef Poom wants to share a funny experience. “Once I was returning from work during midnight and I felt a few drops of water on my body. I thought it was raining and excitedly looked up. It was not rain but a monkey doing its job.”
