Thai chef Kittiya Fuangfoo and husband Andrew Curtis opened their first restaurant, Lime, in Kennedy Town in 2009, and it wasn't long before they launched a branch in Mid-Levels. Both earned rave reviews and awards from the local press for the authenticity of Fuangfoo's cooking, devoid of the flowery presentation and watered-down spices that characterise many of today's Thai restaurants.
Last year, however, the couple sold the ventures to the Koh Thai Restaurant Group so they could focus on caring for their two children. But that didn't stop Fuangfoo from cooking: the Bangkok native established an independent food consulting outfit, Krua Lime, to educate people about her native cuisine and its fusion adaptation. Fuangfoo advises Thai venues on menus and staff training, and hosts private classes. She hints that a third Lime may be in the works.
You're more a product of a hands-on-education than formal cooking school training. So who taught you to cook?
I didn't learn from anyone in particular. I started cooking when I was 11 because my mum and dad were at work and I had to cook for my brother and myself. [Initially] I cooked Chinese food because my stepfather is Chinese. It wasn't until I was 17 that I started to cook Thai food. When I was working at a Thai restaurant in Fo Tan, I watched the chefs work and picked it up pretty quickly. I started as a waitress, then became a supervisor, then I began working in the kitchen.
You've said that the reason you opened Lime was because too few restaurants in Hong Kong prepare authentic Thai street food. Do you still feel that way?
I still don't eat at any Thai restaurants in Hong Kong. I'm sure there are a lot of nice Thai restaurants out there, but if I want to eat good Thai food I cook it at home. Here and in Thailand, we'd eat great authentic Thai in a narrow street. Most Thai restaurants here cater to tourists, foreigners or [non-Thai] locals. They focus too much on presentation rather than whether the food is good. We used to go to these simple, secret areas in Wan Chai and Kowloon City where Thai grocery shops make food on the weekends. The food used to be really good and cheap. Now the price has gone up, but the quality hasn't. The food has become tasteless.
You're very particular about your coconut milk. What is your favourite?