When Khun Kim left her rural Thai village at 15 with little more than a borrowed street cart and a recipe for pad Thai, she was not dreaming of Michelin stars or glitzy dining rooms. No, her ambitions were simpler – serve good food, earn an honest living and perhaps, just maybe, build a better life for her family. Decades later, she’s done all that and more, with her beloved noodle dish now gracing the menus of six elegant British restaurants under the Chaophraya banner.
“It’s a significant achievement to be celebrating 20 years of Chaophraya,” Kim says, with a note of pride. Her restaurants – named after the river that is Thailand’s lifeblood – span Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Newcastle. Each promises diners a taste of Thailand, but Kim hasn’t forgotten her roots.
