Family of History

Once upon a time, 420 years ago, in a place first called Junk Ceylon, then Chalang, later Thalang and today Phuket, Premchit's ancestors began trading rainforest herbs, oils, spices and woods with English merchants, including those who established the British East India Company in 1600.

And so began the known journey of Premchit's family, who has lived with nature, harvesting, eating, concocting, dispensing, trading and using wild tropical rainforest plants and wild sea creatures of southern Thailand for more than 12 generations.

British East India Company

For nearly 200 years Premchit's family traded with the British East India Company, including her ancestors Thao Thep Kasatri and Thao Sri Sunthorn, the heroines of the Battle of Thalang in 1785, who traded aromatic, medicinal and edible tropical rainforest plants with Sir Francis Light during his years in Thalang.

Southern Siamese Cuisine

Living in harmony with nature, Premchit's ancestors influenced the emergence of a distinctive style of southern Siamese cuisine, with its immigrant Chinese and Indian elements, suffused with intense, rich aromas and flavors from the plants of the tropical rainforests and the animals of the seas of the Andaman coast.

Premchit's ancestors enjoyed the exotic tastes and health benefits of eating rainforest plants such as luk-nieng (jengkol), luk-rieng, mui (lime berry), puk-mieng (gnetum), ragum (salak palm), sampoi (shikakai) and thong lang (tiger's claw), amongst many others.

Living close to bountiful seas, Premchit's ancestors included and enjoyed a diverse and plentiful range of crabs, fish, lobsters, mollusks and shrimp in their everyday food.

Premchit's mother, grandmother and great grandmother, all great chefs, ran successful restaurants in Thalang, sharing their love of food with all who came to enjoy.

A Living Heritage

Premchit's parents learned their family's wisdom and secrets of the tropical rainforests, and the seas, from their parents, who learned from their parents, and so on back through the generations.

In turn, as dharma, Premchit inherited her family's wisdom and secrets from her parents, which are now available to you through NA THALANG Ancestral Rainforest Cuisine.

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Premchit designs each secret NA THALANG lunch and dinner menu with the same foods and beverages, made using the same natural wild foraged ingredients, secret recipes and artisanal preparation methods, as her ancestors have for generations.

Secret Recipes

Premchit's secret ancestral recipes use the bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, rhizomes, roots, seeds and stems of exotic bushes, ferns, grasses, trees and vines growing in Phuket and Phang-Nga Provinces in southern Thailand, sourced from Premchit's farm, village markets and sustainable rainforest foraging, delivered fresh for each opening of NA THALANG.

The tropical rainforests are also home to a diversity of edible mushrooms, many never seen outside local up-country villages, totally surprising in their shapes, colors, aromas, textures and tastes, which Premchit forages herself and sources through her network of rainforest foragers.

Living surrounded by the sea, the Andaman Sea to the west and the South China Sea to the east, Premchit's ancestors included a range of sea plants and animals in their cuisine, seaweeds, crabs, fish, lobsters, mollusks and shrimp, which Premchit sources direct from fishermen who walk the beaches and ply the seas of the Andaman Coast of Phuket and Phang-Nga provinces.

Artisanal Methods

Each paste and sauce is hand-made by Premchit using the artisanal methods of her ancestors, with ingredients in their original form of life, natural, wild, fresh, alive with energy!

Coconut creams, milks and sauces are carefully prepared by Premchit from fresh southern Thailand coconuts, the most aromatic, sweet and tasty of all.

The distinctive flavor of shrimp paste, an ever-present ingredient of southern Siamese cuisine, suffuses each NA THALANG menu, which Premchit sources direct from one family, which makes the finest shrimp paste, just once a year, from pure juvenile shrimp, in huge copper pans, using artisanal methods.

Secret NA THALANG menus do not contain any cane sugar, monosodium glutamate or ingredients out of a commercial bag, bottle, box or can.

Premchit only uses the very best and rarest fresh-foraged plants and fresh-caught sea creatures in each secret NA THALANG menu.

Seasonal Variety

Premchit changes the secret menu of NA THALANG, reflecting the availability of fresh, natural, wild foraged and caught ingredients, influenced by the seasons and weather.

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Premchit and her network of foragers gather wild ingredients from the rainforests of Phuket and Phang-Nga Provinces, which Premchit uses in her secret NA THALANG recipes. The availability of wild sustainably foraged ingredients changes with the changing seasons and weather, so Premchit's secret menus are also ever changing.

Some of the delicious wild seasonal ingredients Premchit uses in her secret NA THALANG recipes are:

Summer Season Fruit (March to May)

Wild Horse Mango, with a variable taste, from turpentine-like to sweet and juicy, is delicious in a yellow curry with fish or as a dessert with wild purple sticky rice and fresh wild aromatic coconut milk.

Wild Chempedak produces large sausage-shaped fruits up to 50 cm. long and 17 cm. across, with the edible arils around the large seeds being yellow, orange or green with a taste like jackfruit and breadfruit, with a hint of durian.

Wet Season Mushrooms (June to September)

Wild Bolete Mushrooms, one of the best-tasting mushrooms, grow on the ground near large rainforest trees. Premchit's favorite Bolete has a very bitter taste when raw, when cooked in a wild aromatic coconut milk curry with fresh sweet pineapple, it is delicious.

Wild Split Gill Mushrooms, found growing on dead rainforest trees, are considered inedible by many. However, Premchit's secret recipe pairs split gills with wild aromatic coconut milk curry and Thai coriander, for a delicious slightly hot and spicy dish.

Winter Season Fruit (October to December)

Wild Velvet Tamarind is a tall tree producing grape-sized edible fruit with brown hard inedible shells. With a sweet tangy taste, the fruit makes a delicious dessert sauce.

Wild Tampoi is a small tree with large, orange-skinned, white-fleshed fruit with a delicious tangy sweet and sour flavor, ideal for making sweet snacks.

Shrimp Paste

Premchit sources the best quality shrimp paste from one family, once a year, where it is made from pure Andaman Sea baby shrimp using slow artisanal methods   it tastes sublimely delicious and is found in many of Premchit's secret recipes.

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Secret Venues

Premchit often presents NA THALANG at secret venues, known only to confirmed guests just a few days before their lunch or dinner.

Guests love the idea of a secret restaurant, not knowing until the last minute where they will be enjoying their NA THALANG Ancestral Rainforest Cuisine. This secrecy increases the anticipation of further surprises to come. It is a mysterious prelude to the secrecy surrounding the menu, which is only revealed by Premchit to guests upon their arrival for lunch or dinner.

Mobile Locations

NA THALANG is a mobile restaurant, being able to present lunches and dinners in a variety of unique locations, on and around the exotic island of Phuket in the Kingdom of Thailand.

NA THALANG offers lunches and dinners at locations as varied as exotic beachside resorts, private residential villas, secluded island beaches, clearings in the rainforest and onboard luxury super yachts, any venue suitable for a unique culinary experience.

Private Dining

NA THALANG offers private dining to a select number of guests for each lunch and dinner. In using carefully selected private venues, guests can be by themselves, to be themselves, to focus on enjoying the mystery and surprises of the Ancestral Rainforest Cuisine journey that lies ahead.

The private dining venues of NA THALANG are especially attractive to celebrities, business people, families, politicians, anyone wanting a unique dining experience with complete privacy.

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Dear Premchit and Norman, you made me speechless, what an evening of unbelievable food and great company. After enjoying Thai food for over 25 years I thought I had tasted it all. Man, was I wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for the explosion of flavors and surprising presentation. Not only are your dishes exotic, they are full flavored and every one was unique. Your explanation and skillful hosting of the dinner was very enjoyable and filled with fun food facts. Add to this the benefit of interesting and witty conversations with other guests and this was easily one of my most enjoyable "dinner dates" in a very long time. Thank you for creating a truly unique memory which I will cherish and share for a long time to come.
Rico Stapel, Sales Consultant, Thai Luxury Charters, November 2012

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Thank you so much for inviting us to your Secret Dinner at Sala - it was a great dining event. Norman, your explanations of what we were about to eat were informative and amusing. You were the perfect host. Chef Premchit, the food and its presentation exceeded my expectations. It was great to see you coming out of the kitchen when possible to also explain the dish we were about to eat and tell stories about your ancestors and their foods. Overall the dinner was a great and memorable experience. This is probably one of the only truly Thai cultural experiences available to visitors to Phuket, and even Thailand, and is great value. And the Thai wines were awesome, do you have a list and can you tell me where I can buy some? We and all the other guests certainly had our appetites satisfied, totally full and purring…
Graeme & Mirjana Lahman, November 2012

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Dear Norman, Khun May and I want to thank you and Khun Premchit for the lovely experience you gave us both at the Secret Dinner last Thursday, we both had a fantastic time and loved the food soooo much! The location, the people, the stories, the wine and the dinner were in great balance with each other and made sure the whole evening was a great success. Thanks again and see you soon at one of the following Secret Dinners. If you would like to post my reaction on your website, please go ahead, more people should know about your great dinners!
Bart Smetsers, Sales Manager, Pura Organic Foods Limited, June 2012

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Dear Premchit, last night at Sala Phuket I enjoyed my fourth NA THALANG Secret Dinner and experienced it again as a wonderful event, I was treated to another set of new flavors, tastes, aromas, the foodgasms were abundant …Wilma and I are already looking forward to your next secret dinner. You and Norman are doing a great job and each dinner is better than the previous. Big thanks for allowing us into your beautiful world of Thai food of yesteryear.
Martin H. J. Smetsers, Managing Director, Pura Organic Foods Limited, May 2012

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Many thanks indeed for a wonderful evening. It certainly was a most unique evening and memorable for the tastes, textures and presentation. We both agreed a most amazing event and long may it continue and grow. Thank you again for inviting us.
Mida & Robin Klymow, May 2012

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Wilma and I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this event and would like to say the honor was entirely ours. What great food, what an avalanche of never before experienced tastes, sometimes fooled by our senses as if we recognized elements but soon to discover this wasn't the case.
An evening with very traditional foods presented contemporary was new to us, we didn't know what to expect (Secret!) but we are now your newest fans. The elaborate details where the dishes came from, the ingredients used and the combinations of flavors made this a truly special event.
Martin H. J. Smetsers, Managing Director, Pura Organic Foods Limited, February 2012

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Thank you so much for coming to Sydney to present your "secret" dinner on New Year's Eve. Yes, it's Thai food, but not as we mortals know it. You both work in perfect harmony to present a veritable banquet centered on Premchit's many secrets of Ancestral Siamese Cuisine. The ingredients, the history and the taste open doors into a whole new world of dining. Add to this the wine matching and your story-telling and you offer an experience to remember. We've told all our friends "don't die wondering, try it, it's five stars"
Bruce W. Stephens and Catherine James, December 2011

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I really enjoyed the whole experience. Most importantly was the history and knowledge that you provided through the evening. This is especially true where people and establishments come and go quickly in Phuket and there is no opportunity to have an experience of great depth. Please keep me informed of any future events or projects that I can either participate or assist with.
Jan Hollister, Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage,
Sala Phuket Resort and Spa, October 2011

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We truly enjoyed the whole experience. The food was delicious and you were most gracious hosts. As far as I am concerned, everything was perfect. We would be grateful if you could add us to your mailing list and would certainly enjoy being again your guests sometimes in the future.
Peter and Kittiya Keiser, Keiser & Associates Ltd, September 2011

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I really enjoyed last week's Secret Dinner. It's always nice to meet new, interesting people and sample Thai food prepared in a way I've never tasted! I liked how Premchit kept coming out to explain the various dishes and the way Norman amplified on her points and also introduced a bit of history into the evening. It's like no other dining experience I've had in Thailand!
Edward Thiravej Ploysongsang, Managing Partner,
Ployprathip International Law Office (PILO), September 2011

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Thank you so much for the Dinner, it was a fantastic pleasure and it exceeded my expectations. The food was super aroi, very well explained, nice presentation and good location. The environment was very elegant and at the same time relaxed and easy. I had lots of fun, enjoyed the company and the food. I will definitely recommend NA THALANG. Will I come again? For sure! Count on me. I want to take my husband, my friends, my Mom when she comes to Bangkok, etc. I will make everything possible to join the next Dinner as soon as I am back to Meuangthai suay!
Alejandra López-Zaballa, September 2011

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Even before I sat down for dinner at Na Thalang, I was already impressed by the level of preparation that Premchit had put into the evening, evidenced by the superb pre-dinner cocktails. The food itself at the dinner was an entirely unique experience. As you eat Premchit explains the origin and impresses upon you the purpose of each dish. Aside from being delicious, the inclusion of rare ingredients, and presentation of natural, unspoiled plants goes that extra mile in giving the guests more than just a dining experience, but an evening to learn about better health through better diet. My dinner at Na Thalang was truly one of a kind and I cannot wait to join Norman and Premchit again!
Samuel Ramos-Jones, Yale University Student, August 2011

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We had a great time at the dinner. There were several ingredients that I never thought would taste so good. Khun Premchit did a great combination of 9 courses for the menu, mostly seafood and vegetarian. I always thought vegetarian food would be boring but from the dinner that night, I have really changed my view.
Nichapa Rungsangtaratorn, Owner, Lady Ann Yachting, August 2011

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I really enjoyed the dinner, the setting, the food, the location, the ambience, and Premchit's passion for what she does. Thanks again for a great evening.
James Stanton, Executive Chef & FB Manager, August 2011

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We loved the dinner. I would definitely come again and I have already recommended NA THALANG to friends…
Melanie Smith, August 2011

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I thought it was a wonderful event and will be a real treat to treasure! Premchit was an amazing chef and it was interesting to get the family history behind each dish. There is a cook book in there too!
Richard Buckley, Owner, Pure Metal Cards, July 2011

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Thank you very much for this extraordinary experience, we liked it very much and you can be sure we will recommend your "no more secret for us" to our friends as a "secret" they must discover. We had a very good time at the dinner, the Thai food was very unusual but very tasteful and the atmosphere was very friendly.
Norbert Pahl, New Calypso Bangkok Entertainment, July 2011

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I'm so sad to miss your next feast as I've been dreaming about some of your dishes ever since the last meal! Please don't forget to let us know about the next event in August because we already have four people we would like to invite. I wish you another successful meal.
Malina Palasthira, Design Qua, June 2011

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Last Saturday was a true gastronomical experience. It was an adventure to explore the ancient Thai cuisine in such a modern setting and with such delightful people. Several dishes still ring in our palette, truly elegant. The dishes were visually pleasing, which like ancient meals all the senses had to be pleased. Sight, smell, taste, even hearing as you bit a mouthful, all quite wonderful. The presence of all the fresh herbs, berries, edible everything and Premchit, who is a real live Princess in every way, bringing out the vegetables with their stories was wonderful. This is a great idea, the top end tour guides should know this happens, also food blog groups, and one person from the local Chain de Rotisserie needs to attend. Here's wishing you both great success!
Evelyn Forbes, CEO, Pacific Carpet Mills, June 2011

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I thought the dinner was very enjoyable and unique. First time I have experienced something like this. Everything was presented in an excellent manner and the food was delicious. All in all, a very nice experience. Well done.
Greg Haney, June 2011

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The food at my second NA THALANG dinner was delicious as before and I look forward to the next dinner. I'm afraid I am a critical diner and difficult to please but Khun Premchit has never disappointed and I can't imagine that she ever would. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Natayada na Songkhla, Cat & Nat Publishing (Thailand) Ltd., June 2011

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I really had a great time last Friday. The food was really out of this world. I have never experienced anything like it.
Kraisar Gilitwala, Operations Director, L'Oreal (Thailand) Limited,, June 2011

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I enjoyed my second NA THALANG dinner, which was as impressive as my first dinner. I like your southern ancestral food very much as it is fresh, unusual, interesting, not spicy and very delicious. For the rest … I enjoyed every moment of it!
Gayle Spencer, Caprice - Desire for living,, June 2011

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I would like to thank both of you for having me at the dinner. I felt so fortunate having a chance to taste such unique and delicious recipes. I also enjoyed meeting the other guests, such a variety and very interesting people.
Areerat Shipman, Deloitte Consulting Thailand,, June 2011

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Thank you so much again for asking us to join your 'soft-opening' of the Na Thalang ancestral cuisine underground dinners. It was an honor to have had that food. I haven't had as good a meal in months and it's been a good year or so since I've had revelations about Thai food. As I said that night, I can easily think of thirty people who would want to come and, with a bit of thought, more. Many more! Cha and I can't stop talking about the food itself. It was magnificent. I've already told friends about it. We would be happy to do a feature article on the website.
Natayada na Songkhla, Cat & Nat Publishing (Thailand) Ltd., May 2011

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We had a great time and really enjoyed it. The idea is really good and the execution even better! Premchit did a fantastic job and everything was really very delicious. I loved the unusual greens. Really excellent!
Joy Menzies, Ramburi and DSM, May 2011

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We were very impressed with 'The Secret' that night. It was such an adventure for us, food was very delicious and companions were great. I have already spread the word about this event to a very few close friends. Thank you for a wonderful experience. Look forward to the upcoming one soon.
Gayle Spencer, Caprice - Desire for living, May 2011

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First of all thank you for inviting me to such a good experience. I really enjoyed the evening, good company, good food and good yadong. Yes, I would like to receive your announcement for opening the restaurant again.
Somnuk In-um, May 2011

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Thanks so much for including me in your select group of interesting people who attended the dinner on Saturday night. The food was so different to the Thai food that I have eaten before so it was my privilege to be there. The choice of wines was a good accompaniment too.
Howard Bryant, Retail Outsourcing Limited, May 2011

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Just a quick note to say thank you and congratulations to you both for a most successful evening last night. The food was absolutely fabulous and we enjoyed the company of the other 'secret' guests. Mark and I had a great time and we will definitely return for another one of your 'secret restaurant' nights!
Catherine Bowers, Cat & Nat Publishing (Thailand) Ltd., May 2011

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Many thanks for inviting me, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the food was delicious! I also think that you had a good mix of guests, the conversation was flowing well throughout! Please do keep me on your list for future events.
Sharon Menzies, May 2011

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