‘Baan Nok Kao Krung,’ a cozy Thai restaurant under the Nara Group, delivers a heartwarming dining experience, where each dish is infused with a mother’s love. The restaurant proudly showcases three signature dishes recommended by the Michelin Guide.
The name ‘Baan Nok Kao Krung’ reflects its humble beginnings as a countryside-inspired eatery, specializing in authentic Isan flavors. At its helm is Khun Jom Poomipan Eam-Poramet, a former head butler at a luxury New York hotel. With a deep understanding of fine service and a passion for food, Jom brings his mother’s cherished recipes from Korat to the city.
“Baan Nok Kao Krung’ is a humble name,” Jom shares. “Most people know me as the head butler who spent seven years working in New York, serving clients like Elton John. After those years in Times Square, I returned to Thailand to live with my mother. I wanted to share my experiences and life lessons, both worldly and spiritual. And in Korat, I realized that the happiness I’d been searching for across the globe was always at home.”
During the pandemic, Jom began sharing snapshots of his countryside life and home-cooked meals. “I even started inviting people over for chef’s table experiences,” he recalls.
Combining his expertise in hospitality with heartfelt service, Jom set out to create a unique dining experience for an intimate group of 30 guests at a time. “As I embarked on this journey, I invited Khun Sirisopa Junsueak from the Nara Group, who later became a key shareholder. I’ve known Nara for a long time—it was the first restaurant I ever worked with. When I decided to open my own place, I wanted someone who shared the same love and care for my mother’s recipes, and that led to this partnership.”
The result is ‘Baan Nok Kao Krung,’ where not only the flavors of his mother’s cooking are preserved, but the ambiance too, transporting guests back to when Jom’s parents first met at a train station.
“’Baan Nok Kao Krung’ tells the story of my parents’ love, using food as the medium. The restaurant’s front is designed with train station-style seating because my parents met at a station. We even have a traditional basket, or ‘chalom,’ symbolizing the way people from the countryside bring their best harvest to share with loved ones.”
Jom’s parents both hailed from Korat but met for the first time when his father, a military school student, was traveling to Bangkok. “My mother always said my father stared at her the whole way from Korat to Bangkok—it was love at first sight.”
Their love grew, and Jom’s mother became known for her exceptional cooking, often impressing foreign diplomats who dined at their home. “Mom always said she cooked to keep Dad coming home. She had a special knack for selecting ingredients—knowing where to get the best shrimp paste, fermented fish, and dried snakehead fish.”
When it came time to open the restaurant, Jom turned to his family for help. His eldest sister, who was closest to their mother’s cooking, assisted in developing the menu, ensuring it stayed true to their mother’s recipes without any modern twists.
Ticy City invites you to experience ‘Baan Nok Kao Krung,’ a celebration of home-cooked Thai food with a Korat-Isan twist, where Jom himself welcomes guests and shares his heartfelt stories.
“We’ve recreated the atmosphere of my Korat home here. Every dish is packed with flavor and made using the finest ingredients. We avoid unnecessary logistics, keeping everything fresh and authentic.”
Jom emphasizes the importance of sourcing the right ingredients. “For example, when I hosted chef’s tables at home, the chicken was perfect. But at the restaurant, it didn’t taste the same. We discovered that it wasn’t the same type of chicken, so we now source everything—from shrimp paste and fish sauce to bean sprouts—from Korat. The sprouts in Bangkok contain too much water, which affects the stir-fry.”
Every ingredient has a story, from the aged galangal used in the braised pork belly to the family-recipe fermented fish from his grandparents’ factory. “Even the sausages—my mother co-founded a sausage factory years ago, and we use her original recipe.”
‘Baan Nok Kao Krung’ is more than an Isan restaurant. “We call it ‘Baan Nok’ (countryside) because Korat is the gateway to Isan, but our food represents what you’d find in any Thai home. It’s rich with layered flavors from carefully balanced curries and pastes.”
Among the restaurant’s highlights are its Michelin-recommended dishes: Korat sausage salad, stir-fried Korat noodles with river prawns, and spicy herbal seafood soup.
Other must-tries include the trio of appetizers, featuring Korat spring rolls and grilled chicken marinated in shrimp paste. As for the main course, Jom recommends the stir-fried Korat noodles, best paired with Luang Prabang-style papaya salad—a dish inspired by his eldest sister, a former flight attendant.
Jom shares a special memory of a guest who, with spiritual insight, revealed that one of their dishes was originally served in Lao royal kitchens. “We were told to offer it as a blessing.”
The star of the menu is undoubtedly the stir-fried Korat noodles. “It’s rare to find authentic Korat noodles anymore. The traditional process takes over 30 minutes, from pounding the curry paste to perfectly caramelizing the palm sugar.”
Jom is meticulous in every detail. “Many places soak the noodles before stir-frying, but that’s not the traditional method. We fry the noodles dry, letting them absorb the sauce completely.”
Other standout dishes include sour fish cakes, made with his mother’s secret recipe, and braised pork belly flavored simply with garlic and aged galangal from Korat.
Be sure to try the sauces too, from the spicy fermented fish sauce to the delicate crab meat in soy sauce.
With a Michelin Guide recommendation and a nostalgic atmosphere, ‘Baan Nok Kao Krung’ is well on its way to earning a Michelin star. Jom is confident that this dream is not far off.
For now, you can enjoy the warmth of Thai home-cooking at ‘Baan Nok Kao Krung,’ located on the second floor of the Vivre Building, Soi Langsuan. Call 02 077 6384 for reservations.
