Chef Op Mathupong Saiwong and his fiancée Peach Laphatrada Mongkolthong are a couple on a mission to share with New Zealanders that there’s more to Thai food than just pad thai and curries through their SA-ON Restaurant.
Determined to correct the misconceptions about Thai food, Chef Op is drawing on family recipes handed to him by his mother to achieve his goal.
“Thai cuisine is very different in every Thai province, and the food from my hometown is very different to the Thai food you get from most restaurants here or even in Bangkok,” said Op.
Op was born in Surin in northeastern Thailand, and Peach is from a town called Lampang slightly further north, although she grew up in Phitsanulok.
“Naturally we understand and appreciate Isaan cuisine and the flavours of northern Thai food,” Op said.
Op first learned to cook when he was 16 from his mother, who cooked and sold food in Thailand.
“I learned a lot from my mother, and I think I inherited my passion and talent in cooking from her,” he said.
Op said he had realized from an early age that being a chef was his true calling.
The climate in northern Thailand is relatively cooler and the dishes are indicative of that - and is probably the most seasonal and least spicy among Thai food.
You cannot talk about Isaan food without mentioning the region’s most popular dish - som tum or papaya salad. This dish comprises of shredded green papaya, tomatoes, peanuts, lime, dried shrimp, chili peppers, fish sauce which are pounded together in a mortar to get that salty, tangy and slightly sweet and spicy flavour.
At SA-ON, Op uses a family recipe to make the Isaan-style som tum extra special with his SA-ON tam tard.
Then there is larb, which is made from ground meat and nam tok, that is made with sliced grilled meat. Larb is typically made with ground pork.
Perfectly matched with sticky rice, these have become favourite dishes to many customers who have tried them.
Another Isaan favourite in the region is moo ping - skewers of marinated pork that is grilled on the stick and served with a dipping sauce. The marinate is a little sweet and salty, and full of garlic. No, moo ping is not satay.
Op has been a chef professionally for 10 years, and his journey with Peach to realize their dream on owning a restaurant has been a challenging one.
They first opened a small takeaway restaurant in Epsom called Wok This Way - and then the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
“We bought the restaurant two months before Covid hit, we struggled but we never gave up,” Op said.
“After about three years, Peach and I sold the business and moved to Hamilton based on a friend's recommendation to run a restaurant together.
“However, it didn’t work out…so we moved back to Auckland.”
Peach said they went on a hunt to find a restaurant with rent that is affordable and in a good location.
“We chose Henderson on the recommendation of Op’s mother, and that's how we got to where we are now, our own restaurant!” Peach said.
At SA-ON, which has been in operation for nearly 18 months, Op and Peach hopes to continue introducing more of their home town specialities to Kiwis.
EAT!!! AT SA-ON
SA-ON 401 Great North Road, Henderson, Auckland Phone: 022 493 6988
Tried and Tasted: Nam Tok Pork Cheek, Som Tum Platter, Moo Ping
This article is brought to you in partnership with SA-ON.
