Following the great success of The Thai Cooking School at The Oriental, Bangkok, Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi has its own Thai Cooking School located on the upper storey of a delightful wooden pavilion behind Le Grand Lanna Restaurant.

The classroom-style kitchens are fitted with modern equipment with individual cooking stations, extractor hoods, sinks and preparation areas for up to twenty students. An overhead audio-visual link permits the whole room to see the lecturer clearly.

Guests can review, prepare and cook both Central and Northern Thai dishes. Each day students are able to master the preparation and execution of a complete meal. Early morning market tours are an enjoyable added option to the class.

Ms. Anchalee Luadkham, who prefers to be known by her nickname “Khun An”, is the Thai Cooking School’s mentor. Being so passionate on gourmet, she learned her cooking skills from her grandmother and parents who are local dwellers of the historic Lanna town of Chiang Mai. She has a natural flair for Northern dishes as well as Thai food in general. 

Madame Puangphen Suwatthee, who prefers to be known by her nickname “Khun Mam”, is the Thai Cooking School’s mentor. A mother of four, she learned her cooking skills from her grandmother and parents who are from the historic Lanna town of Lampang. She has a natural flair for Northern food and has been teaching for over a decade.

Each day except Sundays, she takes students on a journey of culinary exploration and discovery, where they learn the secrets of Lanna herbs and spices, and learn to create their own Thai dishes such as Northern-style spicy pork salad, spicy herb chicken soup or the delicious Chiang Mai favourite, khao sawy: crispy and soft noodles combined in a mild, creamy yellow curry. The menus change every two to three months as the seasons bring new products to the markets.

Popular desserts including the fragrant coconut custard or sweet taro in coconut milk are also part of the syllabus. Students can opt for extra lessons in fruit and vegetable carving in the afternoons, or a lunch time wine tasting that accompanies a hearty Northern Thai lunch cooked by the students themselves.

As part of her introduction, “Khun An” explains the subtle balance of flavours required in Thai cuisine, and can readily outline regional cooking differences between the North-eastern, Central and Southern Thai styles.

At the end of each class, the students are presented with an apron and a certificate, however it is no doubt the culinary skills they have learnt on the course that will possibly be the best - and most useful - souvenir that they take home with them.

For more information or enquiries, please contact the hotel’s public relations department on +66 (53) 888 888 or email Chaleenuch Visith at chaleenv@mohg.com