The pastry’s all smiles

IT MUST be true what they say about families being happier when they dine together, because Chomploy Leeraphante has just opened a bakery at Mallika Interfood, already home to her mother’s Thai-cuisine restaurant A Mallika and her elder brother’s pizzeria, Papa Pond.

And the bakery’s name is Pang Yim – “Smiling Bread”.

Mallika Leeraphante, a well-known guru of Thai food, set up Mallika Interfood on Bangkok’s Kaset-Nawamin Road to offer folks a whole bunch of choices in what to eat and leave no room for argument. You can go into any of the venues and order dishes from all of their menus.

The vast outdoor-and-indoor complex, covering six rai, ranges in ambience from the lovely Thai-style decor of A Mallika to the bar-side stools for kitchen voyeurs to watch the cooks at work at Papa Pond. Pang Yim adds comfortable seating in a bright setting encircled by windows.

“Pang Yim first opened at Major Ratchayothin in 1999, but we relocated here a few years back to complete the family’s dining compound,” says Chomploy, who graduated in restaurant-chain management at the University of Kent in England. “We have not just baked pastries and desserts but also all-day breakfast items like pork congee, American fried rice, Eggs Benedict with ham, and grilled cheese sandwiches with smoked salmon.”

Pang Yim’s smile shows up right on the stuffed breads, which bear smiley faces. Ranging in price from Bt35 to Bt60, they come in the shapes of a turtle, fish, snail, rabbit, pig and dog and are stuffed with tuna, dried shredded pork, black beans or raisins.

“I was inspired by a children’s drawing book,” Chomply laughs. “The animal shapes get people’s attention and set them apart from what other brands offer. And the smiley face means this is happy food. We use only the highest-quality flour, butter and cream, and there are no preservatives.”

Ideal for early birds, Pang Yim opens every day at 7am, and at that hour a bowl of Rice Congee with minced pork balls and half a salted egg (Bt120) makes the perfect start.

The porridge combines jasmine and glutinous rice, so it’s neither too stiff nor too soft. Sitting on top are chopped spring onions, fried garlic and tiny sticks of crispy bread. And you can swap the salted egg for a hundred-year-old egg or just the soft-boiled variety.

Also tempting is the Grilled Cheese Ham and Egg (Bt220) – melting cheese, fried egg and the ham on bread that’s oven-crisp outside and soft within.

Pang Yim’s latest offering is Cookie Shots (Bt90), which are cookie cups in different flavours holding different kinds of milk. You might have heard about this invention by French chef Dominique Ansel, who runs a bakery in New York and also famously married a croissant to a doughnut to create the cronut.

Chomploy makes her “shot glasses” with chocolate-chip, cocoa and vanilla milk chocolate and white chocolate cookies. To keep the milk from soaking through (and to add extra flavour), the inner shell gets a thin coating of dark or white chocolate. Into this structure goes your choice of cold fresh milk, pink milk, Thai milk tea or Thai coffee. The cup is soft enough to bite into yet sturdy enough to grasp in the hand. It’s a fun treat for “children of all ages”, meaning adults can go ahead and enjoy themselves too. 

Pla Thong Ko (Bt80) is a deep-fried, Chinese-style breadstick that’s served with sang khaya (pandan-flavoured egg custard) and is also satisfyingly crisp on the outside and soft inside – and not the least bit oily. This is hugely popular at Pang Yim, so order quickly before they’re all gone.

For the sweet tooth, Black and White Waffle Ice Cream (Bt290) is nicely indulgent, a chocolate waffle capped with home-made vanilla ice cream, and Banana Caramel Pudding (Bt180) is soft banana cake in caramel sauce, with more vanilla ice cream and slices of banana on top. 

The freshly pressed Jewellery Juices (Bt150 per glass) are refreshing and healthy. The choices include Citrine, a delightful concoction of papaya, green apple, carrot, mangosteen, pineapple and passion fruit, and Ruby, which is made with beetroot, tomato, watermelon, strawberry, roselle and grapes.

 

 

BEATIFIC BREAKFASTS

>> Pang Yim is in the Mallika Interfood complex on Kaset-Nawamin Road and open daily from 7am to 9pm. 

>> Book a spot at (02) 946 1000.

>> Have a taste at www.PangYim.co.th.