Chef Pam's finale celebrates Thai dessert traditions. Pandan provides herbal-floral notes, Thai tea adds subtle bitterness, mango brings tropical sweetness, and coconut sesame provides textural contrast and nutty notes. Each element is refined individually but tastes cohesive. Reviewers note this as a sophisticated close that respects Thai palate preferences.
Tips from diners
Taste each element separately first, then combine them — this lets you experience how Chef Pam intended both the individual flavors and the overall composition.
The 'Heart and Soul' course reimagines Thailand's iconic noodle dish. Nakhon Si Thammarat prawns are wrapped in a Thai flag arrangement, creating visual drama. The noodles maintain traditional char while the seasoning shows refined balance. The shrimp shot is taken in one gulp to cleanse the palate between courses. This dish exemplifies how Potong honors Thai traditions while elevating them.
Tips from diners
Eat the pad thai immediately — the dish loses its textural contrast if it sits more than a minute after plating.
Chef Pam treats scallop with gentle respect, achieving a perfect sear while maintaining a tender interior. The satay sauce is homemade using roasted peanuts and a complex spice blend. The sauce provides richness while chilies offer heat. This course demonstrates the restaurant's mastery of both refinement and Thai flavor profiles.
Tips from diners
Request the spice level when ordering — the default chili heat is moderate, but Chef can adjust up or down.
This course references the family's herbal medicine heritage. Black chicken (silkie) is prized in Chinese medicine for its nutritive properties. It's braised low-and-slow with ginseng and goji until tender. The braising liquid becomes a sauce that carries the herbal notes. Multiple diners note the connection between Chef's family history and plate.
Tips from diners
Ask the server about the specific herbs used — they reference the family's medicine shop traditions and connect the dish to Chef's childhood.
Chef Pam dry-ages duck for 14 days to intensify umami and concentrate flavors. The skin crisps to shattering while the meat remains pink and succulent. Reviews across multiple publications note this as the technical highlight of the menu — the cooking precision is remarkable. The duck is served with minimal accompaniment to let its quality shine.
Tips from diners
Don't cut into the duck immediately after it arrives — wait 2-3 minutes for the carryover cooking to complete, which brings internal temperature to perfect medium-rare.
Potong opened in 2021 and immediately earned one Michelin star, making Chef Pichaya Soontornyanakij (Chef Pam) the first female Thai chef and first Thai chef overall to win the World's Best Female Chef award. The restaurant inhabits a restored 120-year-old traditional medicine house in Chinatown, honoring the family's heritage while reinterpreting Thai-Chinese cuisine.
The restored 120-year-old building features original medicine shop antiques. Ask the staff to share stories about the space — it's part of understanding Chef Pam's story.
Reservations are essential and book 4-6 weeks in advance. The tasting menu is 11-20 courses depending on the day. Thursday-Saturday are busier than Sunday-Monday.
The full tasting menu takes 2.5-3 hours. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for aperitifs and to settle into the historic space.
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