Cover Kompassion's dishes are enticing to the eyes and to the palate (Photo: Kompassion)
Kompassion's dishes are enticing to the eyes and to the palate (Photo: Kompassion)
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We speak to head chef Nikom Uatthong about his Thai-French dishes served at Kompassion
Walk by Kompassion on any evening of your choice, and the restaurant will be packed to the brim with tables of people that often extend to the outdoor seating area. This is not without reason—the contemporary Thai restaurant’s fragrant dishes are like no other. Colourful and textural salads, steaming bowls of purple rice, and rich curries are sent out from the kitchen where head chef Nikkom Uatthong marries flavours and ingredients.
“What we serve here are dishes that cannot be found anywhere else, rooted in authentic Thai flavours but completely new in terms of execution, flavour, and presentation,” Uatthong, commonly known as chef Kom, explains. “We use complex cooking techniques to create layers of flavours, much like Thai fine-dining restaurants, but offering food at a price allowing everyone to experience it.”
Above Nikkom Uatthong, known to friends as chef Kom
Nikkom Uatthong, known to friends as chef Kom
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Ingredients such as cooking cream, olive oil, and truffle oil, not commonly seen in Thai kitchens, appear in Kompassion’s dishes. “We use ingredients from around the world to create unexpected combinations,” he continues.
Uatthong’s culinary talent started as a passion—he enjoyed cooking for his family in Chiang Rai, Thailand when he was younger. He moved to Malaysia in 2000, but his first foray into the industry was in 2008, opening a small Thai stall serving casual fare. Subsequently working at the long-standing Thai restaurant My Elephant until 2012, he gained recognition for his dishes and decided he was ready to begin his own restaurant.
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“From the beginning, I wanted to cook Thai food in a different way without putting limits on myself,” he smiles. “I noticed most Thai restaurants served the same dishes, such as green curry and tom yum, and wanted to move beyond that.” As such, Kompassion was born in 2013, in the very same space it stands now, as a Thai fusion restaurant, serving dishes such as kimchi salad, grilled fish with miso, and pork and crab with green curry sauce.
The turning point and the beginning of what Kompassion is today is when Uatthong decided to study French cuisine in 2015. “I wanted the food to be even more unusual but lacked the knowledge,” he recalls. “I read a few books on French techniques and eventually studied at Sunway Le Cordon Bleu as I felt with this expertise I could really refine my dishes.”
Just prior to the pandemic, the team decided to renovate, expanding into the neighbouring shop lot, opening up the dining space and giving Uatthong time away from the kitchen to think about the kind of dining experience he wanted to offer.
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Above Kompassion’s cosy interior
Kompassion’s cosy interior
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Now, Kompassion offers an array of contemporary Thai dishes rooted in Thai flavours but with French techniques and global ingredients. The “Smellylicous” pork ribs marinated with Thai belacan and cincalok are a staple on the menu, but limited specials that use seasonal ingredients such as plum mango should not be missed.
Above "Smellylicous” pork ribs
"Smellylicous” pork ribs
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Speaking about the future, the amicable chef ends: “I hope that the new generation of restaurants will push boundaries, creating new dishes and flavour combinations, as this is how we all keep moving forward.”
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Images: Kompassion
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
