Restaurants
Thai Garden
Authentic Thai flavours
Thai Garden is a piece of Thailand
Thai Garden’s awarded and renowned chef Manit Poonhiran and his team from Thailand create unbelievable Asian flavour experiences from fresh Asian ingredients. Thai Garden’s exciting dishes add colour to your day, bring back memories from holiday and set you for the holiday mood.
Thai Garden truly is like a piece of Thailand – and it has the Thai Select certificate from the Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government to prove that.
Kitchen closing time
Kitchen closes half an hour before the restaurant’s closing time
Reservations
Manit Poonhiran is an ambassador of Thai cuisine
Chef Manit Poonhiran is in charge of the kitchen at Naantali Spa’s Thai Garden, and he is always in a good mood. The restaurant specialising in Thai cuisine originally started from theme weeks and has charmed at the Spa since 2004. “I came to Naantali to let people taste the flavours of Thailand for a month. That was 15 years ago,” laughs Manit.
Manit is known as a true ambassador of Thai food. In 32 years, he has toured kitchens in 18 countries. Manit was also involved in introducing the trend to Finland already in the 1990s when Asian flavours were mainly found in a few Chinese restaurants. Naantali also started out small. With his Thai team, Manit first started to create dishes that suit the Finnish taste and they were received with enthusiasm.
Gradually, the selection was expanded towards gently spicy and hot flavours and for several consecutive years, Thai Garden has been the only restaurant in Finland to receive the Thai Select certificate. This is a recognition awarded by the Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government for especially high-quality and authentic Thai restaurants around the world.
Each bite must have an absolute balance of flavours.
According to Manit, people love Thai food because of its different flavour combinations. The same dish has something sweet, something salty, something bitter, something spicy, something hot… “Each bite must have an absolute balance of flavours. That, if something, is challenging,” Manit well knows. Thai Garden uses excellent Finnish ingredients but some spices are imported by Manit from Thailand: “Certain herbs and spices just don’t taste the same in Finland. When I import the ingredients myself, I know where they grew.”
Manit compliments the local produce and clean ingredients of Finnish cuisine. Both the ingredients, the dedicated team and passion towards the cuisine of his home country are the keys to his success, thinks Manit. “We never take any shortcuts in the kitchen,” says Manit. This can be seen in the skilful dishes made with traditional preparation techniques that please the eye and the taste buds, too.
Thai Garden is the only in Finland with the Thai Select certificate
As the only restaurant in Finland, Thai Garden at Naantali Spa has received the Thai Select certificate from the Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government. The certificate guarantees the quality and authenticity of Thai food, and it is always granted for a period of two years at a time.
Chef Manit Poonhiran of restaurant Thai Garden has reason to be proud of his team: in 2018, the restaurant was awarded the Thai Select certificate for its quality and authenticity. Thai Garden is the only restaurant in Finland with the said certificate. Manit believes that the reason for his success is simple: clean, true ingredients, a dedicated team and passion towards the cuisine of his home country. “We never take any shortcuts in the kitchen,” says Manit. One of the reasons for granting the certificate is using original, Thai cooking methods. “Our team is very professional and keen on quality,” says Manit, complimenting his team and showing the skillful dishes that please both the eye and the taste buds.
The Thai Select certificate can be granted to Thai restaurant of exceptional quality all round the world, and its purpose is to maintain the high level and authenticity of Thai food abroad. The certification granted by the Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government is valid for two years at a time.
