Sales soar after Shanghai restaurant gets ‘Thai Select’ seal of quality

Narongwet Jakkrapanichkul, owner of Oliang Bangkok Bistro, located on Shanghai’s Hengshan Road, said on Friday that his restaurant had become very popular among Shanghai locals after being award the “Thai Select” seal.

Of around 30 Thai restaurants in China’s biggest city, only 11 of them have been granted this seal of quality, he said.

Narongwet said his restaurant, which opened last year, had been using over 60% of ingredients from Thailand to ensure that customers get the real taste of Thai delicacies as intended by Thai chefs.

He said the most popular menus are Tom Yum Kung (spicy shrimp soup) and stir-fried shrimp with curry powder, the two dishes made popular by several Thai movies and TV dramas. Customers are middle- to high-income earners, who spend around 12,000 baht per meal, he added.

The “Thai Select” seal is given to restaurants and food producers that represent Thai cuisine by using authentic Thai recipes, ingredients and cooking methods, said Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, director-general of the Department of International Trade Promotion.

“As part of the policy to promote Thailand’s soft power, the department uses this seal to guarantee customers around the world the quality and authenticity of Thai products,” he said. “So far, the seals have been given to 1,620 establishments in 51 countries.”

Phusit added that Thailand’s food exports contributed US$28 billion or 1.016 trillion baht to the economy each year, with the main markets being China, Japan, and United States. Popular products include fruits, processed meat, desserts and snacks.