edit (8.06.2023): sooo for some reason, the pictures in this blog post wouldn't load :( which is very sad because i am very proud of how the pictures at tummour came out and wanted to share it with you all here. but but but!! if you are interested in seeing the pictures i have taken, please follow the link i have attached below this message. it will direct you to rickweet's instagram account, where the pictures are posted! :) with that out of the way, i hope you enjoy reading my first ever food review! - raymie

                                                                                                                              

Before I start this food review, I should establish a glossary here as there are a ton of terms that I will incorporate into this post, which has a very high chance of being completely foreign to the untrained eye.

i. Somtum (ส้มตำ): Spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya, popular in both Laos and Thailand.

ii. Isan (อีสาน): The northeastern region of Thailand, located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east (according to wikipedia!)

iii. Poo Pa Ra (ปูปลาร้า): salted crab and fermented fish… that brown-colour sauce splattered on somtum.

iv. Peek Kaitord (ปีกไก่ทอด): fried chicken wing… my absolute fav!

And without further ado, let’s begin!

As most of my closest companions know, I have a very, very, and I mean VERY high spice tolerance… no joke.

I had a phase a few months back where I would just eat those korean spicy noodles for breakfast! (Please do NOT do that. I am not the healthiest person lmao.)

Due to my mysterious albeit magical immunity to spicy cuisine, it is not shocking at all in the slightest that the compatibility between me and Isan food is a million heart emojis and a thumbs up. I can already smell the signature scent of nonexistent, imaginary Poo Pa Ra (ปูปลาร้า) wafting through the air as I write this, getting hungrier and hungrier by the second– to which I say I am very fortunate because I live extremely close to Tummour Garden (or just ‘Tummour’ for short), a restaurant nestled peacefully on its own piece of land along the roads of Ratchaphruek.

Now you may be wondering (or not, but for the sake of it, let’s just pretend that you are), Raymie, what the hell is a Tummour Garden?! Before you accuse me of gibberish, it is the name of the restaurant that will serve heaven right into your mouth.

There are many commendable aspects to Tummour. One aspect is the impeccable service provided! The staff at Tummour are all very polite and welcoming. If it is raining they’ll come out with umbrellas and personally escort you in (speaking from my experience that is). If you have the chance to visit, the warm, smiling faces of the staff will always be there to welcome and assist you, no matter who you are. The impeccable nature of the staff truly reflects the vivacity of this specific Tummour restaurant manager (there are many franchises scattered around the city). Speaking from experience, being in her company is the catalyst of fun and she always makes time for her customers and often talks to regulars here, including me and my family. Along with the heavenly food, the restaurant itself exudes a homey atmosphere, unlike the common mechanical atmosphere prevalent in most restaurants.

Speaking of food, if you are a foreigner and enjoy being challenged, this place may be right for you to try out because your taste buds will most definitely be challenged by the explosion of flavour left by Isan food. If you are a Thai native looking for a place that can leave a memorable spice trail on your tongue, this place may also be right for you as well!

Personally, I 100% recommend ordering the Peek Kaitord, the best you’ll probably ever taste in a while. PLUS, it is also spice friendly, something you can eat to balance out the spice intake from the other dishes. I like having mine with a sauce called น้ำจิ้มบ๊วย (Pronunciation: Nam Jim Boay) which is basically plum sauce (but it’s yellow instead of purple! If you’re not familiar with it, do try it!), according to google translate. Trust me on this, the Peek Kaitord, along with the น้ำจิ้มบ๊วย will be so perplexingly awesome that you would want another plate of it once you have finished your first and won’t mind the greasy hands it will produce as an inevitable byproduct. Of course, the somtum here is also amazing as well, although I do think that there are too many bean sprouts sprinkled in them, but that’s on personal preference. If you like lots of bean sprouts in your Somtum, Tummour has you covered. If you don’t, like I said the staff is super accommodating and understanding, if you wish there to be no bean sprouts, consider the bean sprouts gone. I have no complaints regarding their delicious Salmon Somtum though! On that note, I noticed due to my frequent visits to the restaurant that Tummour is very big on experimentation and continually strives to add more recipes onto their already very varied menu. One of the reasons why I fleetingly entertained the thought of becoming a food scientist was because of this restaurant and its delicious interpretation of Isan dishes! But of course, I could not imagine a future without history, true love prevails (I still love food though).

Furthermore, Tummour Garden is a big establishment, allowing you a lot of wiggle room in regards to seating decisions. According to a conversation I had with the manager, Tummour Garden has two zones: the in-door zone and the out-door zone. Both zones are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, of course. My favourite part about the out-door zone is the seating arrangement that can best be described as a ‘tree house’ situation: you go up the staircase which leads you to an elevated section of the restaurant, overlooking the parking lot and speeding of the cars whizzing by. I recommend sitting here at night though because it can get extremely hot here, no, it is ALWAYS extremely hot here and so the aircon of the in-door section might be more favourable during lunchtime and the early afternoon. Plus, if you sit here at night, there will be lights everywhere, whether it's from the gigantic Tummour sign smiling at you with its bright white light or the millions and millions of fairy lights hung on the enormous tree situated in the centre of this ‘tree house’ section.

To conclude: Tummour is amazing, the food is spectacular and the staff and manager are polite and welcoming. Oh! And the toilet is also clean— green flag. I have to go to sleep now, school tomorrow. Have a great day/night!