In early March, a Bridgetown Bites tipster told me that there was going to be a new restaurant in the space that was recently home to Phaya Thai Express—and that it was going to be a “Thai fine dining” concept. Then late last month I learned the new restaurant’s name: Hua Hin. I reached out to the owner, Ize Piyanut (Sampaotong), to learn more, and we spent a little time chatting about what’s to come there.
Hua Hin: What’s in a Name?
The restaurant is named after the village in southern Thailand of the same name. Hua Hin is in the south of Thailand, along the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, and about 125 miles south of Bangkok. It’s considered a beach resort town in an area of the country that the Thai government is promoting as the “Thai Riviera.”
It is also the town Piyanut grew up in. More on that below.
Ize Piyanut
Piyanut is a recent resident of Portland. He was invited by his friend Nan. and liked it enough to stay. Before arriving in Portland he was in Vancouver, Canada where he cooked at Song (By Kin Kao), which offers elevated Thai cuisine and natural wines. The restaurant received a Michelin Bib Gourmand award four years in a row between 2022 and 2025.
He was born and raised in Hua Hin and learned to cook from his mother, and brings that influence with him to the restaurant. Additionally, for over 30 years his family has run a restaurant in Hua Hin called Khao Tom Phone Link, named after the classic savory rice porridge/soup, Khao Tom. Piyanut’s mother is the chef there.
Hua Hin: Thai Fine Dining
Portland is known to have a lot of Thai restaurants, but one thing it’s light on is Thai food in a fine dining setting. I imagine we all have our favorite neighborhood Thai restaurants (Thai Seasons and Sabai Thai are mine), but destination Thai is a smaller cohort…