Last night we celebrated the Thai New Year in traditional way of cold water and ice cubes chucked down pants, shirts and faces at any opportunity possible. Oddly I ended up the wettest - it's meant to cool you down during the hottest time of the year in Thailand, doesn't have the same enthusiastic response on a cold night in Kendal. Sorry to all the customers who must have thought we were torturing the chef in the kitchen.

Day one of our new blog, intended to inspire a passion for the Thai food which Pong and Jalay are so famous for, and also to give our much loved customers and friends a little peek at what really happens in the strange world of the Kendalian Thai Community.

Meet Bunsong, a.k.a Pong, genius in the kitchen, mad but sad supporter of Manchester United, lover of all wines a la Frank Stainton and very poor comedian. He hails from Issaan, the North eastern province of Thailand near to the border with Laos, hence he speaks with a Lao dialect like Pu, Mon and Fon (don't worry you'll meet them all later and it will all make sense!)