Tom yam goong. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The main course for our class – it's really more of a demo than hands-on cooking for the 10 food writers seated along the chef's work space – is pad thai. Like the other dishes we've watched Noppadon and his assistant prepare, it's a basic dish in the Thai repertoire. That’s the idea behind this hotel food promotion, says the Fairmont's food-and-beverage manager Faisal Majeeth, who launched the international foods series last month with an Indian food week.

The Thai event in the hotel's Lunar 8 restaurant features a special daily lunch buffet (258 yuan or $40) and a la carte selections for dinner. Noppadon's authentic menu features the spicy prawn soup and the savory green curry as well as pomelo salad, red Massaman beef curry, stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind sauce and deep-fried seabass with curry sauce. Dessert options include a savory green-pea dumpling and sweet rice balls in coconut-milk soup – intriguing deviations from the usual sticky rice and mango.

If you go

Thai food at Lunar 8

Through Sept 28; lunch 11:30 am – 2 pm; dinner 6 –10 pm; 8 Yongan Dongli at Jianguomen Wai Avenue, Chaoyang district; 010-8507-3617.

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