Thai Cuisine Specialists Quest for Ultimate Dining Guide.

Sep. 5--The differences between the two are as stark as salt and pepper. One hails from a blue-blood background, with more than two decades of experience in the restaurant business in the United States. The second learned his love for food from long hours kneading dough at a flour company. But both M.L. Sirichalerm Svasti and Yingsak Jongleartjesdawong share a common dream -- bringing the best of Thai cuisine to consumers worldwide

M.L. Sirichalerm Svasti, better-known as Muekdang by many, wants to create a community of diners who follow his guide to restaurants nationwide.

The country's most prominent culinary specialist, M.L. Sirichalerm will soon publish a book, the Muekdang Guide, and restaurant reviews on the Internet at www.McDang.com.

His goal is to provide objective assessments of the hygiene, quality of ingredients, price and service, as well as subjective opinions on the dishes.

A graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, M.L. Sirichalerm (48) believed there were no true food critics in Thailand because Thai culture and society meant reviewers were reluctant to make negative comments, as the remarks would be taken personally.

He wants to establish the Muekdang Institute as an internationally recognised authority, similar to some in the West, that gives honest ratings of food and restaurants. After rating restaurants for at least four years, M.L. Sirichalerm would award them a certificate with stars based on a range of criteria.

He said that through the Web site he had signed up about 30,000 members of the McDang Club. He would give them a membership card at no charge, allowing them to obtain discounts from restaurants under review. The cards would later be sold to the public at 200 baht each.