Success Follows A Few False Starts for Thai Health-Food Restaurateur.

Byline: Charoen Kittikanya

Aug. 1--The clean and pleasant environment, abundance of well-stocked bookshelves and neatly arranged furniture could mislead passers-by into believing the Dee-Yeam Thai-Ayutthaya health-food noodle restaurant is quite pricey.

However, a look at the menu reveals that a dish of nine fresh vegetables served with at least 15 powdered herbs is priced at 10 baht.

If that seems too cheap, Suwannee Khemarungsarit, the owner, can explain. Low prices and good service ensure high turnover that leads to long-term gain. "Treat your customers as you would like to be treated," she said. Hence the name Dee-Yeam, which means superb.

The 42-year-old draws on her work experience at the Institute of Nutrition and Department of Paediatrics, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, from which she resigned in order to start her business.

What distinguishes the restaurant from others is the extensive use of medicinal herbs. For example, the vegetable noodle dish contains sweet and holy basil, celery, parsley, coriander, Indian penny wort, as well as cinnamon, clover, coriander seeds, caraway seeds, cardamom, sweet bay leaf, star anise, galanga, pandanaceae, chrysanthemum and ganoderma mushroom. All the herbs need to be freshly ground by hand to obtain maximum aromatic oils and healing capacity.

The initial outlet, founded at Sukhumvit Soi 103 eight years ago, was so successful that Mrs Suwannee has been able to franchise her restaurants for a fee of 20,000 baht per outlet.