Haoma was one of the most exciting restaurant openings in Bangkok last year partly because this progressive eatery is taking the farm-to-table concept to a level where it produces no waste. “Zero waste is basically no waste in the process of sustaining food. So no plastic bags involved, and no air travel [to transport ingredients],” explains chef/owner Deepanker Khosla, who was the former executive chef at fancy Indian eatery Charcoal and the founder of health-conscious food delivery service, Nutrichef.
Deepanker spent a year learning and experimenting on farming before transforming his backyard into an integrated farming system. Partly inspired by the late King Rama IX, this pseudo-integrated farm is where fish and plants enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The fish are raised in recycled water from the kitchen and fed with edible waste. This water, now fertilized by the feces of the fish, is then used to hydroponically grow 32 types of herbs (a process called the aquaponics method) in Deepander’s backyard, including German dill, Indian borage, Japanese mizuna and Mexican coriander, all of which he cannot get from local suppliers. “We grow plants that, otherwise, would have to come all the way from Europe.”
A completely waste-free Haoma may not be in the near future, but Deepanker is keeping his hopes up. “I think we are only about 40 percent there,” he says. “We’re already recycling our water and solid waste but, as far as our supplies are concerned, we’re not plastic-free yet. However, by the end of 2018, we hope to be 100 percent plastic-free.”
231/3 Soi Sukhumvit 31, Sukhumvit, 06 1460 5441. BTS Phrom Phong. Open Tue-Sun 17:30- 23:00