Coming home to a delicious dinner seems a small enough reward for a hard day at work. But spending time cooking is not what most modern professionals have in mind after a long commute, and not everyone has the money to employ a full-time cook.

But now busy Bangkok families can enjoy tasty meals thanks to the innovative services provided by new dinner delivery service Taste 2 Go.

Launched a month ago, Taste 2 Go is the brainchild of cousins Parnisra Thiengtham and Boonyapa Tangkarawakul.

Parnisra is one of the partners in 100 Rajdamri Restaurant while Boonyapa is the owner of Sweet Secret Bakery at Piyarom Sport Club.

"Running a restaurant would have been too tough," says Parnisra, adding that the inspiration for the dinner service came to her out of the blue.

Chatting with friends, the cousins learned that many of them had problems coming up with ideas for a dinner menu.

"So many people depend on ready made food in plastic bags. It's not healthy in the long term - most of food is prepared with MSG," says Boonyapa.

She adds that eating hot food packed in plastic bags can also be harmful in the long run.

Taste 2 Go's idea is to deliver a variety of hygienic and appetising dinners straight to the door.

But forget about the old-fashioned Thai service that saw food delivered in two-tiered tiffins. Taste 2 Go sends its homemade dishes packed in microwaveable containers.

"We use quality ingredients and organic vegetables from the Royal project. We guaranteed all out food is 100-per-cent MSG free," says Parnisra.

"Unlike frozen food or the tasteless tiffin dishes, our dishes have plenty of taste," Boonyapa adds.

"Customers simply have to add the sauce, which is separate, and put the food in the microwave. It's ready to enjoy within minutes."

Taste 2 Go is currently providing a service five days a week, from Sunday to Thursday.

"People enjoy eating out on Friday and Saturday," Parnisra smiles.

But following requests from customers to supply dinners seven days a week, the two are planning to expand their business sometime next year.

The Taste boxes, which are delivered to clients' doors before 6pm and serve two, contain an appetiser and three main dishes plus rice. To ensure varied dining, customers opting for the full five-day service receive two days of Thai mix cuisine and one each of authentic Thai, Asian and European food.

Boonyapa is proud of the artistically presented menus, the result, she says, of fresh, top quality ingredients and creative combinations.

The European food includes butter baked baby calms, pork steak with sauce, fettuccini with mushrooms and vegetable soup, while an authentic Thai set features steamed grouper with chilli sauce, chicken curry, fried soft shell crab with black pepper and fried asparagus with shrimp.

"The chilli paste is also enjoyable. It includes spicy dried shrimp sauce, fried mackerel and fried cha-om, sweet shrimp, omelette, shrimp with mieng sauce and soup," adds Boonyapa, who was also responsible for introducing world-renowned cookie brand Mrs Fields to Thailand.

Menus are created one month ahead and members are informed one week in advance of the menu for the next five days.

"Our original plan was not to serve any of the same menus again for two or three months. But clients requested certain Korean dishes and the roast pork with apple sauce to be rotated faster," says Parnisra, who's a graduate of England's Cordon Bleu cooking school.

News of the service has spread fast and so far Taste 2 Go is supplying dinners for 30 households around Bangkok. Services are available daily, weekly and monthly, costing Bt550, Bt2,500 and Bt9,000 respectively.

Special meals for children at Bt250, Bt1,000 and Bt3,000 will also be available this month.

Apart from dinners, the cousins are being asked to prepare snacks for cocktail functions as well as lunch and snack boxes.

"At this time last year, we were planning for parties over the festive season. This year, we're two busy. It's tiring but fun," says Parnisra, who's  regularly out shopping at 6am for fresh produce.

"On Fridays we cook the menus for the following week to test the meals and make sure they'll satisfy our customers," says Boonyapa, adding that veteran chefs have dropped by their kitchen to demonstrate their skills and share tips.

"It's great when diners tell us that they enjoy our food. Some give a week's delivery of our dinners to their friends as a wedding present."

Tanaporn Tangcharoenmankong

The Nation

Call (02) 399 4268 or visit www.taste2go.com.