Here's a hint about Thai food.

The chef at Pan Asia Chinese and Thai Restaurant in Kokkini Hani grows her own Thai Chili Peppers in a garden out behind the kitchen.

"Actually, Thai and Chinese cooking is very similar," said head chef Sayan Sornchan. "It's just that Thai food is usually spicier and can be a bit hot, depending on individual taste. And, there are some different spices, too, like lemon grass and Galangal root, and, of course, the chilli peppers.  In other words, Chinese food has a soft taste and Thai has a strong taste, and has a French influence, too."

Sayan, who comes from northern Thailand, has worked in Chinese and Thai kitchens for almost half of her 49 years, and has been head chef at Pan Asia for the past 12 years. Several years ago, her son, Jesada Surapat, 30, joined her as an assistant chef.

"In Thailand there are many Chinese restaurants throughout the country," Jesada told us. "In fact, like some other countries, we have a large "Chinatown" area, too. So, all good Thai chefs are knowledgeable about the two cuisines." He hesitated, and glanced at his mom. "When I say 'good chefs,' I'm talking about my mother, of course," he added with a smile.

Mother & son chefs

Together, the mother and son cooking team has created a unique menu for Pan Asia, one that features a wide array of Chinese and Thai specialties, which is what sets it apart from other Chinese restaurants in Crete.

But, Pan Asia has always been something special. When it first opened its doors in 1986 it was a bit of an anomaly . . .  except for a tourist place in Aghios Nikolaos, it was Crete's only Chinese restaurant.

"When we turned my father's café into a Chinese restaurant, locals thought we were crazy," said Froso Maltezaki, Pan Asia's manager/hostess. "But, at the time, we had a Chinese partner, who wanted to move his restaurant from the Hotel American (now the Royal) across from the base in Gournes and we thought we'd give it a try."

Froso welcomes her customers

For Froso, only 19 at the time, it was a bit overwhelming at first, but she proved to be a good businesswoman and a fast learner. And, when her partner left about a year and a half later, she became solely responsible for the restaurant . . . and its future success.

"It was difficult at first, for many reasons," she recalled. "First, it was almost impossible to find authentic Chinese ingredients and we had to have them shipped to Crete. Now, we have shops, like Pile Ethnic Market in Iraklion, that specialize in importing Asian products.

"Then, we had hardly any Greek customers," she added. "It was mostly tourists, and, of course, the Americans from the base, who were very good customers. At the time, Greeks, especially Cretans, were reluctant to try different foods. Now, the overwhelming majority of our customers are Greek, almost 90 percent."

Presently, Froso, who is married and the mother of two, Nikos, 16, and Eleni, 13, only opens Pan Asia in the summer season, although many of its customers are campaigning for it to be a year-round restaurant.

Is that something we can look forward to? We asked.

"Each year we do a little bit more," Froso said. "Like this year, we started opening for lunch on the weekends, and began a home delivery service. This proved to work very well, and many new customers found out about us. Plus, this year we opened in March and, as of now, we plan to stay open until November, which is a couple of more months than last year."

But, any chance of opening all year? We persisted hopefully.

"You know, it's important to spend time with the family, and it's difficult when I'm working" she explained. But I really enjoy working, and I love meeting people."

But, will you –

"We'll see, we'll see," Froso cut me off, so I wouldn't ask a third time.