The Smoked Salmon BWT featuring bacon, watercress, tomato and way more. Credit: Chip Weiner

Pom Moongauklang left her native Thailand to train and work as a pastry chef in New York City. Through hard work and creativity she rose to the top, working at the Michelin-starred Nobu, famed for its innovative Japanese cuisine and co-founder Robert De Niro. But, as she tells Watermark newspaper, “The stress of dealing with celebrities and high-strung chefs got to me. All I wanted to do was open an easy-going restaurant.” So Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria was born — in Orlando.

Luckily for us, former Orange County Sheriff Deputy Tom Woodard “fell in love with the food, atmosphere and [art-filled, casual] vibe of Pom Pom’s,” according to the downtown St. Pete location’s website. His retirement dream to open a branch came true in March along Central Avenue. The result is the delicious, color-filled mash-up you might expect when a serious pastry chef turns her talents to gourmet sandwiches. Moongauklang tells Watermark she likes “to combine things that people might not think should go together. In my house, they do.”

The menu has quirky selections that reflect adventuresome palates, but also a keen understanding of how to build layers of flavor that work. The thick-sliced bread is gently pressed, just to crisp up the outside for a mix-and-match DIY order, or the funky Le Bubba, which combines the Southern charm of barbecue pulled pork, peanut butter, the sweet notes of strawberry jelly, the bite of red onions and melted Brie. Or how about the Spicy Elvis? It’s composed of banana and bacon atop a cayenne-infused PB&J.

Because the repurposed filling station doesn’t have much extra space, the bread storage is a practical design element, with loaves of the four bread options neatly piled in black lacquer cubbies. The clear plastic bags that assure freshness are gathered in a twist at the end, and — presented stacked and wide — make for an impressive display.

Tom Woodard and Pom Moongauklang pose with the restaurant’s local art. Credit: Chip Weiner

My table goes first for The Cobb, a twist on the eponymous salad, melding turkey, tomato, melted blue cheese, watercress, red onion, bacon and avocado. We pair it with beautiful slices of seeded rye.

Next, Danny G is a vegetarian sandwich of unattributed origin; I always assume an old flame in these cases, as unrequited love makes for a good story. This one teams tangy ginger-cranberry chutney, almonds and red onions with the sure-to-please juxtaposition of Brie and apples. The sourdough loaf works ever so well with this toothsome mix.

Whole wheat is our choice for the yellow curry chicken salad, which combines huge chunks of juicy poultry with sweet apples, red onions and crunchy almonds. The curry is well balanced and delivers plenty of tasty punch.

We put the hot pastrami with provolone cheese, Thousand Island, red onions and honey mustard (eschewing brown or yellow) on pumpernickel. It may not be “the sandwich that ate Brooklyn,” but there’s plenty of juicy meat and flavor to spare.

The side options are terrific and bursting with flavor. Tangy Asian slaw is a melange of shredded red and white cabbage, sweet carrots and scallions spiced up with cilantro and sweet ‘n’ sour sesame vinaigrette. Then there’s a warm, spicy turkey mac and cheese with diced tomatoes and scallions that really gets your taste buds’ attention. The peanut sauce noodles and German potato salad have zing. Both are presented unmolded from a timbale so they rise above the brightly colored plates in a smooth, polished, clean presentation. It’s a little detail, but you can’t help noticing.

The interior of Pom Pom’s, with its savvy bread storage to the left. Credit: Chip Weiner

As with the sandwiches, the tea menu offers myriad choices. First, decide on a house or specialty blend. Then, will that be “soothingly hot” or “refreshingly iced?” Step 3: “What’s yo’ flava?” Are you in need of caffeine or decidedly decaf? Black, green, herbal or rooibos? Perhaps a touch of sweetness from simple syrup, Splenda, Equal, pure clover honey or agave nectar. Do you like it light with half-and-half or soy milk?

Only loose-leaf teas are used, and the spot knows handcrafted brews require specific steeping times to ensure proper flavor and consistency. That said, Pom Pom’s has an unfussy, distinctly casual vibe. The iced tea is served in clear plastic, which the attentive servers refill ad infinitum if you, like me, are a gulper. Hot tea comes in large white styrofoam, so leave your Downton Abbey fantasies at home.

For dessert there’s a regular rotation of bread pudding and crème brûlée tastes that reflect Moongauklang’s pastry training. The week’s duo is in a glass case for all to see upon entering. Rows and rows of sweets for dining in or taking out are displayed. Don’t expect vanilla, or even coffee-flavored custard, though. You might get scrumptious black tea with lemon under the crackling sugar, and maybe lavender and black pepper, the offering that preceded our visit. The bread pudding, served with copious amounts of whipped cream, could be the Hawaiian-themed concoction bursting with coconut and pineapple that silences your table like it did mine, or it may be another inspired culinary fusion.

Rest assured, you’ll go home with a happy wallet and a full belly.

This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2015.