New York City restaurateurs Chidensee Watthanawongwat, Kitiya Mokkarat, and Supatta Banklouy want to change how Americans view Thai cuisine, and in April they formed Sawasdee Hospitality Management to open restaurants offering dishes from their home country that are rarely seen in the United States.
They currently operate two concepts, Soothr in the city’s East Village and Sappe in the West Village and plant to open more restaurants across the country, with hopes of presenting Thai food in what they say is a more sophisticated approach.
“The design comes before the menu. The whole thing comes together, like how to create the ambiance, the vibe, the lighting, and we have a place in mind for each restaurant,” Watthanawongwat said.
In general, the team wants to imbue each restaurant with a sultry Bangkok feel — think opium chic. For Sappe (pronounced “sap”), the idea was to bring a sexy 1950s Thai-American vibe to the table. Once that was in place, the group decided what kind of menu to offer, and wanted to deviate from the basic Thai menus found at takeout restaurants.
Watthanawongwat said New Yorkers are adventurous and sophisticated enough to try less familiar Thai dishes. And he also sees potential in Los Angeles and Miami.
He said he saw the move toward more traditional but also upscale Thai food in New York start about 15 years ago with the opening of Sea Thai in Brooklyn and later Fish Cheeks in Manhattan. Watthanawongwat added that the elevation of Thai food isn’t just on the East Coast; it’s a trend across Thailand too.
“Thai food in Thailand is evolving a lot and coming forward because the chef community is so huge,” said Watthanawongwat. “People there go to cooking schools and bring new styles and they incorporate some French and Japanese techniques into Thai dishes.”
These growing trends are what Sawasdee Hospitality Management is banking on. It’s also making sure there’s room on their menus for dishes that are beloved in Thailand but seen less often in the U.S., such as the street food ping yang, which is served at Sappe. Ping yang refers to a whole range of marinated and grilled skewers, including fish, chicken, and assorted vegetables, often eaten with sticky rice. It’s on Sappe’s menu starting at $20 for four skewers.
“When we approach guests that have never experienced something like this, we let them know it’s a cultural thing people in Thailand enjoy,” Watthanawongwat said. “There are options for everyone.”
Also on Sappe’s menu is dook fu, also called yam pladuk foo, a spicy salad of flaked catfish that’s fried until crispy and tossed with green mango. It’s $29. Crying Tiger, a spicy marinated beef dish with a savory and tangy dipping sauce, is $22.
The Crying Tiger
Also on the menu is leng zaab, a sour pork rib soup, that’s $45.
The menu also has plenty of other plates meant for sharing, as most Thai cuisine is, that range from $14 to $20.
At the group’s other restaurant, Soothr (pronounced “sood”), dry noodle soup — noodles in a bowl with minimal broth — is the specialty. Dry Sukhothai noodles, a specialty from a former Thai capital in the north of the country, are $18. A dry noodle dish with crabmeat called ba mii pu is $26, and drunkard’s chicken noodles — chicken khii mao — are $19. The resetaurant also offers Thai dishes that are iconic to many American diners, including shrimp pad Thai for $18, duck spring rolls for $14, and massaman curry for $28.
The blending of what American diners expect with the vast repertoire of This dishes is the goal for all of Sawasdee Hospitality’s restaurants. The next plan is to introduce Thai barbecue hot pot to Manhattan this summer.
