It took her thirteen years after leaving Thailand, but Montida Lertkiatsakul finally has the authentic Thai restaurant on Capitol Hill she’d been dreaming of.
“I came over to America in 2001 from Nonthaburi, Thailand,” she told me. “I started as a waitress at numerous restaurants, many of them Thai. My sister and I opened Queen Anne’s first restaurant in 2009. It was called Thai Fusion and has recently been sold, but it was a great experience. I took a lot of what I learned from it and used it for building Manao with my business partner, Teeraya.”
It was easy for her to open a Capitol Hill restaurant.
“Capitol HillIt has been Seattle’s favorite neighborhood for many years. It has such incredible diversity and all of our customers and even other businesses around us have been so welcoming and friendly to us.”
Manao Thai Street Eats opened just a couple of weeks ago at 13 Corner.Th and Pine, and it’s joining a slew of 11 other new Asian restaurants on the Hill that have opened in the last few months. But Lertkiatsakul isn’t too worried about that; she says the freshness, authenticity, and casual convenience of her restaurant make it stand out.
Herbal crispy chicken. Photo by Jenny Kuglin/The Capitol Hill Times
“If you go to Thailand you will see the streets lined with little Thai restaurants,” she said. “Most of them are hole-in-the-wall places, but the food is still amazing. The best parts about these restaurants were taken and incorporated into our design. So we have things like an open kitchen, open seating, a simple menu board you can see from street, and all kinds of spices you can add yourself.”
Refreshing décor
The décor at Manao is refreshing; with intense colors and lots of windows. Manao, the Thai name for lime, is reflected in the bright greens.
“Our décor was inspired by the street eateries in Thailand,” said Lertkiatsakul. “Some of the small, family-owned spots over there are built by hand using whatever they could find. Manao uses a lot of reclaimed timber and used metal hardware. It still feels warm and homey. Next spring we have plans of extending our seating outdoors and having open windows, so we are excited for that!”
Manao Thai uses only traditional ingredients when possible, says She.
“Some are harder to find, but in our dishes you will see Thai eggplant, galanga, Chinese broccoli, pickled krachai, green pepper with stern, among others,” she said. “We want to keep our food as authentic as possible. The biggest difference you will see from other Thai restaurants is we don’t spice up our food using the star system. Just like in Thailand, we provide spice trays so you can spice it the way you want.”
Thai food is a favorite of mine and it’s something I will eat every single day. Manao was a great place to try many dishes. I loved the fact that you could spice it up yourself. I’ve found the star system varies greatly from restaurant to restaurant in Seattle, and it can be really disappointing to bite into some drunken noodles that end up being too spicy to eat. Manao offers a variety of spicing choices, along with a wide selection of spices.
“One of the favorites of our customers is our fresh made nam pla prik,” said Lertkiatsakul. “It’s made from fish sauce, fresh Thai chilies, and lime juice.”
Salad with pork and cabbage
I recommend the Phad See Ew, Herbal Crispy Chicken, Basil Crispy Pork Belly (whenever there’s crispy + pork belly, I’m generally in), and Spicy Cashew Nuts. They are complex and delicious. The majority of entrees cost between $10 and $12.
“Our head chef Jum is awesome! He has a lot of experience cooking traditional Thai food, had owned a restaurant in Bangkok, and has had a passion for cooking ever since he was a child,” Lertkiatsakul told me. “He took months before we opened developing and perfecting our menu. His attention to detail is what we love most about him.”
Attention to details is not reserved for chefs. Lertkiatsakul explains that she is the one who opens and closes each restaurant.
“It can be difficult, but it is very rewarding personally to see people come in every day and leave happy and full,” she said. “It’s even better when they come back again and again. I love the hard work and I am very fortunate to be in a country that gives you so much opportunity that if you work hard enough you can accomplish anything.”