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During the height of the pandemic in May of 2020, a trio of friends, chef Chidensee Wattanawongwat, Kitiya Mokkarrat and Supatta Banklouy opened up a restaurant in the East Village. Named Soothr, pronounced ‘sood,’ the quaint restaurant that once only served noodles for takeout and delivery soon began to expand its offerings as the world began to open up, incorporating generational recipes from their shared but respective upbringings in Thailand. It seems their Sukhothai-style tom yum noodle soup and curries found good grounding, as the buzzy restaurant has become a local and national favorite, even earning a nod from the Michelin Guide.
And now, the same team is doing it yet again and then some, this time in Long Island City.
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Landing at 25-20 43rd Avenue, Soothr opened its doors in Long Island City on September 24. Much more spacious than the East Village location, the upgraded digs designed by Mokkarrat channel the energy of Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown. Resembling a Hong Kong-style diner known as cha chaan teng, the entryway welcomes all with checkered floors, terrazzo tables and a mahjong-style jade bar. Passing through the archway leads to The Garden, a calming scene with birdcage light fixtures that hang next to the skylight, all illuminating the beautiful pine tree underneath it. In contrast, the Red Zone brings the drama. Transporting you to a 1960s Shanghai nightclub, the room glows red with velvet drapes and a crimson crystal chandelier.
But no matter where you find yourself seated, you can easily access all of chef Chidensee’s traditional Thai cuisine. Of course, tried and true favorites from the OG location find space here, including all manner of noodles, curries and plant-forward dishes such as their eggplant buns and chive cakes. But a new location calls for a new menu, and chef Chidensee has certainly delivered with steamed whole fish ladled with a Chinese soy-scallion broth and a five-spice roasted dry-aged duck, only available in limited quantities. Also exclusive to the Long Island City location is the Dungeness Crab Curry served with a velvety rich curry with celery, scallion, sweet onion and peppers.
But that's not all—this Soothr hides a secret. Hidden behind the red room lies The SATO Room, a dual concept that operates as a kopitiam or coffee shop by day, a vibrant speakeasy by night. During the daytime hours, you’ll find the SATO Tea Bar in operation, home to a curated selection of rare teas, Vietnamese drip coffees and iced drinks crowned with air cloud foams. You can also get snacks to stay or to go, such as egg tarts, steamed bao buns and dumplings plump with shrimp and pork.
By dusk, the space slides into an 80s-style bar and lounge dubbed SATO Asian Tapas that blasts Thai rock. At the bar you can find Supatta's personally made selection of sato, a fermented rice wine. Perfecting the art of sato, of which she learned while traveling across Thailand, Supatta’s selections include Plum, a Vietnamese coffee and pandan flavor and Ginseng, a plum blossom mixture livened with ginseng liqueur, baijiu and goji berries. Pair it with one of the many tapas, such as handrolls, hotpots and Mama pig ear salad.
So come during the day and stay well into the evening to experience the new Soothr.