An exciting new Thai restaurant is coming to The Heights. Kin Dee("to eat excellent food") promises to bring "exotic and unfamiliar Thai flavors and presentations" to the Market at Houston Heights when it opens next spring.
The restaurant unites two Thai natives with a passion for the cuisine of their homeland. Lukkaew Srasrisuwan works as a consultant for Schlumberger, but her hospitality background comes courtesy of her family, who operate the Khanom Golden Beach hotel on the Gulf of Thailand. Houstonians may know Miranda Leotkhamfu as the owner of A Real Thai Massage, but she previously worked as a chef and partner in Erawan Seafood & Steak, a Thai restaurant in Queens.
Together, they leased a 2,500-square-foot endcap space in the development, which will also be home to CycleBar, Salon Lofts, and Flower Child, the healthy eating concept from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts that's been a huge since it opened in Uptown Park last year. The restaurant will seat 77 inside with room for another 20 or so on a patio; expect lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekends.
“Kin Dee will be about culinary discovery for guests, and we look forward to offering something unexpected from the food and décor to the overall ambience,” said Lukkaew in a statement. “One of the primary reasons for choosing The Heights as our first location is an audience eager for new experiences.”
Lukkaew tells CultureMap in an email that roughly 70-percent of the restaurant's noodle-focused dishes will be items she hasn't seen on menus at other Houston restaurants. Staples like Khao Soi and chicken satay will be made entirely from scratch without any jarred pastes or sauces.
"Apart from the flavor and health benefits [of fresh ingredients], we are offering Thai experience and story behind [the dishes] so you can see how much attention we pay to the details of cooking from preparation to presentation," she writes. "Our staff will be carefully selected with strong service in mind just like the experience you would get if you visit our country."
May 24, 2019 at 6:57pm PDT
"Our goal with Market at Houston Heights has not only been to introduce an iconic piece of architecture to this bustling restaurant row, but also assemble a great mix of businesses – both local and national," Anderson Smith, a partner in developer Capital Retail Properties, said. "With Kin Dee joining Flower Child, we are fortunate to have two incredible restaurant anchors, each with very unique personalities.”
Miranda Leotkhamfu and Lukkaew Srasrisuwan.
