Ubol Saenthippkayap grew up cooking in her family’s business in northern Thailand. She’s now fulfilled a dream by opening her own restaurant, Bangkok Chinatown Cuisine, in the Arbor Square Plaza at Carpenter and Ellsworth. Named for the popular tourist district in the Thai capital, it features her authentic Thai recipes as well as spicier takes on Chinese dumplings, soups, and entrees.
While island-hopping in Thailand, she met her future husband on a tour boat. Keow Sin Lee, an automotive software engineer, had long since emigrated to the U.S., but the Malaysia native was on holiday with family.
The relationship grew via FaceTime and Lee’s occasional visits to southeast Asia. After a few years of that, he said, “How about you just move here?” They now live in Saline with their eight-year-old son.
Saenthippkayap learned American food service protocols—allergens are a much bigger concern here—with stints at such Asian eateries as Totoro, Tuptim, Basil Babe, Seoul Garden, and Taste Kitchen while they saved up for a place of her own.
They purchased the former Lai Lai from its most recent owner, Feng Ye, who had reopened the longtime Chinese restaurant following a 2023 fire but whose father, and chef, was ready to retire.
Related: A Fire Closes Lai Lai
Lai Lai Reopens
A tasteful remodel in comfortable neutral hues ensued. Gone are the booths, which Saenthippkayap says make it harder to clean and to keep tabs on diners.
The menu ranges from coconut curry chicken satay appetizers to pad basil stir fry, pineapple curry, and namya kahtee, a coconut soup with red curry, fish meat and fish cake, lemongrass, cilantro, and white, red, and green onion. She hopes to help customers learn more about how best to combine various elements of Thai—sticky rice, proteins, sauces, noodles, and vegetables— for optimal enjoyment.
Lee, who used up all his vacation time to help the restaurant launch, is confident that Saenthippkayap and her staff of five can find their footing and gain a loyal following.
“I’m not quite worried about the risk. The opportunity is clear,” he says. “We need to make the food acceptable by most of the people, not all.”
Bangkok Chinatown Cuisine, 4023 Carpenter. (734) 677–0790. Daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m. bangkokchinatowncuisine.com
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