Latest news with #FrancesModernInn
Eater
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Siti in East Austin Takes Asian Street Food and Makes It a Modern Marvel
A specific hunger pang made chef Laila Bazahm take the menu at Siti, her second Austin restaurant, in the direction of Singaporean dishes. 'It is a modern Southeast Asian restaurant based on dishes I craved from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines,' she says of Siti, set in the Frances Modern Inn, a small hotel that's tucked away off East 11th Street, near Nickel City. Bazham began her culinary career in Singapore, at the now-closed Joël Robuchon, and would go to the Singaporean hawkers market to eat regularly. 'I love laksa, and I would regularly go to 328 Katong Laksa. They had the best laksa in Singapore; you could get a big bowl for like $3,' she says. When she couldn't find a similar noodle soup — typically made of coconut milk broth with dried prawns, fish cakes, and bean sprouts — paired with an inability to find a similar dish in Austin, Bazahm perfected a recipe just for herself. But that made her start to think: Should I open a restaurant that serves laksa? What would that look like, and what else would it serve? Her interpretation at Siti involves scallops, which she notes that hawker stalls would never serve in the dish, and Gulf shrimp in a broth that takes six to eight hours to prepare. Laksa the Siti way. Mackenzie Smith Bazahm was born and raised in the Philippines, which is another important influence on Siti. 'We pay homage to the women in Southeast Asia. The grandmothers — especially mine — my mom, my aunts,' she says of Siti, the Malaysian word for 'lady.' 'I grew up cooking with all of them and it is where I developed my love for it.' Siti strives to recreate their cooking techniques with a modern, elevated style. Bazahm laughingly recalls going into the kitchen with her mother after attending culinary school and working at Joël Robuchon, and finding herself correcting how her mother cooked. 'She just looked at me and then said, 'I don't want to do this with you because you're not fun anymore,'' Bazahm recalls. 'That's when it hit me. She's been doing this for years, and she is the best cook ever. I got caught up in the Western techniques that I'd just learned.' With Siti, the techniques and preferences of the aunties and the hawker stalls are at the forefront of Bazahm's mind. Hiramasa crudo with tom kha broth. Mackenzie Smith The menu's hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack) dish, served with tom kha broth, is one of Bazahm's favorites on the menu. 'I love tom kha, and every time I go to a Thai restaurant, I order it,' she says. 'I was thinking, 'How can I present that differently?'' The crudo dish gets served in the broth with lime, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal (a spice in the ginger family) that she describes as 'earth-forward and refreshing.' Bazahm serves tom kha ice cream with calamansi (a lime from the Philippines) and sudachi (a small Japanese citrus fruit) and yuzu curd, that is finished with peanuts and candied ginger, developed by chef Greg Maze from Merry Monarch Creamery. There is also Singapore chili crab, which Bazahm is presenting as a lobster dish, using a whole lobster and mantou buns (a Chinese steamed bun). And there are satays made with chicken, beef short rib, and local mushrooms and eggplant, all cooked in her Mibrasa oven from Spain. All of Bazahm's spices, including the chile in that lobster dish, are made in-house, from scratch. 'Even my Srirarcha, I make in-house. It's all cooked here, made here, and prepped with a lot of care,' she says. Chef Laila Bazahm Mackenzie Smith Bazahm was initially looking at another location, before the owner of the Frances Modern reached out after hearing about what she wanted to do. Siti takes up the entire lower floor of the 15-room Inn, like taking a trip to Bali, she says. It has a lanai (that will include AC once a permit comes through) overlooking a backyard garden. Bazahm describes the decor as Asian colonial style, evoking the Singaporean shop houses, which typically feature ground-floor shops and homes on the second floor. The team installed wooden shutters, which are ubiquitous in Singapore, and artwork and decorative details that touch on Asian themes. Siti is open now at 1123 East 11th Street, inside the Frances Modern Inn. Reservations are recommended and can be made on OpenTable.
Eater
17-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
Most Exciting Austin Restaurant Openings, Summer 2025
Summer is historically a bit slow in the restaurant world — Austinites are off elsewhere for vacation, and tourists aren't exactly flocking to experience the Texas summers. So, while it's a great time to visit hard-to-reserve spots, new restaurant openings slow down. Still, there is excitement on the horizon. A new Southeast Asian restaurant is coming to an East Austin hotel, featuring Singaporean chili crab and other authentic street food. The sisters behind a beloved taco spot are opening a new mezcal bar with snacks. And downtown is getting another fancy steakhouse from the team behind Red Ash. Seafood spot Fish Shop, which was announced earlier this year, has experienced some delays but is expected to open this summer. Here are the most exciting restaurant openings of summer 2025. Location: in the Frances Modern Inn at 1123 E 11th Street Projected opening date: July 2025 Chef Laila Bazahm will open Southeast Asian restaurant Siti (the Malaysian word for woman) to take over the former Poeta space at the Frances Modern Inn. Bazahm, who is of Brazilian and Filipino descent, also owns Spanish Restaurant El Raval on South Lamar and has a colorful culinary career that includes serving as executive chef at Eberly and owning restaurants in Barcelona, Houston, and Ibiza. Siti will offer dishes she craved during her time living in Asia, such as Singaporean chili crab, beef rendang (previously a signature dish at her restaurant in Barcelona), and a raw bar. The space will add a climate-controlled patio where Bazahm will grow herbs for her dishes. Location: 1905 Aldrich St. Key player: Reyna Vazquez, Maritza Vazquez Projected opening date: mid-July 2025 The sisters behind Veracruz All Natural taco trucks are opening a mezcalería, La Mezca, in Mueller next to Veracruz Fonda and Bar, their restaurant that earned a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. The mezcalería will feature over 20 mezcals and agave spirits from small family producers across Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, and San Luis Potosí. The bar team, led by Sebastian Cajas and Bryan Ruiz, will offer cocktails and guided tastings. There will also be snacks, including street tacos like carnitas de hongos (mushroom carnitas), barbacoa, and citrusy fish. Location: 200 West 6th St. Projected opening date: Early Summer 2025 The group behind Italian restaurant Red Ash and steakhouse J. Carver's is opening another downtown restaurant centered around a wood-burning grill. The Kimberley in Downtown Austin will be a fine-dining spot serving dry-aged steaks, seafood flown in daily, and pastas made in-house. There will be a full bar with martinis and a wine room that holds over 1,000 bottles. Location: 1401 East 6th Street Key players: Justin Huffman and Nicole Rossi of Justine's and Le Beef Projected opening date: July 2025 The team behind the burger pop-up Le Beef is opening Fish Shop, an East Austin seafood restaurant featuring a well-stocked raw bar. Expect specialty seafood, such as spiny lobsters, raw clams, and Dungeness crab, along with martinis and other classic cocktails, wine on tap, and Champagne. Don't worry — that super-juicy burger is on the menu, too. See More: Austin Restaurant News Austin Restaurant Openings
