According to a recent article from the Portland Eater, Phaya will soon open its doors in the Hawthorne district at 4334 SE Hawthorne Boulevard.
A representative of Phaya was not immediately available for commentary upon What Now Portland’s request.
According to the article, “Phaya plans to open in mid-spring at 4334 SE Hawthorne Boulevard.” The new concept will come from Nan Chaison, who is also behind Norah and Mestizo.
“While Nan Chaison was growing up in Thailand, mid-week meals often involved khao gaeng. It was a classic, easy dinner when her family was burnt out: they’d choose from pots of curries, stir fries, and braises, served with rice and other add-ons.”
“Khao means rice and gaeng means curry,” Chaison says in the Portland Eater article. “When you go to a khao gaeng spot, you can get stir-fries on top of your rice, a fried egg, a little curry.” Khao gaeng shops are popular in central Thailand and can be found across its cities, offering a wide variety of dishes that make for a convenient dinner solution to pick up on the way home.
“Chaison wants to recreate the khao gaeng experience in Portland, particularly its convenience. Phaya, her new restaurant opening this spring on Hawthorne, will replicate this format, doling out combo meals via a fast-casual setup that Chaison compares to Panda Express or Chipotle: Customers would pick and choose Thai dishes from a hot bar for meals to eat there or take home.”
“Phaya is inspired by Chaison’s own lifestyle — one that’s busy and therefore not the most conducive to grocery shopping and preparing meals at home. When Phaya opens, diners will walk up to a cafeteria-style food line, where a server will help build their meals in front of them.”
“They’ll select a base of rice, noodles, veggies, or split servings thereof, and then choose from a hot table of 16 or so dishes, like larb, pad kra pao, moo palo (braised pork belly and egg), massaman curry, and spicy catfish filets.”
“Diners can also select premium options like crispy garlic prawns for an upcharge. Keeping in line with Chaison’s other restaurants (Mestizo, Norah), the menu will accommodate vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diners. She also hopes to invite fellow chefs in the community to collaborate; for example, TJ Cruz’s lechon kawali could appear as a limited-run menu item.”
“The rest of the restaurant team includes her frequent collaborators: her brother, Boss Phimmanon — who also cooks at Norah — will run the kitchen in partnership with Nudi chef Tudtue Asawa. Tonia Ponlakhan and Prae Nobnorb, who co-founded Libre with Chaison, will be responsible for designing the space and serve as the general manager, respectively. Chaison, a seasoned bartender, will handle the cocktails, mixing house-made syrups with Thai ingredients like galangal, lemongrass, and hibiscus.”
