Thai Restaurateur Expands To Crown

Winyu ​“Win” Seetamyae, the chef and owner behind Upper State Street’s September in Bangkok, has opened his second restaurant at 200 Crown St. after managing to stay afloat, and profitable, during the pandemic.

He calls the new restaurant NOA, meaning ​“delicious” in his native Thai dialect. He’s confident the food will live up to the name.

“In the pandemic, we made really good money,” said Seetamyae.

At a time when 36 percent of small businesses across New Haven closed down, according to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Seetamyae kept September in Bangkok open and thriving. He said September in Bangkok maintained 90 percent of its usual business from takeout orders, with some regulars even ordering twice a day. Despite food prices across the country rising, he kept the same menu. He offset costs by hiking prices and laying off front-of-house staff including servers. He chose not to offer any specials or discounts either.

During the height of the pandemic, all the chefs at September in Bangkok lived in the same house. Seetamyae said he feels a responsibility towards his kitchen staff, many of whom are Thai immigrants — some from his hometown of Khon Kaen. He said he was able to keep their hours and pay constant for the entirety of the pandemic. 

Now Seetamyae has brought the chefs who lived with him to Crown Street to repeat their success.

NOA aims to bring in a younger crowd. With a prominent bar, a Thai-inspired drinks menu, and a 2 a.m. closing time on weekends, the restaurant aspires to join New Haven’s nightlife scene. Seetamyae plans on implementing such tactics as hiring DJs and hosting a Latin music night. 

NOA specializes in Northeast Thai food, known as Isan cuisine. Seetamyae brings his hometown’s love of spice and aversion to sweet ingredients to the menu.

Many dishes rely on bird’s eye chili and marinated meats to create addictive spicy-savory flavors. Diners will find Isan staples like Larb (minced meat salads), fermented sausage, and Jaew (chili dipping sauce) alongside September in Bangkok favorites like Pad Thai and Crab Fried Rice. NOA offers some fusion options, too, such as Thai Hot Wings and Mexican Larb. 

The restaurateur prides himself on decorating the place himself.

“I think of myself as an artist,” he said.

He estimated spending $300,000 on the interior design. The metal Buddha sitting at the back of the restaurant cost about $10,000 to import from Thailand. The red and white parasols dotting the ceiling come from the northern city of Chiang Mai, known as the arts capital. In fact, most everything comes from Thailand, down to the cups and silverware.

Seetamyae first learned to cook from watching his parents, who ran a restaurant in Khon Kaen. He would make runs to the local market.

He immigrated to the U.S. on a student visa. Seetamyae’s love of cooking landed him a part-time job in one of New York City’s Thai restaurants, where the quality of food being served disappointed him. ​“That was not Thai food,” Seetamyae said, ​“I could not accept that. They were sending the wrong message to people.” 

In 2018, Seetamyae moved to New Haven to open up his first restaurant on State Street, with the goal of showing locals true Thai cuisine. He described New Haven as a smaller version of New York, while lamenting the small size of the Thai and Asian-American communities.

Seetamyae attributed some of his success at September in Bangkok to YouTube. Watching videos online turned out to be one of his biggest teachers, alongside his parents.

The previous tenant at 200 Crown was Noodle Shack, which closed earlier this year. Seetamyae speculated that competition from Mecha across the street drove Noodle Shack out. He said he is confident NOA’s original, spice-forward Thai food will bring in plenty of business. He said he hopes success downtown will allow him to open a third location in Fairfield.