If you haven’t been to Thailand, or if you’re like me and haven’t been in nearly two decades, Sassy Thai will take you there.
And that’s what Sasithorn Thorsteinson (who goes by Nan), Angkul Muensuk (who goes by Thon) and Kristjan (Kris) Thorsteinson had planned when they took over this slender little room –– the former home of neighbourhood favourite Joy Coffee Bar –– on Roblin Boulevard.
Having only been open since February, this trio has been racking up rave-reviews online and in-person, with locals continually praising Sassy for its authenticity – particularly locals who have been to Thailand.
“We are Thai and we are cooking Thai food, so we cook what we like to eat and what we are familiar with” said Nan, when asked about customer’s initial response.
“I just love being in the kitchen and I love cooking and I love eating,” she continues before pointing to Thon and saying, “Plus, this guy – he’s amazing” with Kris adding, “Thon is the wizard.”
Nan was born and raised in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. She met her husband Kris in Chiang Mai way back in 1997, when she was going to Chiang Mai University and working in a little pizzeria to learn English in the city’s famed Night Bazaar. Kris spent years living in Chiang Mai teaching English with his dad, who had moved to Thailand after he retired from the Red River College English Department.
Both Kris and his dad used to frequent that pizza place, while Nan would go on to take an English course from them. Nan and Kris were together for four or five years in Thailand, before being separated by geography –– although they always kept in touch. Nan ended up moving to Winnipeg in 2017 and they were married.
Nan then met Thon, a native of Chiang Mai, in Winnipeg in the kitchen of Siam Thai Cuisine, where they both cooked until the pandemic.
Thon has an extensive culinary and restaurant background, including growing up cooking and helping out his mother in her stall at Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng market. Here in Winnipeg he’s worked both front-and-back of house at several Thai restaurants since moving here in 2005, including 14 years at Siam Thai.
At Sassy, Kris affably runs the front of house, explaining the dishes and their origin. Nan and Thon are in the kitchen, having collaborated on Sassy’s menu while paying homage to their northern Thai roots in many of its most popular dishes.
Thon says, with him and Nan both being northerners, you have to order the khao soi, which he describes as having a “soft power” that he proudly states is currently “blowing the minds” of customers who have reviewed it online.
During lunch, the khao soi did steal the show. This luxurious coconut curry has waves of flavour from the cardamom, ginger, turmeric and chilies that are infused in the broth, while it’s a textural delight with both chewy egg noodles and crispy fried noodles, tender chicken and smattering of greens and slivers of raw red onion.
The menu also includes many of Thailand’s greatest hits like pad Thai, laab issan, and panang curry. During our visit, a few standouts included a vibrant, crunchy mango salad where the sweet yellow mangos were balanced by a tangy tamarind sauce. Then there’s the autumn-y masaman curry, with a thick coconut broth enriched with five-spice featuring chunks of soft potato, pork, chewy mushrooms and roasted peanuts for texture.
On the fried side, the pla pad ka prao enhances mild basa fish with a light crispy batter and a sweet reduced soy sauce, along with a pile of fried basil leaves for that distinct herby, licorice-like kick. We also did an appetizer sample platter featuring some delightfully flaky spring rolls, shrimp rolled like cones, and the classic cream cheese and crab wontons, all served with a classic sweet Thai chili sauce.
Every savoury dish we had provided that ideal balance of sour, sweet and just enough heat, while the tables also all feature a housemade chili sauce if you need to add more kick to your dishes (you can of course order everything as spicy as you’d like too).
We finished the meal with mango sticky rice that was drizzled with a sweet coconut sauce, also quite lovely.
“The food on this menu might sound similar to every Thai restaurant, but what is different is our recipes,” said Thon. “For instance, you can go for the same pizza [at different places] and everywhere it can be a different flavour. Same here, as here we are putting our signature on it.”
Kris and Nan also revealed they are bringing certain spices in directly from Nan’s hometown of Chiang Rai. “We have friends and family bring for it us,” said Kris. “We kind of have the leg up in that respect, in that we're getting we're getting it direct from the source.”
Nan insists that Thon’s housemade Chiang Mai sausage (sai ua) is a must when we come next. The pork sausage is infused with red curry paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and ginger, but Thon only breaks out the sausage maker a few times a week, so he advises to call in advance to ensure it’s on the menu.
Kris likes this sausage so much that he wants to start selling it by the ring, so customers can bring it home for the barbecue, along with a selection of the curries they will house in a cooler near the front couter.
The trio also has plans to continue making the menu more and more focused on strictly northern Thai dishes, along with kicking up the spice level on the salads, but for now they need the staples to continue capturing the local audience. They will also have a liquor license in the coming days.
“Being two months in we're very pleased with how it's going,” said Kris. “It almost seems surreal, that our reviews have been as good as they have. Word has travelled so well in this Tuxedo area, and then there’s people who have been to Thailand who just keep seeking us out.”
As to the name, and the moto on your bill of ‘be sassy/stay classy’?
Well, aside from Sassy being in Nan’s first name –– Sasithorn (pronounced sassy-torn), the trio says in unison “it just represents us,” with Nan continuing, while pointing to Thon, “and just look at him. Isn’t he sassy?”
Sassy Thai is located at 3311 Roblin Boulevard and is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m; Saturday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays Visit sassythaiwpg.com for menus and more
