In mid-November I wrote a post lamenting the loss of May Restaurant and Lounge. However, that’s not quite right. Sisi Kay Thai Eatery & Bar (1612 N 45th) is actually a rebranded version of May Restaurant and still serves many of the same dishes (including May’s original Pad Thai). What a relief that this fantastic Pad Thai is still available in the neighborhood!
Michael Anthony, the GM of May Restaurant, now Sisi Kay, reached out to me with the following:
We’ve been running our Soft Opening since December 16th and support from the Community has been great!… Sisi Kay is still owned by the same owner and we still have the same kitchen cooks/chefs that has worked with us for 10 plus years. I think there’s a confusion that Sisi Kay is completely different and new owners, it is not…. The owner of May decided to renovate and update due to a lot of repairs and fixes needed over the past year. It made more sense to take the opportunity to rebrand, renovate, and give the community something new.
The menu includes some surprising options such as:
- Linguini (Tom Kah or Green Curry)
- Spaghetti Kee Mao
- Pizza (Tom Yum or Green Curry)
The biggest change is the downstairs bar & lounge. The space was gutted and completely renovated. It’s now modern, bright, and quite inviting. It really catches your eye at the street level. The upstairs dining room received some fun and colorful updates but still maintains the authentic wood paneling taken from a traditional Thai house.
My wife and I recently tried Sisi Kay and we were impressed! We began our meal with a green curry pizza. Yes, pizza (and cheese, generally) sounds out of place at a Thai restaurant, but the pizza with Thai flavors works really well! The green curry is a bit hard to detect but the overall effect is delicious.
Because the original Pad Thai is still available, I opted to try the crispy garlic chicken. Wow! It’s extremely flavorful and crisp. Like most Thai dishes, you get to pick your own spice on a scale of 1-5. Unfortunately, rice is not included. So don’t forget to order that on the side. My wife had the Pad See Ewe and it’s exactly as she remembered from May. It’s what you’d expect, in the best possible way.
We each ordered a different mixed drink. I had a spicy whiskey-based tamarind cocktail (Ma Kham) that incorporates ginger, chili, lemon, and lime. My wife ordered a sweet rum-based Hibiscus Mai Thai. Both were excellent. My wife had stopped by a couple weeks prior with friends and at that time ordered a gin-based cocktail with butterfly pea, lavender, lotus and lemon (Si Muang Buppha (Purple Blossoms)) which is easily her favorite of the three.
Happy Hour is Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm and Saturday 10pm-1am. A selection of appetizers and ten different mixed drinks are all $6.95/each.
