Press

HOUSTON, Texas -- Lukkaew Srasrisuwan and Miranda Loetkhamfu left Thailand and moved to America to follow their dreams. Now they have their dream job - sharing authentic Thai cuisine that's delicious and Instagram-worthy. The friends met in Houston, Texas in 2014 and decided to open a restaurant that would serve their favorite dishes from childhood. But after a year of planning, the friends were forced to get creative and open the restaurant in the middle of a pandemic.

The charmingly stylish Heights spot for regional Thai cuisine has some superb menu items. For a recent takeout meal I had the coconut-sweet Southern-style curry, and my kids wolfed down the glass noodles with vegetables like carrots and bok choy. Kin Dee rivals the best Thai restaurants in the city.

The Khao Soi northern-style curry had a velvet-textured coconut chicken leg quarter as its centerpiece and a flock of textural elements: shredded cabbage, slivered shallot, thin crisped noodles wrapped up into a bronzy knot, slidy egg noodles running underneath. Its pink-flushed yellow curry sauce had a lilt and dimension that come from a mortar and pestle, not a can.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’ve ever been face to face with pad Thai tucked inside an omelet. It’s a warm, but inviting afternoon on the patio at Kin Dee, and I’m excited to be out tasting new food. Especially this food, because it’s pad Thai tucked inside an omelet.