Vicky Soikum of Augusta has announced the opening of her new Thai restaurant M Thai on Rt. 27 in Wiscasset. The 47-year-old native of Northern Thailand is a familiar face at New England fairs and festivals where she has been selling her authentic Thai creations for the greater part of 10 years.
After scouting for an appropriate location in the midcoast, Soikum settled on the former home of Mark Antony’s Italian Restaurant, a 48-seat establishment next to the Wiscasset Quik Stop. She describes her cuisine as “authentic” but with special consideration for American palettes that prefer, she said, things less “spicy.”
Together with her husband Al, also a native Thailander, Soikum is hoping to fill the considerable void in ethnic food options for Lincoln County residents. Thai food aficionados are currently required to travel to Rockland or Brunswick to satisfy their cravings for the popular cuisine, which features a highly aromatic fusion of spices and sensory balance; a conscious attempt to satisfy all five senses with every offering. Despite the relative novelty of her food, Soikum plans to keep her prices within reason.
“The restaurant will be affordable and have both lunch and dinner specials,” Soikum said.
Popular dishes such as pad Thai, chicken satay, red curry, and the curiously named “drunken” noodle will be featured on the menu. No one knows for sure why the pan-fried, broad noodle dish is referred to as drunken but one theory claims it’s the only food available on the streets of Thailand late at night. Others insist that drunken noodle is a hangover cure while some argue it refers to the intoxicated chef who invented the dish by tossing every available ingredient from the kitchen into his wok.
Regardless of etymology, Soikum says the dish is “excellent” and hopes to serve the Midcoast for many years to come.
M Thai is tentatively scheduled to begin operation Nov. 6 and will be open daily from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information please call at 882-4179.
