Huge two-level Thai restaurant, market and spa in Toronto will be the first of its kind in Canada
Published November 8, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Toronto has fast become known for its superb Thai food scene, replete with outposts–some helmed by acclaimed and influential Thai chefs–that have made myriad top five, 10 and 20 lists and even wound up in the prestigious Michelin Guide.
But while the Thai scene is thriving, there are still chefs and entrepreneurs who believe that restaurants serving one of the city’s top cuisines can kick things up a notch and truly bring “the whole Thai experience” to Toronto.
“We always had conversations about opening something so insane, so crazy, so big that people would be like, ‘Are you sure you can pull this off?’” Tom Ha, the co-owner of Pii Nong Thai, tells YourCityWITHIN.
The insane, crazy and big idea to come from Pii Nong Thai’s team is a massive 10,000-square-foot, two-level experience complete with a 120 to 130-seat restaurant, full Thai market and second-floor spa. Once complete, the brand new flagship–located at 3321 Yonge St. in midtown—will be the first Thai hotspot of its kind in Canada.
“Three very authentic Thai experiences all in one place and it hasn’t been done before,” Ha says.
“This really came from the fact that we want to do something unique and something that represents Pii and Thailand.”
Pii refers not just to the name of the existing restaurant, which opened in Leaside in 2019, but to the brand’s co-owner and head chef. Pii “Nana” Nong, who Ha calls the backbone of the operation, has been working in restaurant kitchens since coming to Canada a little over 10 years ago.
While growing up in Bangkok, she helped her mother run a street food stall and often joked that “she only went to school to sell food to the other students.”
When Pii Nong Thai opened before the pandemic hit, the chef was given the chance to showcase her food and style of cooking. Over the past five years, the resto has quickly become known for its signature dishes, including Thai-spiced grilled short ribs, twin crispy soft-shell crab curry, green curry baked scallops and its absolutely adorable Thai iced tea teddy bear drink.
The new project, Ha says, will also allow Nong to showcase another one of her passions and talents: Thai massage.
“She’s also certified to do Thai massages, so this combines her skills and shows Toronto the talents she has across the board. We’ve given her this platform to express how she defines food in her eyes and the response has been incredible, enough where we feel confident to invest in this massive project with her as the backbone of it,” he says.
Ha says he and his team have always yearned to do something truly unconventional and the “stars aligned” when they found the Yonge Street location.
“We want to bring the essence of Thailand to Toronto,” Jacky Yoh, marketing director with SEA Hospitality Group Inc., tells YourCityWITHIN.
“When people want to travel to Thailand, they think of the food, the Thai massage and the night markets. We want to bring an immersive experience of authentic Thai culture to a multicultural city. It’s a one-stop shop where people can start off in the dining room, shop in our market and go to the second floor for a massage. When they first step into our restaurant, they’ll feel like they’re in Thailand.”
Ha and Yoh say the market will feature exclusive imports from Thailand that are not be available anywhere else in Canada, including snacks, wellness products, traditional apparel (such as the roomy, comfortable elephant-pattered pants so often seen on tourists) and souvenirs. The market will also offer grocery items and a line of signature frozen prepared meals.
Ha and Yoh also say the market will launch a line of traditional Thai dinnerware in time for the holiday season.
“For people who have been to Thailand and want to reminisce of their travels, [the market] will invoke those memories. It mimics the items they see in Bangkok and Chiang Mai,” Ha says.
As far as food goes, the new restaurant will offer the staples that Pii Nong diners (so that Instagrammable teddy bear drink isn’t going anywhere) have come to expect, as well as 30 new items, a private room for parties with up to 30 guests and a full raw bar.
“It’s a massive menu with a lot of choice and a lot of seafood heavy items,” Ha says, adding that items featuring Dungeness crab, prawns and fish will dot the expansive menu.
One new addition that Ha seems most excited about is the raw bar, which he says will feature Thai-style, marinated sashimi and seafood towers.
“This is not done in Toronto currently. A cold and raw bar section has been built that’s designed for all our foods that don’t need heat treatment,” he says, adding that this feature will give the city’s Thai food scene something special that wasn’t there before.
“The Thai food scene in Toronto is great, but it lags behind New York City, Chicago and even Europe. They’re a lot more creative with their menus,” he says.
As for the spa portion of the building, Ha says it will feature three rooms: a room for couples who want massages at the same time, a room with on-floor beds for individual massages (just like in Thailand) and a room for foot massages.
“In Thailand, most massages are done on the floor. It’s a deeper massage and a more authentic massage. We’ll also have massage stations with six people doing Thai foot massages, so we want to feature different techniques,” he says.
Ha also says the spa will be offering something quite unique: the Tok Sen Thai Massage. This massage features a traditional Thai technique using wooden mallets and pegs to hammer the body’s tension away. While it sounds the opposite of relaxing, practitioners say the rhythmic tapping of the tools creates vibrations that work deeply into the muscles, which provides a hypnotic relaxation effect.
Ha and Yoh say that once the spa opens in early 2025, special dinner and spa packages will be available for purchase.
Another perk? Guests enjoying a foot massage can also order a snack from downstairs.
“We have a world class restaurant downstairs, so we’ll have a selection of items guests can enjoy upstairs. We can compliment both sides of the business to deliver the best experience to our customers,” He says.
Another thing that Yoh says will really set the restaurant apart is the aesthetic.
“With our decor, a lot of things inside come straight from Thailand,” he says.
“Other places might have a more modern, clean design, but we bring the authentic feel of the country with our pattern work, our chairs and the decor on the walls. When you walk in, bam, you’re in Thailand.”
Both Ha and Yoh say that while the project is huge and not without risk–it’s the first concept of its kind in Canada, after all–they’re excited to give people something truly one-of-a-kind.
“This is a truly unique concept no one has done before and we’re executing it to highlest level and standards.”
Yoh agrees.
“We’re the first to incorporate these three Thai elements and you can’t find this in the city or in other provinces.”
The restaurant and market are slated to open in December.
