In 2023, Chef Laila Bazahm knocked her debut as a restaurant owner out of the park with Spanish restaurant El Raval — a high-stakes situation, as El Raval was replacing a longtime Spanish favorite, Barlata. Now she's doing it again at the Frances Modern Inn, previously home to promising newcomer Poeta. Siti, Bazahm's new Southeast Asian restaurant, will open July 18.

Although Bazahm has become known for her apparently genuine devotion to the food of Barcelona, she is of Filipino heritage; in addition to working and living in Spain, she did the same in Singapore. The Asian island will inspire this new restaurant, alongside flavors for Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and of course her birth country, the Philippines.'

The name Siti is the honorable Malaysian word for "lady," which Bazahm chose to pay tribute to her mother, grandmother, sister, and eight aunts who she remembers cooking with.

  Chef Laila Bazahm shows off her cooking.Photo by Mackenzie Smith

Guests can expect curry pastes made in-house, char-grilled meats, and the immersive experience of ordering from a push-cart full of "bold sambals." The whole menu fills a gap Bazahm felt in Austin, where she couldn't find the fresh seafood, herbs, and broths she used to eat growing up. Dishes were also inspired by her experiences traveling around to hawker centers (open-air markets) on her days off in Singapore.

The menu will be divided into sections for raw bar dishes, smaller plates, larger plates, satays, sides, and desserts. Some dishes to look out for include:

• Hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack) with tom kha kai broth, thai chili oil, Asian pear, and other garnishes
• Crispy ayam penyet wings that are flattened and seasoned with green sambal
• Lobster chili crab with chili-XO sauce and fried mantou buns
• Wild-caught sambal striped bass wrapped and grilled in banana leaf with pineapple and tomato salad, plus nasi lemak (coconut milk rice)
• Char kway teow (wok-fried rice noodles) with confit duck, Chinese sausage, shrimp, Local Pastures duck eggs, and sweet soy glaze
• Charred cabbage with serrano curry, charred green beans, peas, and mustard seeds
• Charcoal-fired lamb chops with butter masala, tamarind, and naan with cheese
• Chicken, beef short rib, and local mushroom and eggplant satays
• Collaborations with Chef Greg Maze of Merry Monarch Creamery including teh tarik-misu (like tiramisu with ice cream, black tea, and rum), and two ice cream flavors, tom kha lime pie and Oreo miso.

The latter collaboration has implications beyond the hotel dining space. Merry Monarch previously operated out of an ice cream trailer, but it's been closed since the end of 2024 after a planned winter break that was supposed to last until February. The release announcing Siti says the truck will "cobrand" with the restaurant and begin serve scoops and potongs (Malaysian popsicles).

Finally, a cocktail program by general manager Eddie Zeitler will utilize culinary skills, hard-to-find Indonesian and Malaysian liquors, and sometimes house-fermented ingredients. Some interesting ingredients include house sriracha simple syrup, saffron rice washed whiskey, and Batavia arrack, an Indonesian rum ancestor that some say is a necessary ingredient in an authentic punch. Bazahm has a WSET Global Level 3 Sommelier Certification and will lead the wine program.

Finally, Poeta was beautiful before, but Siti updates the space in an Asian Colonial style with a climate-controlled patio that will be open all year, a fish-and-herb-themed mural, vases holding fortune cookies, and more. There will even be an herb garden for lemongrass, Thai basil, and mint.

  Both the food and the space feature vibrant, earthy colors. Photo by Mackenzie Smith

Siti is located at 1123 East 11th St. Operating hours are 5-9 pm Sundays through Tuesdays, 5-10 pm Thursdays, and 5-11 pm Fridays and Saturdays.