Last year, after over 30 years of service, east side Thai and Lao restaurant EE-Sane closed its doors for renovations, but on Oct. 23, they welcomed back customers with a bright new look, designed by their new owner, Moukdala “Happy” Phommanilath.

Happy is the granddaughter of the previous owners Khamphet and Prasith Nanthasane who opened the restaurant in 1992.

Her grandparents liked to keep to themselves, staying busy behind the line and turning out orders at lightning speeds. Renovating the dining room was how Happy helped them say thank you to the customers who had supported them for so long.

EE-Sane’s new look is a modern improvement from the original space that still keeps its classic charm and is authentic to the owners’ early intentions for the restaurant.

Happy wanted to ensure everything was perfect, spending time locating new decorations from Thailand, and carrying over old ones like the mural that overlooks the main dining room.

In early 2025, her grandmother, Khamphet, was diagnosed with leukemia.

“She was working very hard, so nobody thinks she had some kind of disease…even herself,” Happy said.

Soon after receiving the diagnosis, she passed away, never getting to see the restaurant reopen its doors, but Happy said she would frequently come by to marvel at the renovations

For several years, her grandparents made everything from scratch, cooking everything to order, often without any written recipes.

Just four years ago, seeing their passion for food, Happy became interested in inheriting her grandparents’ business. With no kitchen experience and no recipes to follow, learning to cook as well as her grandparents was an uphill battle.

For the first two years, Happy was not allowed to cook anything. The most she could do was run around watching over her grandmother’s pans, but eventually she found her footing.

“It took me about two years and a half to catch up. Like, I don’t say [my skill level is] 100%, but it’s 99%,” Happy said.

Everything at EE-Sane is made the traditional way. Curry pastes are made in-house and ground by hand. There is not even a blender or food processor in the place.

Dishes like their volcano duck are painstakingly marinated, boiled, carved and fried fresh for customers.

Many of their dishes are even unintentionally halal because Happy’s grandparents simply found the halal proteins to be superior: a testament to their commitment to quality.

The restaurant is named after the Isan region of Thailand, which was once part of Laos. This region’s mixed heritage is reflected in its culture and food. As such, EE-Sane’s menu, while dominated by traditional Thai dishes, shares this mixed heritage in dishes like its papaya salad.

The papaya salad can be ordered Thai or Lao style. The Thai style is sweeter, tangier and includes peanuts, but the Lao style is bolder, funkier and more umami.

Just before renovations began at EE-Sane, Happy opened Lemongrass, another Thai and Lao restaurant on Farwell Ave.

The restaurant located just half a mile down the street was inside the space that used to house Twisted Plants and before that, Elephant Cafe, which her grandfather used to operate.

Lemongrass served an identical menu to EE-Sane when it closed, so regulars could still order the food they loved.

“We don’t want to close it down because the customer will forget about us,” Happy said about the decision to move operations to Lemongrass.

Now that EE-Sane is back open, Happy plans to change the menu.

Opting for a rotating menu of classic Thai and Lao dishes, Happy hopes to accomplish her grandmother’s dream of expanding the menu to include dishes they have never served before, without overwhelming the kitchen with a longer list of items. Instead, they will serve just 30 dishes a season.

Customers can look forward to dishes like khao soi, a dish popular in Laos and Thailand’s Isan region made of egg noodles, chicken and a curry-like sauce.

Happy also hopes to include Thai pastries and cafe classics beyond the Thai tea and coffee they already serve. Happy intends to go as far as to take a trip to Thailand to learn the traditional methods of her homeland.

For diners looking for delicious and affordable Thai and Lao food from an East Side institution, they can visit EE-Sane at 1806 N Farwell, just two doors down from the Vivarium.

This story was written by Joseph Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected]