Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Five years ago, when Khamphong Chanthongthip (known around his restaurant as Kham), found himself retired from Anderson Bakery after 20 years of working there, his sister, who owns a restaurant called Sukothai in Winipeg, Canada, suggested he open up a restaurant. When communists took over Indo-china in 1975, he explains, he and his family learned how to open a restaurant in a refugee camp, and in 1979, they came to the United States. Today, his wife and niece share their culture from the kitchen of Sukothai.
Sukothai in Mountville has been a favorite for authentic Thai food, especially among vegetarians. The décor and design, very sophisticated for a restaurant of its kind, was led by architect Tom DePaul. Touches—like white linen tablecloths and even the tea, which is served exceptionally as individual French press—add to the upscale
ambience. This summer, Kham will leave the Mountville strip mall where the restaurant sits now to open up in the Champion Forge Center, a renovated warehouse space on downtown Lancaster’s Harrisburg Pike. Architect Brian DeCew of Beyond Architecture will transform the space. Considering the following the restaurant already has in its rural location, and the number of tables they plan for the new one, there may just be a wait for the customer favorite, pad Thai. Did you know Pad means “stir fry”?
The regular customers know what they like and they let the staff at Sukothai know too. Kham recounts a time when they took their stuffed chicken wings off the menu because they are so hard to make, and he heard about it. Stuffed with Thai herbs, seasoned ground pork and noodles, these wings from the other side of the world are unlike anything you’ve ever seen or tasted, trust us.
Other dishes on the menu at Sukothai include coconut soup; stir-fried curries in a range of colors–red, green, brown and yellow; som tam, a spicy green papaya salad with peanuts; pad palot, pineapple stir fry; and ginger fish. Of course, Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee are available for sipping with desserts like banana spring rolls and cake.
At Sukothai, you can choose how spicy you want your food, on a one to 10 scale.
Some of the exotic ingredients that make up the flavor profile of Thai food are lime leaves, galangal (a root member of the ginger family), lemongrass stalks, lime, lemon, chiles and ginger. The one misconception people sometimes have is that all Thai food is spicy. At Sukothai, you can choose how spicy you want your food, on a one to 10 scale, explains Kham, who likes his at number three. He jokes that it’s easy on the stomach that way. We had the number three pad thai, and it did have a bit of a kick, but it was a good kick, the kind we could use more of more often.
But there are plenty of dishes without much heat at all; in fact, most are noted on the menu as “not spicy.” Many, like the mango and apple salads, are light and refreshing, yet complex with flavors. The coconut smoothie, made with fresh coconut and cane sugar, is sure to cool you down when the weather gets hot. Be sure to save room for dessert. The mango with sticky rice, once you get over the idea that it’s a dessert made with rice, is incredibly satisfying in every way, with its creamy, coconut-milk-soaked sticky purple rice and slightly tangy fresh mango on top.
Sukothai: Champion Forge center, 398 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster | Mon-thurs 11am-9:30pm; Fri 11am-10pm; Sat 4-10pm; Sun 4-9:30pm
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Sukothai’s dining room features lilypad light fixtures
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Refreshing mango salad with sliced carrots, scallions and red peppers, topped with cashews; accompanied by a coconut smoothie.
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Mango with sweet purple rice and coconut milk
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Traditional Thai ingredients include chiles, lemongrass, lemon, ginger, lime leaves, galangal and lime
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Owner Khamphong Chanthongthip
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Shawn Southiphone with appetizers including Sukothai's stuffed chicken wings
