Siti Serves Bold Southeast Asian Dishes Inside East Austin’s Frances Modern Inn
Chef Laila Bazahm, known for El Raval, revisits the dishes of her childhood with a menu inspired by Southeast Asia’s hawker stalls
Chef Laila Bazahm missed the food she grew up eating—the kind of dishes her family made in the Philippines and the ones she would seek out at hawker stalls in Singapore on her days off. So when it came time to open her next spot, she knew exactly what kind of menu she wanted to create.
Siti, now open inside The Frances Modern Inn on East 11th Street, is a reflection of that craving. The name itself, an endearing Malaysian word for “lady,” is a tribute to the women she learned to cook from: her mother, grandmother, sister and eight aunts.
Bazahm spent nearly a decade living and cooking in Spain, running Hawker 45 in Barcelona before relocating to Texas in 2021. In Austin, she’s best known for El Raval, a Spanish tapas bar on South Lamar. But Siti is something different. It’s the food she loves and couldn’t find anywhere else in town.
Siti’s menu offerings
The menu draws influence from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bazahm’s own Filipino heritage. Divided into categories: raw bar, smaller plates, satays, larger plates and Mibrasa oven selections, each dish is designed for sharing and served one-by-one in thoughtful progression.
Dishes like the sambal striped bass, grilled in banana leaf, and a confit duck Char Kway Teow reflect the kinds of meals Bazahm used to seek out at Singapore’s hawker centers but made her own.
“There’s this hawker center I went to every week called Chomp Chomp,” Bazahm said. “It’s never going to be the same as how they make it, but this is my way of making it.”
Elegant and inviting interiors
Inside, floral booths, rich wood accents, and nods to Asian colonial design create a space that’s warm, elegant and thoughtfully styled. The front patio, framed by string lights and greenery, offers a breezy place to unwind, while a climate-controlled back patio allows for comfortable dining year-round.
The drinks match the vibrancy of the kitchen, incorporating hard-to-source Southeast Asian spirits and house-fermented ingredients. General Manager Eddie Zeitler collaborates closely with Bazahm to develop drinks like the Die Die Must Try (tequila, house sriracha syrup, calamansi, togarashi salt rim) and the Arrack & Aura (pandan-washed rum, Batavia arrack, palm sugar, citrus).
“We make everything in-house. The fillings, the sauces,” Bazahm said. “The rendang and the curries, we cook them slow.”
Spirits and sweets
That same level of care shows up in the wine list, personally curated by Bazahm, a certified Level 3 sommelier. “It’s really hard to pair wine with Asian cuisine because it’s a lot of different flavors,” she said. “We focus a lot on Riesling. For red wines, we found fruit-forward wines with low tannins, so they won’t clash with the spices. And sparkling wines—we’ll probably have four selections because they pair well with spicy dishes.”
For dessert, Bazahm has teamed up with Greg Maze of Merry Monarch Creamery to create playful yet refined finales, like Teh Tarik-misu—black tea and condensed milk ice cream layered with tea- and rum-soaked ladyfingers—as well as rotating scoops of Tom Kha Lime Pie and Oreo Miso. By mid-August, the duo will debut a co-branded ice cream trailer serving scoops and potongs (Malaysian popsicles) outside the restaurant.
Siti marks a return to the flavors Bazahm has loved and cooked for much of her life. “This is the food I love and I’ve been making for a long time,” she said. “It’s a nod to all of these countries. It’s humble food, but my goal is that when you eat it, you remember those flavors, even if it’s presented in a different way.”
Siti is open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, until 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday.