The husband-and-wife team behind Thai Basil is expanding in Madison, with plans to open a second restaurant called Thai Nimman inside the Hilldale shopping center next year. Krittaphol “Kris” Poticharoen and Tharika “Gamzy” Poticharoen, co-owners of Thai Basil, intend to take over the space at 540 N. Midvale Blvd. that formerly housed Dumpling Haus.
According to The Capital Times, the new restaurant is set to open at that Hilldale address in 2027, occupying the former Dumpling Haus location. The release announcing the plans didn’t specify an exact opening date next year, and Thai Basil is expected to remain open nearby on University Avenue, the outlet reports.
The name carries personal meaning for the owners. Thai Nimman is named after Nimmanhaemin Road, an area of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and the couple said the name reflects what they hope to bring to Hilldale. “Nimman represents energy, food, creativity and people coming together. Hilldale gives us that same feeling here in Madison,” Kris and Gamzy Poticharoen said, per the Cap Times report.
What's on the Menu at Thai Nimman
Plans call for a contemporary restaurant with a full dining area and a full bar, serving modern noodles, rice dishes and Thai comfort food. Signature dishes are expected to include pad Thai, golden mango seafood curry, Yen Ta Fo hot pot — a Thai pink noodle soup — boat noodles, khao soi curry noodle soup and the stir-fry dish pad kra prow, according to the same report.
The chefs behind Thai Nimman aim to create dishes that feel as close as possible to the food guests would experience in Thailand, per the news release cited by the Cap Times. The owners also said Madison has supported their family and Thai Basil over the years, and that they wanted to give back through their food.
A Familiar Address in Hilldale
The Hilldale space Thai Nimman is set to fill has a recent history of its own. Dumpling Haus announced in May that it would close, with May 30 as its last day, according to WMTV15 News. The restaurant's owners said at the time that it was time for them to retire.
Thai Basil itself has a track record of relocating and growing within Madison. The restaurant previously moved from Raymond Road to a larger spot on University Avenue, a change that gave it seating for the first time, with room for 50 to 60 diners. Kris Poticharoen made considerable changes to the former Curry in the Box space on University Avenue to transform it into that Thai Basil location, as reported by Wisconsin State Journal.
With Thai Nimman, the Poticharoens appear poised to repeat that pattern of transforming an existing Madison restaurant space into something new, this time without giving up their original University Avenue storefront.
