Owners Art Hanwong and his wife, Sone Srisngnam, opened their restaurant in March. Owners Art Hanwong and his wife, Sone Srisngnam, opened their restaurant in March.[/caption]

Art Hanwong and his wife, Sone Srisngnam, opened Madam Mam’s Thai Cuisine on Brodie Lane in late March, expanding a family business that his mother Chatfuang “Mam” Hanwong started in 2001.


Hanwong said the Brodie Lane location is the fourth Madam Mam’s in Austin and the first to be owned by him and his wife. Hanwong’s younger brother and his brother’s wife own the Bee Cave location and the Guadalupe Street location, respectively, and Mam herself with one of her other sons owns the Anderson Lane location.


“We are looking to ... meet locals’ expectations for this place,” Hanwong said.


Before joining the family business, Hanwong was a lawyer, and Srisngnam was an account director for an advertising firm.




Brussels sprouts ($4.95), a new appetizer at Madam Mam’s Thai Cuisine, are braised and coated with a sweet and sour sauce. Brussels sprouts ($4.95), a new appetizer at Madam Mam’s Thai Cuisine, are braised and coated with a sweet and sour sauce.[/caption]

As Mam herself was nearing retirement age, Hanwong decided to move to Austin to take care of her. In the process, he and his brothers expanded the restaurant to other locations.


“We did not want the Madam Mam’s brand to fade away,” Hanwong said. “If you don’t have a new generation take this business over, then it’s going to be gone one way or another.”


Hanwong said he bought his first Austin home in 2001 just a few minutes away from the Brodie Lane Madam Mam’s. He added that the area is one of the few places left in Austin that puts development and nature in harmony.


“South Austin is the original Austin I used to know,” Hanwong said.


Keeping the same menu and recipes as his mother’s from the original Guadalupe Street location, the Brodie Lane Madam Mam’s has curries, noodles, rice dishes and other Thai food. Like its other restaurants, Madam Mam’s on Brodie Lane uses letters and numbers for dishes on its menu, such as F1 for pad thai or P12 for Panang Curry.




The restaurant is decorated with artwork imported from Thailand. The restaurant is decorated with artwork imported from Thailand.[/caption]

Although some longtime Austinites may recognize the Madam Mam’s brand, it is the new transplant demographic that is tough to reach, Hanwong said.


To attract new, younger Austinites, Hanwong has begun experimenting with off-the-menu specials using ingredients such as Brussels sprouts and kale. The restaurant is also in the process of creating a gluten-free menu.


“We need to be able to serve new generations, new demands,” Hanwong said. “This is risky, but I think it will be worth it. Some people said we’re not a real Thai restaurant anymore because we are using Brussels sprouts and kale, which don’t exist in the tropical country of Thailand. Yes, but we are a new generation where food is globalized.”





Madam Mam’s Thai Cuisine
9911 Brodie Lane, Ste. 600, Austin, 512-366-5859, www.madammam.com
Hours: Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.