Hopefully they bring Ba Sa’s soft shell crab roll to Ramie (Image: Ba Sa)

(Image: Ba Sa)

Don’t be too worried about closures in the Capitol Hill food and drink scene. Most spaces don’t look like they’ll stay empty for long. On 14th Ave, the exit of Omega Ouzeri and retirement of restaurateurs Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos in January now comes with a Tết announcement of Ramie, a new dining project from Trinh and Thai Nguyen, “the sibling chefs behind Bainbridge Island’s acclaimed modern Vietnamese restaurant Ba Sa.”

“Providing sterling hospitality in a space that’s welcoming, serving contemporary Vietnamese food that incorporates simple, old-school cooking techniques, and offering a robust cocktail program will be the guiding principles of Ramie,” the announcement reads.

They say the 3,055-square-foot restaurant neighboring Nue and Spinasse “will undergo some cosmetic and design changes,” but “the basic layout of the open kitchen, dining area, bar, mezzanine, and seasonal patio dining will remain.”

CHS reported here on the decision by the Soukakos to close Omega, retire to Greece, and bring a close to their 30 years of food and drink in the neighborhood beginning with Thomas opening El Greco on Broadway in the 1990s.

After growing up working in their parents pho shop, the Nguyen sibling opened Ba Sa on Bainbridge in 2019 where they serve “modern Vietnamese food that showcases the abundance of local product found in the Pacific Northwest” only “a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle.”

The Nguyens will be getting lots more ferry time in now as they expand across the sound to join the Capitol Hill food and drink scene. They’ll be joining a rich community of Vietnamese restaurants including new flavors like Xóm, a new “elevated” Vietnamese joint in Chophouse Row from under-30 restaurateur Cuong Nguyen who already has multiple openings under his belt, and legends of the scene like Monsoon — marking 25 years on 19th Ave E this month.

Goodbye to Omega

With hopes of matching the longevity and success of Monsoon’s sibling chefs Eric and Sophie Banh, Trinh and Thai Nguyen say they prepared for Ramie by stepping back to the places that have shaped Vietnam’s food and drink culture. In December, the Nguyens traveled to Vietnam for “research and development” in Da Nang, Hanoi, Da Lat, and Ho Chi Minh City.

“We literally ate and drank our way through Vietnam,” Thai Nguyen said in the restaurant’s announcement. “It was inspiring to soak up the culture and eat fantastic food done so simply.”

“We definitely felt drawn to the nhau culture of gathering with friends and family to eat and drink for no particular reason,” Trinh Nguyen said.

While December brought travels in Southeast Asia, their Pacific Northwest culinary efforts are thriving. With Ramie, the Nguyen siblings will have a small family of food and drink ventures to care for. Ba Sa is the sister restaurant to Pho T&N in Poulsbo where the kids first got their taste of the restaurant business from parents Rang Nguyen and Huyen Tran.

Ramie is planned to open by spring at 1529 14th Ave. Learn more at ramieseattle.com.

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