Wet and Wild

Sien Savanh

Saturday night, I went to Sabai Sabai for a special 8-course meal ($55) celebrating Songkran, the Thai/Laotian New Year. Also known as the water festival, there were lots of water being sprayed around the room in the form of water guns and finger bowls.

After we blessed each other by marking our faces with white paste, we ordered a pitcher of Midnight Moonson ($32). This concoction of spiced rum, ginger, Thai basil, lime, and coconut sugar syrup went down fresh and tasty. It also packed a bit of a punch.

The amuse-bouche came in the form of chewy, house-made Sien Savanh (spicy Laotian beef jerky). The meat was strong and concentrated. A nice start to the evening. The first course was Yum Ma Muang. My only complaint with this green mango salad was that they toned down the tartness (a failing of all Thai venues). However, the large, firm dried shrimp added some earthy flavours.

The Mee Grob (sweet and sour crispy noodles) was the first stand-out dish: perfectly fried, sweet, and crunchy. The tofu was firm and delicate. But the follow-up was disappointing. I couldn't discern any grilled mackerel in the Meung Pla. The fourth course, a hot and sour beef soup called Tom Zap reminded me of Vietnamese pho for its use of fatty beef and tripe. The spiciness came from the soaked chili pepper instead of chili oil, making it less irritable on the throat.

Yum Ma Muang

Mee Grob

The final 3 courses came out together: Laap Gai, a chicken salad eaten with sticky rice, slices of grilled northern Thai sausage, and a whole snapper in Panang curry. The salad was a minor let-down. Though the combination of lime juice, herbs, and rice was great, it was too watery an execution of this popular dish. The sausage was a revelation as the use of Asian herbs gave it unusual zest. The fish was tender and tasty, justifying the chore of extricating the tiny bones. Its curry sauce was rich and simply sublime.

The dessert was an array of choices at the bar. So I grabbed a little bit of everything. They should be familiar to anyone used to Asian desserts: various combination of agar, sticky rice, coconut, sweet bananas, and other common ingredients.

Having spent 3.5 hours stuffing myself with delicious food, I abandoned all thoughts of additional activities and waddled home.

Meung Pla	Tom Zap
Snapper Panang, Thai Sausage, Laap Gai	Dessert