SABAI SABAI: A DOWNTOWN TORONTO BASEMENT-LEVEL RESTAURANT SERVING NORTHERN THAI AND LAO FOOD
The Cost -$34 per person
The Atmosphere – Located in the basement of a building in the downtown/midtown area of Toronto, Sabai Sabai is a modernly decorated space that is often packed full of people, many of whom belong to the millennial generation. It has a very lively vibe and can get pretty loud, making it a great spot to go out with friends but maybe not the best one for a first date. The restaurant does not have outdoor seating but does take reservations, which are recommended. Sabai Sabai serves alcohol and has a cocktail list that has some of your favorite classics with a Thai twist.
Toronto is fast becoming known to many as a “foodie city.” The diversity of its restaurants offers diners the opportunity to explore authentically prepared dishes originating from countries around the globe. For my first meal out, I decided to try Sabai Sabai, a restaurant co-owned by its Executive Chef, Nuit Regular, who, along with her partner, owns multiple Thai restaurants in the city. Sabai Sabai’s menu focuses on Northern Thai and Lao food which gives it a point of differentiation from some of the other Thai restaurants in town.
The Order – Minced Pork Salad, Deep Fried Garlic Shrimp, Lao BBQ Chicken, Khao Soi, Crispy Fried Fish, Drunken Noodles, and Coconut Sorbet.
The Fantastic – The Lao BBQ Chicken or Ping Gai, was the dish of the evening that evoked an audible “wow.” The marinated boneless chicken is perfectly cooked; it is extremely juicy and tender after first being grilled and then having a glaze applied to it. The chicken is perfect by itself, but it also comes with a chili garlic dipping sauce which adds great flavor and spiciness and takes it to the next level. Served with a small papaya salad, this appetizer is on the expensive side for this menu at about $14 USD and does take about 25 minutes to prepare, but it is absolutely worth it.
The Great – The Khao Soi was the next best dish of the evening. A large bowl filled with an orange-ish curry mixed with coconut milk, thin egg noodles, some fried egg noodles, and braised beef, the combination of the curry-soaked noodles and beef was quite tasty. The beef, which acted as a sponge for the curry and didn’t provide a ton of flavor to the curry broth, did have a nice texture; it also could have been substituted for chicken or shrimp. The dish definitely could have been spicier, but overall it was very good.
The Crispy Fried Fish was mild white fish filets that were battered and fried and served with rice, papaya salad, and your choice of Panang curry or tamarind sauce. The fish was nice because it was lightly battered and not oily or heavy, but it didn’t have a ton of flavor; however, when I added the Panang curry, a reddish savory curry, to the crispy outside of the fish it gave the fish the flavor it needed to please the taste buds. There isn’t enough curry to drown the fish but enough to dip a little bit onto each bite.
The Good – The Deep Fried Garlic Shrimp was the second-best appetizer of the evening. With five average-sized tail-on panko-crusted shrimp to an order, this dish isn’t really going to fill you up but it is a nice option for sharing so that each person gets a bite or two. It’s also a good option for those who don’t love spicy as it is served with a sweet tamarind dipping sauce. This dish isn’t going to wow you, but it is very satisfying, especially for those that love shrimp.
The other appetizer that was ordered was the Minced Pork Salad or Laap Lao Moo, the national dish of Laos. Served with large lettuce leaves, the minced pork meat salad was fresh and light, making for a nice compliment to many of the heavier fried, noodle, and curry-based dishes that we had. The pork was mixed with fresh herbs, chilis, roasted ground rice, and lime juice, though the texture or flavor of the rice did not come through much. The dish is served without any sauces as the juices of the meat and the lime create a dressing on their own, but it could have used a little bit of a chili-based sauce.
The Drunken Noodles were satisfying and filling, especially given the large portion of noodles, but it does not differ much from your average Thai restaurant’s version. Thin rice noodles comprise the base of this dish which also contains peppers, egg, Thai basil, and soy sauce. You can add either shrimp or chicken to the Drunken Noodles and we went with shrimp, which was a nice protein addition. Overall, the dish was good but was a little dry and not spicy at all, two things I wish were not the case.
There are only two desserts on the menu at Sabai Sabai, the classic Mango Sticky Rice and the Coconut Sorbet, which is a collaboration between Chef Nuit and SOMA Chocolatemaker, a local chocolatier. Given that you could only get this coconut sorbet at Chef Nuit’s restaurants and because of the special collaboration between two well-known local food figures, we ordered the Coconut Sorbet. The giant, single scoop of coconut milk sorbet was served simply in a small glass bowl with two mint leaves. It was creamy and, for the most part, was not icy or watery until the bottom. It had a nice flavor and was very enjoyable for the first few bites but could have used some other texture and flavor thereafter.
The Verdict – Sabai Sabai offers a bit more diversity than your typical Thai restaurant given its focus on Northern Thai and Lao food, but the menu closely resembles that of the typical North American Thai restaurant. The quality of the food, however, is above average, and when you combine that with the modern, lively vibe and the Lao BBQ Chicken, you’ve got yourself a solid place to go for dinner.