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Photo by Beth Furgurson
Matt McAdams and Alex Tenser shake things up at the bar.
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Photo by Beth Furgurson
Interior of Sabai
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Photo by Beth Furgurson
Hoy Lai Ped (spicy mussles in a roasted chili paste)
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Photo by Beth Furgurson
Hurricane #Song cocktail
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Photo by Beth Furgurson
Pla Pao (salted grilled fish with choy sum) with a Mr. Chuvez cocktail
When imaginative fervor gets poured into the look and feel of a restaurant, it imparts a greater sense of purpose to the meal beyond the cramming of food into the mouth. It becomes something vivid, something memorable. Something alive. Broad Street’s relative newcomer Sabai provides a brilliant example of this: It’s an animated strip of chandeliers and open windows, of raw wood and gleaming lacquer, of velvety darkness and golden light, much of it designed and handcrafted by co-owner Brandon Pearson. When you’re there, you feel like you’re sitting in the throbbing heart of the city’s nightlife scene.
It’s funny, in a way, that this city’s heart should serve Thai food. An overwhelming majority of Richmond’s restaurants with that “be here now” vibe dish up Southern eats, with another sizeable group serving French-inspired plates. But Sabai’s menu, helmed by co-owner Joe Kiatsuranon of My Noodle & Bar and Mom’s Siam, veers purposefully into Thai street food territory. The expected curries and noodles make the list, of course, but deeper into the menu you’ll discover choice bits like pork belly, mussels and duck wings. It’s heavy on Northern Thai selections and flavors — more amped-up spice blends and less sugar and coconut — and the famously eye-popping whole-fish entrées turn heads every time.
Actually, the coconut-based curries and soups are the only items I would recommend you skip. My Koa Soi Gai, one of the few Northern Thai dishes that does feature coconut milk, wasn’t lent as careful a hand as other plates on our table. The chicken on the bone was nicely tender, but the components that sounded so exciting (chili lime oil, pickled mustard greens) were strikingly underwhelming, and its curry broth was far too thick and syrupy-sweet. Same with the Gang Massaman: overpowered by coconut milk and sugar instead of carefully layered aromatics and spices, and thinned out with stock.
The good heavily outweighs the less good, though. The chunky noodles in the Pad Se Ew came out with the perfect consistency, and married sweetness and garlic with a smoky note. And it’s hard to beat meat on a stick, but Sabai’s satay prevails against all others with its juicy, gingery sass and textured, fresh peanut sauce. Two pork dishes, the Koa Moo Dang (red pork barbecue) and the Pad Prik Moo Bah (crisped pork belly), shine as testaments to the concept of sweet meat.
Sabai also serves a few items that are tamer, spice-wise, from variations I’ve tasted around the United States. (I was willing to go to Thailand to truly do this review justice, but for some reason, no one seemed to think that was necessary.) The Nam Tok, a lime juice and fish-sauce-laced beef appetizer I use as a litmus test in Thai restaurants, stays true to the tart, umami flavor profile, but doesn’t pack a punch. I missed it, but the milder touch may be appealing to those who don’t crave explosive tang. Pad Broccoli is the other shy-Thai option, and one I’ve never encountered before. And, I’ll be danged — it’s quite tasty.
That whole fish, though. Whether served over verdant bok choy tips, swimming in a garlic-chili broth or glazed and studded with shiitakes, you’re going to make everyone else jealous with your ordering skills.
The last unmissable, mesmerizing contribution Sabai offers the Richmond dining scene is a gutsy, talented, unapologetic bar program from co-owner and bar manager Jason Lough; it houses a Sno-Cone machine and a number of fruit-forward cocktails, namely an orchid-garnished Mai Thai and the Mr. Chuvez (muddled lime and passion fruit with house-infused kaffir lime Cachaça).
My final thoughts on Sabai are essentially just “go, go, go,” to echo fashion icon Tim Gunn, whom I’m certain would love it. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to go hard here — entrées top out at $24 but most are closer to $13 — and you’ll end up thriving in the bold, dynamic heartbeat of Richmond all night.
3 out of 4 forks
Sabai
2727 W. Broad St.
367-4992
Hours: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Prices: $6.50 to $24
Handicapped Accessible
