THAI RESTAURANT

THE urge towards vegetarianism does not engulf me often for I am a man who scorns the prissiness of those who get dewy-eyed about animals, which, every sensible person knows, were put on Earth simply to provide me with chunks of meat and offal.

But after a week eating flesh in that most carnivorous of nations, Spain, I reckoned I owed my body some respite.

Bit unfair on Sabai Sabai to choose dishes that wouldn’t normally be among my first choices?

No such thing. This was by far the most enjoyable Thai meal I’ve scoffed for a very long time.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised – this is the newly-opened sister restaurant of Sabai Sabai in Moseley, a long-time favourite of mine.

It shares with its older sibling an authenticity and warm welcome that’s often lacking elsewhere. The menu, too, is largely similar.

I and my son Ewan began with kao pode tord – fried sweetcorn cakes that tasted like fairground food in a good sort of way, their almost doughnut sugariness offset by chilli.

Older son Murray ate prawn tempura and raved about the lightness of the batter and plumpness of the seafood.

My wife Lynn’s duck salad was an enormous plate that she relished greatly.

So did I when I sampled the sticky, nicely stringy meat.

But I reverted to my veggie ways for my main course – pad pik horapan pak.

This stir fry of aubergine, tofu, soya beans, various vegetables, sweet basil and chilli oil was a wonderful and elegant thing full of contrasting textures and packed with spicy and umami flavours.

Lynn’s steamed sea bass – flavoured with ginger and spring onions and served with lime, chilli and garlic – was also eaten with great enthusiasm.

Our sons each ate Thai curries – served steaming in pleasing earthenware bowls – that they said were enjoyable and very filling.

We shared a couple of portions of noodles and one bowl of plainly boiled rice.

Such were the quantities of food we’d consumed that none of us had room for dessert – a pity because I’d liked to have seen if they matched the quality of the savory courses. I strongly suspect that would have been the case.

Service throughout was friendly and efficient and the restaurant – glass-fronted and very stylish – had a great buzz about it.

My old favourite in Moseley now has a rival – her sister.

Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/lifestyle/latest-features/2011/11/04/restuarant-review-sabai-sabai-268-high-street-harborne-birmingham-0121-426-2688-97319-29721586/#ixzz1dn1dRnEy