Sabai
Takashimaya Shopping Centre

Since it opened in late-2004, Thai fine-dining restaurant Sabai has been adept at playing the culinary game, especially when it comes to staying ahead of the rest of the field. The consistently good cuisine and quality of service here has given predictability a good name and made Sabai the go-to place for diners in search of a top-notch Thai experience.

There is an extensive menu and a variety of dishes to suit most tastes at Sabai, which is a Thai word meaning ‘fine’. Knowledgeable staff members will make recommendations that will help to ensure that state of well-being and remove any uncertainty that might accompany the ordering process – especially for those who are less than conversant with the names of Thai dishes.

Much of the credit belongs to owner Jongkolnee Thuboonme, otherwise known as Noo, the doyenne of the Thai food scene here and who was a founding partner of the original Thanying restaurant in the late-1980s. S

he works with her all-female team of chefs – 14 in all, each of whom specialises in some aspect of preparation – to come up with the same kind of experience one would find in a top Bangkok restaurant.

Apart from the usual suspects, interesting dishes include the Gung Pat Pong ($30), large stir-fried prawns cooked with curry powder, eggs, spring onions and Chinese celery; deep-fried smoked honey pork ribs ($19) and Nam Prik Long Reue ($18), a mix of raw and deep-fried tempura-style vegetables served with a potent belacan-type shrimp paste. If the ubiquitous Thai dessert buffet is too much for you, try the fresh durian simmered in coconut cream ($8).

The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of subtle and spicy, salty, sweet and sour flavours with a variety of textures using the freshest ingredients available. Sabai can be relied upon to deliver the goods on all counts.

Sabai
391B Orchard Road
Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Ngee Ann City #04-23
Tel: 6333-8491/2

This article was first published in The Business Times on September 1, 2008