STI: Sabai is truly fine

Dec 19, 2004
Sabai is truly fine
by Wong Ah Yoke

WHEN Ms Jongkolnee Thoboonme left Thanying Restaurant at the Amara Hotel early this year, it was a shock for fans of the popular Thai eatery.

Ms Thoboonme - or Ms Noo as she is affectionately known as - opened the restaurant together with the hotel in 1988, and is largely credited for bringing royal Thai cuisine to Singapore.

Thanying is now managed solely by Amara with new chefs and a new menu. A branch of the restaurant that was opened in Clarke Quay in 1992 closed down a few months ago.

Thanying Express, a three-year-old casual eatery at Basement Two of Ngee Ann City which serves noodles and light dishes, is also managed by the hotel.

If you had missed the old Thanying, well, Ms Noo is back. Her new restaurant Sabai, which opened on the fourth floor of Ngee Ann City on Nov 26, serves all the old dishes from her previous eatery and then some.

It was with a sense of deva ju that I bit into a plump stuffed chicken wing ($16.50 for four wings). The deep-fried wing was juicy with succulent meat, but what the Thanying version had left strongest on the mind was the aromatic marinade. It was reproduced perfectly here.

I have tried this dish many times in Bangkok restaurants, but while most are pretty succulent, none can match the flavour.

Similarly, Sabai's red roast duck curry ($17.50) beats that of many Bangkok restaurants.

Cooked with chunks of pineapple and whole lychees or grapes, it is slightly less sweet than most versions there. It is also aromatic with coconut milk, with the spices adding flavour instead of being fiery hot.

The duck meat, which is cut into bite-sized pieces, is tender and juicy. And each piece is lined with delicious roasted skin.

What makes Sabai more exciting than the old Thanying are the new dishes on the menu. Some, like the bitter gourd salad ($15), are rather original.

The bitter gourd is sliced thinly and tossed in a lime chilli dressing with cooked prawn, shredded chicken and mint leaves. The result is an interesting mix of bitter, sweet and sour flavours that get your tastebuds working overtime.

I don't expect everyone to take to it, as the dressing is much sharper than other Thai salads. But I find it a refreshing start to the meal, and the flavours are intriguing.

The stir-fried coconut shoots ($18) will find more ready fans. They have the crisp texture of bamboo shoots but with a hint of coconut.

The dish is not on the menu, though. It was recommended by Ms Noo as a new dish that the restaurant was trying out. Another dish that you have to ask for is stir-fried lotus stems, which have a slightly green taste and a crunchy texture.

In terms of ambience, Sabai, which took over the premises of Renn Thai, another Thai restaurant that has moved to Suntec City, is even more elegant than the two Thanyings. The stunning red entrance greets the diner with a sense of luxury that extends into the dining room. There are also two private rooms lit by glittering chandeliers.

Despite being open for only a month, Sabai is clearly the best Thai restaurant in town. And there are many good ones here. It is even better than most that I've tried in Thailand, although allowance must be given for my 'foreign' palate.

Sabai is Thai for 'fine' or 'very well'. From all appearances, you can certainly expect things to go very well with this excellent restaurant.