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| - Fresh off glowing reviews from Now Magazine, I had the convenient coincidence of having dinner here last night.
I've been following Chef Nui since the early days at Sukhothai and yet admittedly I have been somewhat torn - one the one hand, I'm ecstatic for her much deserved success. on the other hand, irrationally regretful that the entire city was now in on the 'secret'. Now that she's partnered with friends of mine at Sabai Sabai. I no longer harbour any regret and am more than happy for their triumphs.
Sabai Sabai (loosely translated as 'life is good. life is real good') brings charm, friendly vibe and great food to a mildly derilict but quickly changing corner of downtown. (Uber trendy ramen-ya Santouka is just around the corner). The space is cool, eclectic, warm and sophisticated all at the same time. Kudos to Jason and Seng for creating such a lovely space.
The food, as expected, is super delicious. No one in Toronto does real Thai food better than Chef Nui and its comforting to know that her particular warmth and skill at balance of flavours never wanes.
All dishes are served in small 'tapas' sized portions which makes it fun to have a table full of small plates so you can sample a little bite of everything.
Standouts include - pork salad, the kao soi and polarizing curry-fish-custard (amok) . Although there isnt much chili in the dishes, you never really miss it as the other subtleties of texture, freshness and flavour are allowed to stand out. And besides, it lends itself better to wine matching. Luckily, Sabai Sabai has been able to procure some nice whites that complement the food well. (No easy feat!)
We emerged full of comforting snackaliciousness with a warm glow and slight buzz of Sapporo and Sauvingnon Blanc - just what I needed to combat winter's sharp bite.
Hooray for Sabai Sabai!!
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