My Food Place of the Week: Sabai Sabai

You probably saw in my Sabai Sabai 10th Anniversary post that I won a meal for 2 in the raffle, so off I went with my faithful companion, my mother, to see how this restaurant fares.

It was a Friday night so the restaurant was moderately busy but the waiter mentioned that it is normally a lot busier. My mum got a sparkling water, whilst I got a Virgin Mojito, It was really tasty but the brown sugar was sitting at the bottom and didn't resolve so it wasn't as smooth as it could be but it was still the perfect blend of lime, sugar, mint and tonic water.

We ordered and asked for some Prawn Crackers as we waited. They were amazingly spicy with a Sweet Chilli Sauce which complemented each other perfectly.

For the starters, we went for Number 12: Thod Mun Pla - Thai Fish Cakes (above) and Number 6: Kao Pode Tord - Sweet Corn Cakes (below). Both came with Sweet Chilli Sauce and the Sweet Corn Cakes came with a little side salad. The Thai Fish Cakes were lovely but were quite flat, lacking in that jena se quois and were not as good as the Sweet Corn Cakes. The Sweet Corn Cakes were perfection, they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with the right amount of sweetcorn. I would have this again, in a heartbeat!

With in the side salad, they had decorated the carrot into a flower, which was really pretty and tasty too.

For the main, my mum went for  Number 53. Gaeng Deng Pla - Red Curry, this is described as "Pieces of Tilapia simmered in an aromatic blend of coconut milk, bamboo shoots, aubergine, green beans & sweet basil in a delicious Red Curry Sauce" and choose Thai Sticky Rice to accompany it. The rice looks like a little portion but it was perfect for one person, it was super sticky but ultra tasty and cooked to perfection. My mum throughly enjoyed the dish, she said it was spiced really well and all the veg & fish was fantastic in the red curry sauce. She especially liked the aubergine within the dish.

I choose Number 27. Geng Massaman: Prawns, which is described as "A traditional dish from Southern Thailand in a spiced, rich & sweet peanut sauce with coconut milk, potatoes, onions & flavoured with tamarind sauce". I choose Coconut Rice to accompany it, the rice was lovely and reminded me of rice that was boiled in milk, that my mum used to make when I was being a fussy eater when I was younger. Great nostalgic taste for me. The curry was amazing, beautifully creamy, the peanut was subtle but worked well with the potatoes and prawns. I had a lot left over and had it the next day, I have to say it tasted even better! My favourite thing about this was the use of the potatoes because I rarely see it in dishes like this.

 

I haven't been to Harbourne to dine before and I feel like this is my initiation into the area. Whilst I was at the anniversary of Sabai Sabai, I was recommended a couple of places that I know I will be going back for, especially if the quality is as good as Sabai Sabai's. It was funny to see that most of the clientele were women, especially a lot of mother daughter combos, obviously we are the best kind of combos.

Food - 5/5

The menu is quite long, there is also options of a set menu but all the dishes are labelled well, so it isn't hard to pick a couple you would enjoy.

Dairy-free options? - 5/5

I didn't have to worry about dairy here because my favourite product, coconut milk, is used.

Service - 5/5

The staff were very accommodating, actually chat with you and give you some good recommendations to suit your tastes, as well as being helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness - 5/5

No messy tables or dirt in site, the staff were on the ball. The toilets were also very clean and well maintained - a very good sign.

Location - 3/5

Parking can be a problem but the restaurant is easy to find.

Value for Money - 4/5

Good portions for your money. If I had been paying it would have been around 30 pounds per person for a starter, main and a cocktail.

Is it worth trying? 

Yes!

Pros

Great quality food and lovely venue.

Cons

Slightly pricey and parking can be a problem.

Have you tried this place? What did you think?