Sap’s Fine Thai Cuisine

Back in the days when Madam Mam’s was making Thai cuisine cool in Austin I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mam, or as his friends and those who cannot pronounce his last name (like me) call him, Sap.
Sap and Mam divorced several years ago and Sap got the restaurant on Westgate. He also opened up a new location on Burnet and 2222 at the HEB shopping center. And what spots both are.
The dishes run the gamut of the Thai culinary offerings and most are mildly incendiary to sear-your-tongue incendiary but man are they tasty. And to further sweeten the picture, Sap’s genial personality has rubbed off on his staff: from manager Fred to every server in the place. All exceedingly pleasant.

It is fair to say that Sap’s has become somewhat of an addiction in my life. The flavors and textures, the herbs and spices, the sauces and seasonings and the invariably fresh meat, poultry and fish along with the ethereal tofu combine for some extraordinary taste experience. Sap it is fair to say has put the bang in Bangkok! Now if only my wife could handle Thai:(

I usually begin with either the Tod Mun Chicken or Fish. What a treat these are. The dish features ground chicken or fish merged with eclectic Thai spices and the ubiquitous magrood leaf along with sliced green beans.
They are mashed together, deep fried and served with sweet and sour cucumber sauce. The Sap Rolls, their crispy Thai-style egg rolls are pure, as in they preserve the essence of the core flavors without being greasy or excessively oily.

Another dish I like is the Yum Guay Teaw. The core is flat rice noodles that are mixed with a sauce of lemongrass, roasted chili sauce, lime juice and honey) and it’s covered with peanuts and fried onions. First bite rush on this amazes.

Craving curries? The Green Curry is my favorite in the city. I usually have it with pork and fried tofu with brown rice. Green curry derives its color from cilantro root and is made from the subsequent paste. Sap just nails this dish from central Thailand.

And noodles? I like the traditional and fall back dish, Pad Thai, but the peanuts are a bit much for me on occasion. In my humble opinion the Pad Ke Mao with flat noodles absolutely rocks. The flavors of this dish are ethereal and the mingling of Thai pepper and spices along with the fresh basil. Can’t resist it.

The green bean is an integral part of Thai cooking and Sap makes a dish not unlike Pad Prik King (which I love) called Amazing Green Beans. These stir-fried beans are nuclear but delicious in Sap’s proprietary sauce. I get diced chicken and tofu on mine and even add a little Sriacha.

Another smashing offering from Sap is the iconic Tiger Cry salad or Suer Rong Hai. This is preferably slices of ribeye marinated overnight and served with crisp greens and bursts of mint. I love it.

Sap has also introduced a mildly spicy pineapple fried rice that packs more flavor than I would have thought possible. This is a fun dish.

In fact the whole restaurant is fun. Like its owner it is honest and transparent: no hidden agendas. And that shows in every dish.