**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed
It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me. It's during these times that I'm so thankful for having great FOYs (Friends of Yoso) like Cathy and Ed, who allow me a break. I'm pretty sure that mmm-yoso, would not exist without the help of Ed, Cathy, Mizducky, Vicky, and Omar. They, along with all of you, keep things humming along. It's also pretty easy to get in a rut, I mean really, after a while, mediocrity blurs things......I have a ton of photos of "eh" places, and even more places I need to visit a second time before doing a post. So it's great to be able to post on something the Missus and I really enjoyed. So we'll just have to push those other PIPs (posts in progress) to the back of the line here. I hope you don't mind. Now, it's off to the post:
I'm always amazed at how quickly, and how many, recommendations I get. Several days after I posted on a new restaurant in the former Linda Vista Food to Go, Mo Ngoc So 1, and Thai by Tara location I get an email. From "SomTommy" (you gotta love the name), who, in spite of the rather difficult to understand email, made it very clear that the new restaurant makes really good Thai food. Which meant that the Missus and I had to check it out.
The small sign in the front was in Thai, so I wasn't quite sure what the name of the place was. The interior looked exactly like Thai by Tara, with the same postage stamp sized dining area. But when the menu arrived we were surprised! Over 100 items, and stuff I've never seen on menus here in San Diego. The Gentleman running this tiny place was very nice and friendly. I noticed a few items on the menu I was interested in, so I inquired as to where he was from. "North Thailand", which made me even more excited. Next question, "what kind of food, Issan or Lanna?" This raised a big smile, as he replied "I'm Issan, and my cooks are also Issan!" Which got an even bigger smile from me. So I automatically went for a few items from the menu...unfortunately, they were out of the Issan Sour sausage and Koi Soi(raw beef salad). But we were told that the Pad See Ew and Som Tom(Papaya Salad) was really good.
So we started with the Pad See Ew with Beef($5.75):
When the plate arrived, I knew that whomever cooked this really knew what they were doing. The balance of soy to sweet was perfect for my taste. The dish was neither oily, nor where the noodles mushy. And what shocked me most of all, was the "wok hey"! The noodles had the wonderful smoky umami of a well seasoned wok.....
The beef was decent, and though the Missus liked the GaiLan, I thought it a bit undercooked. Still, the best Pad See Ew I've had in San Diego.....
When we ordered the Papaya Salad($5.50), the Gentleman asked, "Thai or Lao?" Then, he looked at me, and asked, "maybe Issan style?" Was that even a question?
A nice and simple Papaya Salad, just the way we like it. There was a pungency that approached, but did not reach the very strong and potent Lao style salad. There were bits of salted crab for flavoring...tiny pieces, I just crunched away. This was more of a savory dish...good with sticky rice. There were some good long beans and a few tomatoes. It was quite spicy.....funny, it didn't burn my lips, but it fried my tongue. It was not sweet enough for the Missus, as it lacked the palm sugar flavor the Missus enjoys in the Her Thai Papaya Salad...so I kept telling Her; "think Lao......"
Which meant more was in order. The Thai Sausage (Naem) Fried Rice($6.50):
The Missus loved this. A great combination of flavors, and the rice came out cooked exactly how She enjoys.
The Spicy Shrimp and Basil Noodles($5.95). The menu says "Mint", but there was Thai Basil in this dish:
Of all the dishes we had sampled thus far, this was our least favorite. On the good side, there was a good amount of Thai Basil, much more than the 2-3 leaves usually found in these types of dishes. The noodles were again cooked with expertise. We found the overall flavor to be on the bland side...but maybe it was because everything else had so much flavor. The shrimp were a bit overcooked as well.
Funny thing; to this point, I still hadn't bothered to get the name of the restaurant. So I asked, and the nice Gentleman told me laughing, "I forgot to have them put the English name on the sign". He then grabbed a business card and wrote:
So there you have it. No, it's not Lotus of Siam or Renu Nakorn, but the food is well prepared, and not your average American-ized Thai Food. The menu is large, so there is much to try.
Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111
Which begs the question....where's the Koi Soi? Well there's more to come.......
Wow!! This is great. Now I just gotta get over there to try the place.
Posted by: ed (from Yuma) | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 09:01 AM
Yay! Good Thai food in San Diego! I know where I'm having lunch today!
Posted by: mizducky | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 10:08 AM
Awesome! The Mister has been on a Thai food kick lately so I'm sure it won't be hard to convince him to try this place. The Pad See Ew with Beef looks delicious, as do the other dishes. Thanks, Kirk!
Posted by: Carol | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 10:26 AM
WoW a nice hole in the wall joint. The name kinda rolls of the tongue like savory. Crunchy vegetables is the only way to eat it ;-)
Posted by: nhbilly | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 01:36 PM
Great news about a new good Thai place! I've been jonesing for some good Pad See Ew without having to pay exorbitant prices and/or drive up to Mira Mesa for it. I will definitely try this place out!
Posted by: Fred | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 04:35 PM
sounds like you found a great place!
Posted by: kat | Monday, 11 August 2008 at 05:49 PM
Hurray! I love Thai I-San food, having only been recently introduced to it myself. Definitely not your average westernized thai food. I too tried the Isan papaya salad and thought the marinated crab bits got stuck in my throat a bit but the rest of the salad's firey flavours made up for it. Your really need to see if they have spicy fried catfish salad! I think you will love it. The fish is fried until crisp bits and so there is none of your disliked "muddy flavour" ;)
Posted by: Rachel | Tuesday, 12 August 2008 at 03:08 AM
Hi Ed - It's a nice little restaurant.
Hi Mizducky - i hope you had a great lunch.
Hi Carol - The Pad See Ew was right on the money.
Hi Billy - The GaiLan was a bit too "raw" for my tastes, but other than that, it was very good.
Hi Fred - You gotta love the prices.
Hi Kat - This one will be on the rotation pretty quickly.
Hi Rachel - Actually, catfish is coming up.....
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 13 August 2008 at 06:56 AM
I took a coworker with me to eat at Sab-E-Lee today. Good food, and the nice gentleman was indeed nice. I think I know where I'm getting takeout Thai food from now on.
Posted by: Fred | Thursday, 14 August 2008 at 02:00 PM
Hi Fred - Great! I'm glad you enjoyed the food.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 14 August 2008 at 08:25 PM
ahhh, love that there is more to come. sounds like a great spot.
Posted by: foodhoe | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 08:34 AM
Hi FH - It is a nice spot....very nice.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 07:14 PM
Hey Kirk,
My wife is Thai Issan. She has tried a place in Santee, same MO as sab-e-lee. Deceptive name, Oishii Thai Japanese cuisine. Now granted, she might get "off the menu" stuffs but raves about it.
Posted by: PedMa | Saturday, 23 August 2008 at 10:50 AM
Hi PedMa - Nothing like inside info! BTW, is this the place?
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/10/episode_17week_.html
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 23 August 2008 at 04:29 PM