Sang Dao - A revisit (sort of)

On May first, Sang Dao opened in new digs on the corner of 54th and El Cajon Boulevard. A week later, I decided to check them out. It had been a while, but now since they've a bit (just a bit) closer, I really had no excuse.

 

Though located next to one of the "check cashing" places, the interior of the "new digs" is much different from the Sang Dao I knew on National Avenue! Bright and shiny like a new penny.....

  

And since my post back in 2005, I think I've learned a little bit about Lao cuisine.

The menu at this new location, looks the same, though I decided to stray a bit, and started asking about a few items. I think it's unfortunate that dishes like Or Lam, Mok Pa, and Kaeng Nor Mai Som aren't represented on the menu. In speaking to one of the young men, I was told that items such as those would not sell, though they make them for their own family meals at home. There are a few items that aren't on the menu, one which is the Raw Beef Larb:

 

Though you'll often hear folks say that "Issan Food is the same as Lao Food"(though often said by folks with a political agenda), and I do believe that in general, the differentiation is one of borders, not cuisine, I do note differences. And one of the dishes where this is reflected is in the Raw Beef Larb. There's an interesting Lao saying that you'll see everywhere on the Internet, something along the lines of "sweet makes you dizzy, but bitter makes you healthy". Funny thing was, I was told just about the same thing at my cooking class in Luang Prabang. In those restaurants where you find the cook/chef is from Issan (Northeast Thailand), such as Sab E Lee,  you'll find the Raw Beef Larb to be more citrusy, the dish a bit lighter.Here at Sang Dao, it is full on Lao, except in heat, I think that even though I ordered this spicy, they took it easy on me. First, was the inclusion of offal, which added an earthiness to the dish. Second, was the addition of a good amount of beef bile, which adds, at least to me, a nice bitterness to the dish. Sab E Lee and Lotus of Siam, will add it to your dish, but not in large amounts.

 

For me, the addition of those notes made this dish much more substantial, and along with the required sticky rice, it can be treated like a proper entree of sorts.

As I was taught in Laos, no meal is complete without a soup, which is not to be treated as a soup in Western terms, that is, as a "starter", but to be eaten along with the meal. I really didn't feel like having the recommended Tom Kroung Nai, Intestine Soup, so I went with the other recommendation, the "Jungle Curry':

 

A curry without coconut milk is termed a "jungle curry", though this was more of a soup. It was pleasant, and I enjoyed the eggplant and other veggies in the soup. Not overly rich, this was a nice foil to the larb. It tasted like a nice "homestyle" soup. I brought the remainder home, and though She declared it to be weak in the heat department the Missus enjoyed it.

If you visit Sang Dao, remember to spend a minute or two at the take-out counter, you'll find a good selection of Jeow (Dips). I think one of these days, I pick up a variety, along with some sticky rice. On this day, I bought the Naem Khao from the take-out counter. This may look a bit different from say, the version at Asia Cafe.

  

The dish is sold deconstructed, though they'll mix it for you if you want. The Missus said this was good, though She still prefers the version from Asia Cafe.

Even though the location of Sang Dao has changed, the food has not, many of the dishes are distinctly country-homestyle. And in case you're not in the mood for Raw Beef Larb, or Intestine Soup, many of the Curries and other dishes are quite good. Ed from Yuma, Howie, and I had the pleasure of sharing a meal at Sang Dao with Candice Woo, some of which is included in Her article, so please check it out.  

Sang Dao Restaurant
5421 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 263-0914

Comments

[Carol]

Ugh, I just had a big dinner and now I'm craving Thai. The Raw Beef Larb looks delicious!

[kat]

this was an interesting post Kirk :) not sure if I would try larb, maybe if you didn't tell me about the bile and offal??

[caninecologne]

hi kirk - cool! i didn't know sang dao relocated, now i gotta check it out and try their version of nem khao.

there's a filipino dish with bile in it, pinapaitan...i tried it a few times and boy, was it bitter. not a fan.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - It was good.

Hi Kat - Larb is a type of meat and vegetable salad. It is not always made with offal or bile.

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/09/thai-style-chic.html

Hi CC - I tried the pinapaitan at Goldilocks...man did it dry my mouth out.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Thanks for letting me sit in on that dinner with you, Howie, and Candice. Amazing flavors. I found the slight bitterness in the beef salad to be refreshing. I also loved the shrimp curry that Candice writes about. The offal soup was amazing - and so spicy. The best intestine I've ever eaten. :-)

[Kirk]

Hi Ed - It was a fun dinner indeed!

[Dave Jones]

This post is quite interesting...snapshots are cool.

[Kirk]

Hi Dave - Thanks for dropping by and taking the time out to comment.

[Chris]

This is useful to know Sang Dao moved- one of my favorites!

[Kirk]

Hey Chris - I'm glad you're able to use the info!