Category: Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

I realize that Cathy and I have done posts on Sab E Lee 2, but I thought you’d like to see a couple of other dishes.

First up, Miang Kum (เมี่ยงคำ – $7.95), a simple, but wonderful appetizer:

These are basically leaf wraps, and though I’ve read that the classic Miang Kum uses Betel Leaves, all of the variations we’ve had uses spinach leaves. At first the combination of perfectly diced red onion, galangal, slivered lime, peanuts, dried shrimp, and thai bird chilies, topped with roasted coconut and a tangy and sweet, tamarind and palm sugar “sauce” seems a bit strange. But take my word for it, the sum of the parts is a wonderful melange of flavors…. it seems that each one is jockeying for position.

When working with such basic ingredients, freshness is the key, as I’ve had several versions (and one terrible version in San Diego) featuring dried out galangal and limes, and low quality shrimp. Everything here was shiny and fresh, and the tamarind dip brought everything together for us.

Bags of Gold ($7.95):

Think of these as Sab E Lee’s fried won tons if you will. These “bags” are full of minced pork, shrimp, shiitake mushroom, and water chestnuts. While the portion of the “bag” holding the filling is almost crepe-like, the top portions are light and crisp.

Pretty nice to look at too.

The Superwild Shrimp ($8.95) is a shrimp salad of sorts:

It is dressed with a fish sauce – chili – garlic – palm sugar sauce. Though we prefer the Plaa Shrimp, the shrimp in this dish was cooked to a “just well” doneness.

Of course I had to try the Koi Soi/Koi Nua (Spicy Raw Beef – $7.95), one of my favorites at Sab E Lee 1:

First off, this version is not nearly as spicy as SEL1. In fact, after tasting a few of the same dishes, I’d say that the dishes are about %30 less spicy here in Santee. I usually get a’9′ on the heat scale, this was more like a 5. That’s not to say that this wasn’t good, it was. Less spicy, but the inclusion of raw garlic added pungency and bite. This version is also a bit more citrusy and herbaceous. The nutty flavor provided by the roasted sticky rice powder is a bit more muted.

The Larb Duck($7.95) is another similar but different dish.

This version was a bit more herbaceous, and truth be told, we enjoyed this one more since the flavor of the duck came through very clearly.

Since the Chef had cut his teeth cooking in Bangkok, a version of the classic Bangkok Red Curry Duck was a necessity. Here it’s called Royal Duck Curry ($10.95):

In all honesty, of all the dishes we’ve had here, this was our least favorite. It seemed that all of those reasons we don’t enjoy the overly-Westernized Thai food in San Diego were in display here. The curry was too sweet, too fruity (via pineapple and grapes), and used too much coconut milk for our tastes.

The flavor off the duck was overwhelmed and buried in our opinion.

The Missus loved the Three Flavored Fish (Halibut – $14.95):

The fish was put panko crusted, and put together just as the Pinecone Fish we encountered on our previous visit. This time it was fried even better if that was possible. The fish was moist, and almost sweet. The sauce is a tamarind-palm sugar based sauce, was perhaps a bit too sweet for me, but the Missus just plain loved this. I can’t say anything bad about that fish. My perfect solution is to order the Pinecone Fish, and request a little dish of the Three Flavor Sauce on the side.

Fish Garlic ($12.95):

A classic Thai sweet-spicy-garlic preparation. I loved the sauce, and in fact ate up all the cabbage, and even the carrot garnish. Unfortunately for me, the fish used was catfish, and it was a bit muddy for my palate. The Missus joyfully scarfed the whole filet in minutes…….

On one visit we ordered the Fish on Fire ($16.95):

Two large Halibut Filets covered with a red curry sauce and served with a flambe of rum. One quick piece of advice for this dish, let the alcohol burn off before sampling, otherwise the rum adds a rather strong astringent flavor to the dish. The halibut was moist and tender. There was a bit too much going on for me in this dish, but again the Missus loved it.

One of my favorite menu items at Sab E Lee 2 is one of the cheapest….. the Garlic Rice ($3):

Those regular readers know that I love garlic anyway…. but this was so very good. Much better than any version of Filipino Garlic Rice I’ve ever had, as there was golden sauteed garlic and crisp fried garlic and shallot in this. The herbs added some great flavor…. and the rice being prepared well didn’t hurt things…….

By now, most regular customers of Sab E Lee know Koby….. his wonderful demeanor, gentle, kind, and always helpful just makes the whole experience better. He obviously loves to please his customers. On one occasion, I ordered the Garlic Rice, and mentioned an egg and pork street food dish we had in Bangkok, and how it would be just the perfect item with this. Koby smiled and told us, “I know what it is, we’ll make it for you!” And just like that, we had a classic Thai omelete, which we were later told is called Khai Jeaw:

Wonderfully savory, fluffy, omelete, with a quick dip in the Nam Pla Prik(fish sauce and chili) which helps cut the richness, followed with a bite of garlic rice…. There are few things better in the world.

And for a second, I was here:

The crazy streets of Silom in Bangkok…….. You know, they say in America, the streets are paved in gold. In Bangkok, the streets are paved in food! Looking at this makeshift food stand, you wouldn’t know that it’s in front of massive financial buildings in Silom, which is Bangkok’s business district.

Sometimes a smell, or just a taste can take me back…….

And Koby was nice enough to provide that for me.

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

Often times, a bit of information or a recommendation will allow me to order to the strength of a restaurant. When I first visited Sab E Lee, I was taken by the gentleman who ran the tiny restaurant. He eagerly provided me with the information I needed to order by telling me that the cooks were from “Issan” (Northeastern Thailand), and I ended up ordering to the restaurant’s strength. That was a whole fifteen months, and maybe over a hundred visits ago. Since then, I’ve gotten to know Kobe pretty well, and now with the opening of Sab E Lee 2 in Santee, it’ll be more of the same, right? Well, not so fast pilgrim……… During the past weekend when I went to check out Sab E Lee 2 and ran into Kobe, he shared the new menu with me, and information about the chef at this location. This Chef is more experienced in fine dining, having worked at several four star hotels…. I believe The Sukothai Bangkok was one of the hotels named. After looking through the menu, the Missus and I headed over, East on the 52, off at Mission Gorge, and arrived at Sab E Lee. As I mentioned in my previous post, the restaurant is maybe four times the size of the Linda Vista location, Kobe also showed me the kitchen which is about the same size as the dining area!

After we were greeted by Kobe, and several of the familiar faces, we got under way. First off, please forgive the pinkish tinged photos as the reflection of pink everywhere makes everything…. well, pink.

Kobe told me to try the Kra Thong Tong ($7.95):

You see, from what Kobe told me about the Chef, I figured that one of the strengths here would be what I tend to call “Royal Thai” cuisine, with it’s more intricate presentations, lighter fare, featuring many Chinese and Mon influences. And these wonderful, light, rice flour based pasty cups filled with minced prawns and chicken surely fill the bill. Royal Thai doesn’t mean dumbed down, but it presents itself with a wonderfully balanced flavors and textures. In this case a mild curry background, brought up with a cucumber relish that seems to use palm syrup. And yet, it is not overly sweet, but a very complex dish.

The Plaa Shrimp($8.95) was a good second choice:

Butterflied shrimp are quickly charred, and left in a “rare” state. The bracing and spicy lime sauce finishes off the “cooking” process. We quickly noticed that this chef uses a good bit more lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in his dishes. The spice level was excellent, courtesy of Thai Bird Chilies, and with the slices of raw garlic and Thai Eggplant, this is a dish that would be right at home at Sab E Lee on Linda Vista.

The third dish we ordered was the Pine Cone Fish (Halibut – $16.95):

I’m sorry to say that my photos don’t do this dish justice. It is a good-sized Halibut, de-boned, crusted with panko and placed into the shape of a pine cone. The fish was fried to perfection, soft and tender. The line-chili-fish sauce dip was good if a bit salty. Kobe brought out a little dish of tangy tamarind based sauce which the Missus loved. Kobe told us that it was the sauce used for Three Flavored Fish, which is what we’ll be ordering in the future.

Overall, this was a wonderful meal….lovely presentations, well prepared food, and the prices weren’t too bad. And yes, there’s Koi Soi, Catfish Larb, and many of my other favorites on the menu. But I thought it would be good to play to the Chef’s strengths, and I think he did a great job. I’ll do my Koi Soi comparison on another day…..

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

**** This location of Sab E Leee has closed

Yes, yet another post on Sab E Lee, though I'll keep it mainly to photos. Sab E Lee has only been open maybe 15 months, but has become a regular stop for us.  As the weather gets cooler, I notice that we've started to transition from the various Larb and Beef Salads to more hearty dishes, like the Chicken with Spicy Mint Leaves:

And other stuff……

Though there are some dishes that I just won't give up, like the Spicy Raw Beef (Koi Soi):

 
Since we've been eating at Sab E Lee, I've never had to declare a "heat level". Kobe always knew how spicy we wanted our food to be. In the case where I was having lunch or dinner with friends, I'd always ask for things "less spicy", or in one rare case, "Lao Spicy"……. When having dinner with FOY JohnL, who told me that he could eat spicy, I ordered everything "less spicy" except for the Koi Soi, which I asked to be "the way I like it". Poor John could only eat one spoon of the Koi Soi….. Which got me wondering what level of heat was being ordered for the Missus and I. Also, since Kobe was soon to be manning Sab E Lee 2, I'll be having to tell the folks here how spicy I want my food.  On one of our last visits, we asked Kobe what heat level he assigns to our dishes. The answer was surprising, most dishes are a 7, except for the Koi Soi, which is a 9!

 
And of course, the intimacy of Sab E Lee always means there's an interesting conversation floating through the air around you…… In this case, an over-dressed (for Sab E Lee) middle aged WASP couple, sampling some Pad Thai, Tom Yum, and Panang Curry (sigh…..Candice, Howie, and I have had conversations about this trinity). Female in a stage whisper; "this tastes really different…." Male: "yes, something's wrong, this doesn't taste anything like Taste of Thai and Thai House."

I really wanted to scream, "Amen brother, and I hope it never does……"

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

More info on Sab E Lee 2:

Since I was in the area this morning, I decided to drop by and check out the new second location of Sab E Lee, which I posted about here.  

The first thing I noticed was the size of the parking lot……..it looks like they won't be short of parking! So I snap my photo, and I hear a friendly little honk from a car to the rear of me….. and it's Kobe and his crew. I am so busted…… Kobe's all smiles, though he does look a bit tired. So I get a nice little tour of the restaurant, which is medium sized, but not large by any means. There's room for more tables and growth. Kobe told me that everything is on track, and they will opening for lunch at 11am tomorrow.

I also got a look at the menu, which is pretty hefty, with about three times the amount of dishes that Sab E Lee has. Luckily, many of our favorite dishes are on the menu (click to enlarge photos):

 

It does seem that some of the dishes from the Thai Restaurant at this location was kept, and the menu has a strong Bangkok Thai influence.

"Superwild Shrimp" sounds interesting, and there's Miang Kum and Kra Thong Tong.

To me, Sab E Lee is a wonderful success story. From a tiny hole-in-the-wall, to a second restaurant in fifteen months is quite an accomplishment. When we first moved to San Diego, the lack of the type Thai Food we enjoyed (non American-Thai) was a bit, well, depressing. We found a couple of places, that served a few dishes that we enjoyed. I distinctly remember a conversation with the owner of one of these restaurants. They had a few good dishes, and when I asked about some of our favorite Thai dishes using ingredients that I was used to eating in Thai Town I was told, "we could never have that on the menu. People in San Diego would never eat that, and it is economical suicide. There's no way a restaurant in San Diego could serve those dishes with Thai ingredients and survive." In a way, he is an excellent business man, as his restaurant empire has now expanded to several restaurants. But Kobe and crew has also proven him wrong…..you can get good un-Americanized Thai Food in San Diego. And I hope this is only the beginning…….

Some other info on Sab E Lee 2 – Grand opening date is Monday, November 2. Kobe also told me that during the first week, there will be a 15% discount on most dishes. So there you go…..

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Open Daily 1030 am – 930 pm

619-328-1568

Sab E Lee 2 Coming Soon:

I dropped by and had an early lunch at Sab E Lee this past Sunday. Koby, the owner greeted me with a big smile, and told me, "I have some big news for you." Koby told me that he had found a space for a new restaurant, but wouldn't be sure until Monday. Koby then gave me his cellphone number and told me to call him. Instead, I told Koby that I'll drop by on Wednesday. So today, while I nosh'd on my Grilled Duck Larb:

Koby filled me in. So here's the scoop; the new restaurant will be called Sab E Lee 2 and is opening in Santee. The address will be:

9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Luckily for us, he is keeping the Linda Vista location of Sab E Lee open. The new restaurant will have most of the items on the current menu, but will also add some more "Americanized" Thai dishes. I dunno about that, but I'm happy that my favorites will still be on the menu. According to Koby, the Chef of the restaurant in Santee is a good friend of his that has a lot of experience and used to be a chef at a four star hotel in Bangkok. Target opening day is the first Monday in November. I'm happy for Koby, they sure have come far in a bit over a year.

A Sab E Lee story:

I thought this was pretty funny. Sab E Lee is a very tiny restaurant, and because of the closeness of tables, sometimes you can't help but hear what everyone else is saying. On this day, a woman was seated with who I believe was her young son (maybe four or five?), a smart looking blond haired young man. I give the woman credit, they were eating Papaya Salad and Grilled Pork Neck, and the young man was digging in like a trooper. Out of the blue, the little one tells the Mom, "do they eat horse-ies here?" The Mom tells him, "I don't think so…..why?" The boy points to the lettering on the windows and exclaims, "it spells, I eat hoof!"

I snorted so hard, that I could feel my Beef Salad coming out of my nose! I guess it kinda looks like "I Eat Hoof". What do you think?

Thai Cafe closes:

Unfortunately, with the current economic unrest, more restaurants are closing than opening. And for every new restaurant opening, there seem to be two or more closing. Thai Cafe on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard is the latest casualty.

RIP Thai Cafe……

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

I've been wondering why I crave spicy foods when the mercury rises…… it's a strange thing. Eating spicy food can make you sweat, which I do more than my share of, inducing the body's cooling mechanisms. Or perhaps it's the endorphins released by capsaicin, creating that "chili -high"…. who knows. I do know that I crave certain spicy dishes when it heats up; Sichuan Hot Pot need not apply, but by all means bring on the Larb! Since Sab E Lee made our rotation, I've pretty much stopped taking photos. Really, how many Sab E Lee posts can one deal with.

However, on some recent visits, I managed to whip out the camera, so here goes. My brow is damp already…

I'm pretty sure regulars readers are just waiting to see a photos of Koi Soi/Koi Nua, the spicy raw beef salad that is probably my favorite dish at Sab E Lee. But I've decided to leave that out of this post….mainly because everyone knows Ilove the stuff, it's become kinda, well, predictable. So predictable that when some FOYs dropped by for some drinks and eats, they brought along… youguessed it Koi Soi from Sab E Lee. And not just one order, but two!    

Speaking of predictable, I've long noticed that most of my photos, like this one of the excellent Catfish Larb ($6.95), all look the same. It's the eye from above look….

So here's a better shot, of the savory, salty, citrus-y, Catfish Larb. The flavors are pushed along by the roasted rice powder. There have been times when the catfish was less than stellar, but when it's on, the combination of textures is wonderful.

And of course, I just can't get away from that up from above shot, like in the case of the Bamboo Shoot Salad($6.95):

The savory fish sauce, when combined with the bright citrus flavor and crisp bamboo makes this a refreshing dish. The woodsy and mildly smoky flavor of the bamboo, I believe  from the chemical para-cresol adds depth to the dish. When JohnL, a FOY (Friend of Yoso) had dinner with me one evening, he enjoyed this dish so much, went back for more the next day. Unfortunately, it was Monday, and Sab E Lee was closed. He had to wait an entire day for his fix.

I've covered our little dilemma of which beef salad to order before, but we still have the same problem. On some days, it's the Nahm Tok ($6.95):

Yes, yet another "bird's eye view". The Nahm Tok is a nice, savory, mildly sweet beef salad, the heat is slow burning, provided by dried chilies and chili paste. With nutty accents provided by the roasted rice powder. It is more suave and subtle (perhaps not the right term) than the Yum Nua, the Beef Salad ($6.95):

Fresh chilies, onions, and raw garlic give this dish some teeth! As you see, on occasion, the addition of Thai Eggplant adds a mild astringency, though it is nowhere near as bitter as Lao versions of this dish. It is upfront, in your face, and plain delicious.

And of course, you'll need an "eye in the sky" shot, right?

In the end, though my photos may be, as the Missus calls it, "boring and predictable" (I call it consistent), what Sab E Lee puts out on a daily basis is definitely not boring……

Here's a few other photos, just because:

The Salted Fish Fried rice….sooo good, but politically incorrect, don't take it back to the office with you.

Chicken with Spicy Mint Leaves:

Hope everyone had a great Monday….. I gotta go practice some new camera angles!

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111