This new Thai/Vietnamese restaurant from the Diep le Shaker axis features an impressive, airy dining room with an attractive framed photo display of over laden Asian motorcycles on one wall. There was quite a crowd for 6pm on a Thursday and our bench style table was occupied at the other end by some south-side yankee wannabes at the beginning of the evening, replaced by genuine yankees later on. We had the mixed starter plate between two, tempura carrot and baby sweetcorn (more of this later), spring rolls, satay chicken on a stick and two interesting items served in leaves which were excellent (beef and smoked fish).
Mains were monkfish green curry (unmarinaded monkfish was a little plain, maybe could have been a bit greener overall, red chillis, bell peppers, baby sweetcorn, pea aubergines, green beans all featured) and a Saba signature dish of soft-shell crabs in a fragrant stir-fried concoction (galangal and other rooty things). The crabs were great, if a little greasy, but the stir fry base was too coarse and made for quite a chew.
Significantly the same vegetables as the curry were all present. You might expect a canteen like Wagamama to use this type of "generic ingredient medley" for reasons of efficiency but in a restaurant purporting to have a royal chef it seems a little unimaginative. Both dishes came with steamed rice, one bowl of which was overcooked and had become a gluey lump in the middle. It was all washed down with a beer and a glass of 'Rhone. €59.
6/10 - The walk over to Diep le Shaker is worth it.
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