Nai, a Thai woman I work with, recommended to me her favorite Thai restaurants in the city. Writing of Sai Jai Thai, she said, "My favorite in San Francisco. I usually get Pork Shoulder Salad but other things are also delicous."
Since then, I've been wanting to check out SAI JAI Thai Restaurant (no website - 771 Ofarrell St (at Hyde) / 415.673.5774). A month ago, I had a chance to go and today we had food from it delivered in for our company lunch.
I loved it. It was very authentic - everyone in the restaurant is Thai. It reminds me of going to a night market and just getting some food from the different vendors. The food was delicious. Although, they could turn down the lights some and the yellow/orange decor leaves something to be desired. You're there for the food, though.
Start with meng come (sometimes spelled mieng khum at other restaurants) which are laloop leaves topped with peanuts, coconut, onion, ginger, chili, and lime. You add a sweet tasting sauce to it and the different textures and flavors are a great introduction to Thai cuisine. The laloop leaves grow on the laloop tree, which is actually a bush, or a shrub. They don't grow in the city. There's a picture of the dish in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Since then, I've been wanting to check out SAI JAI Thai Restaurant (no website - 771 Ofarrell St (at Hyde) / 415.673.5774). A month ago, I had a chance to go and today we had food from it delivered in for our company lunch.
I loved it. It was very authentic - everyone in the restaurant is Thai. It reminds me of going to a night market and just getting some food from the different vendors. The food was delicious. Although, they could turn down the lights some and the yellow/orange decor leaves something to be desired. You're there for the food, though.
Start with meng come (sometimes spelled mieng khum at other restaurants) which are laloop leaves topped with peanuts, coconut, onion, ginger, chili, and lime. You add a sweet tasting sauce to it and the different textures and flavors are a great introduction to Thai cuisine. The laloop leaves grow on the laloop tree, which is actually a bush, or a shrub. They don't grow in the city. There's a picture of the dish in the upper right hand corner of this post.
I've had several dishes now and every single one has been a great balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Their chicken satay was typical. Tasty, good peanut sauce to accompany it. The penang curry was very delicious, while the green curry (which I usually don't get) was a mix of creamy, spicy, and had a freshness to it. I've now also had some of their chicken and tofu dishes, which also highlighted the important balancing act.
Their pad thai and other noodle dishes I've had there were very good. Sometimes you get the noodles that seem to have been sitting around (sticking together), but these felt and tasted freshlymade and had the requisite chopped peanuts, lime, beansprouts and other tidbits arrayed over it.
I highly recommend going. Make sure you get the laloop leaves!
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