Sainam brings bold flavours of Northeastern Thailand to Vancouver — here's what you need to try | Daily Hive

Mee Krop Khon Kaen (Hanna McLean/Dished)

Chef Angus An is arguably one of the biggest names in Vancouver’s food scene, owning multiple much-loved restaurants in the city, including Maenam and Fat Mao Noodles. And it’s not just the locals who like his cooking; celebrities from all over have flocked to his restaurants to rave about his cooking.

So, when An announced that he was opening his latest concept focusing on the Isaan region of Thailand, we knew we needed to be among the first to try it.

Introducing Sainam, aka a Vancouver foodie paradise.

The 40-seat, 1,200 sq. ft. restaurant is bright and airy, creating a welcoming and casual environment that introduces restaurant-goers to a part of Thailand they may have never even heard of. This deceptively simple interior, adorned with pops of colour throughout, is a direct correlation to the types of food you’ll experience here.

Marco Ovies/Dished

We got a rundown of the menu during our visit, which An developed alongside Sainam’s head chef, Poom Sikarin Sirisupanon (who is an active member of the Khon Kaen community in the Isaan region), offering insight into which dishes we should try first, and warning us that some of these can pack a punch.

The Isaan region of Thailand is best known for dishes like its sticky rice, Som Tum (papaya salad), grilled meats, and spicy and sour flavours, all of which can be found on the menu. Additionally, An told us that food from the Isaan region doesn’t typically cook with coconut, as opposed to other parts of Thailand.

After that brief overview, we were not surprised to hear that one of the stars of Sainam’s menu is its Som Tum bar, featuring seven different offerings of green papaya salad.

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An walked us through all the different options like the Fried Papaya Salad (made with papaya fritters) and the classic Som Tum Thai (with peanuts and dried shrimp), we decided to settle on one that we were told had a particularly strong and bold scent, but was assured was absolutely delicious: the Som Tum Lao.

This papaya salad was served with fermented fish sauce and salt-cured blue crabs, which we were instructed to suck on, rather than eat. The flavour was immediate, along with a slight kick of heat (An wasn’t joking when he said it might be spicy). And while the heat wasn’t overpowering, we were told that if the spice level did become too much, we could tone it down by eating some sticky rice dipped in the sauce. Plus, each serving of sticky rice was presented in these small woven basket containers, which An picked up during a winter trip to Thailand.

Som Tum Lao (Marco Ovies/Dished)

Woven basket with sticky rice (Marco Ovies/Dished)

Just like the Som Tum Lao, which can be eaten on its own on top of rice noodles or with sticky rice by dipping it into the sauce, nearly every main course we tried had multiple ways to enjoy it, encouraging you to mix and match each bite. Take the Wichian Buri Grilled Chicken, a dish that is as tasty on its own as it is with the two accompanying sauces.

Wichian Buri Grilled Chicken (Marco Ovies/Dished)

But big flavours aren’t the only thing you can expect to find at Sainam; you’ll also find a great use of textures.

The Mee Krop Khon Kaen — a crispy noodle salad glazed in tamarind and palm sugar caramel — was not only a citrusy and sweet delight, but the crispy noodles also had an absolutely addictive texture. We could eat a plateful of these and be happy.

Mee Krop Khon Kaen (Marco Ovies/Dished)

This attention to texture extends even to dishes like Sainam’s signature selection of Som Tum. The restaurant utilizes a special machine imported from Thailand to achieve the same texture as roughly hand-chopped Som Tum, resulting in slices of papaya of varying sizes.

Other standout offerings we need to mention are the Tom Saep Baby Pork Rib (hot and sour soup of braised pork), Koi Nua (Isaan-style beef tartare, but this one packs a punch so be warned), and Kanom Tuay (a Thai coconut rice custard served in these cute small bowls stacked on top of each other).

Koi Nua (Marco Ovies/Dished)

Kanom Tuay (Marco Ovies/Dished)

And while everything we ate was stellar, Sainam also has a selection of drinks you won’t want to miss. During our visit, we enjoyed the non-alcoholic Yuzu Elder Margarita, but you can’t go wrong with anything here (the Thai Iced Tea also looked quite good).

Yuzu Elder Margarita (Marco Ovies/Dished)

Thai Iced Tea (Marco Ovies/Dished)

Ultimately, Sainam is truly a unique experience in the Vancouver food scene. Offering hot and bold flavours with unique dishes, anyone looking to venture into a new culinary region or just wanting to try something new will be delighted after dining at Sainam.

Sainam is currently softly open, with its grand opening scheduled for Friday, June 13.

Sainam

Address: 1235 Davie St., Vancouver

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