Sap's Thai Kitchen, which opened in December in the small retail strip on the east side of Mueller near the Barbara Jordan intersection, is doing something unusual for a neighborhood restaurant: it's making no effort to be approachable. The menu is short, the heat levels are real, and the sticky rice comes in a basket, not on a plate. If you're looking for pad thai, it's not here. If you're looking for som tum that tastes like it does in Khon Kaen, you've found it.
Owner and chef Sapmak "Sap" Intharangsi grew up in northeastern Thailand and cooked at two well-known Austin Thai restaurants before opening his own place. The 900-square-foot restaurant has 24 seats, a small open kitchen, and a hand-painted mural of rice paddies that's the only decoration on the otherwise plain white walls.
What We Tried
The som tum ($12) is the dish to order. Shredded green papaya pounded to order in a clay mortar with dried shrimp, peanuts, tomato, long beans, and a dressing that hits sour, salty, sweet, and hot in rapid succession. The heat level, which the menu marks with one to four chilis, is not performative — the three-chili version cleared our sinuses and made one dining companion briefly unable to speak. Perfect.
The larb moo ($14), a minced pork salad with toasted rice powder, mint, and shallots, is the other essential. The pork has a coarse, almost crumbly texture that comes from hand-chopping rather than grinding — a small detail that makes a noticeable difference. The toasted rice powder adds a nutty crunch that rounds out the sharpness of the lime and fish sauce.
The grilled pork neck ($16) arrives sliced thin, slightly charred, with a tamarind dipping sauce and a basket of sticky rice. The pork is marinated in garlic, coriander root, and white pepper, and grilled over charcoal — you can taste the smoke. At $16, it's a steal.
Less successful was the gaeng om ($15), an Isaan-style herbal soup that was thinner and less complex than hoped — missing the depth that comes from a longer simmer. Sap acknowledged as much when we asked; he said the broth is still being refined.
The Details
Sap's is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. No reservations — first come, first served. The wait on a Saturday at 6 p.m. was 25 minutes. Beer and wine only (Singha, Chang, and three Texas wines). Cash and card accepted. Street parking on Barbara Jordan or the surface lot on the next block.
At these prices, with this quality, in this neighborhood, Sap's won't stay a secret long. Go before the wait becomes unreasonable.