Thai Sabai, Bangkok’s Hidden Organic Oasis

By Dwight Turner Bangkok

The vegetarian festival is back on in Bangkok and since this is my first chance to write since it began, I thought I’d begin by covering a place that makes delicious, healthy food all year round.

turmeric

Turmeric on display in the organic grocer section of Thai Sabai.

The restaurant is called Thai Sabai and it’s a decent choice whether you’re vegetarian or not.

First off, it’s some sort of mutant restaurant that also has a spa, and an organic grocer where they sale products from the Talaypu farm.

Thai Sabai Organic Grocer and Handicrafts

Thai Sabai restaurant is full of products from the Talaypu farm!

You can get a massage in the spa, stock up on hair oils, fruits, veggies and even some handicrafts.

And what else can you do while you’re in this organic one-stop shop?

Fill up on gas and grab a healthy meal at their restaurant.

deep fried pumpkin fritters

Deep fried, pumpkin stuffed crisps with a tamarind sauce.

Yes, just like Lemon Farm, Thai Sabai is also located hidden in the back of a gas station.

The gas station is in Ratchada, across the street from the exhibition hall for Siam Niramit.

basil fried mushrooms

Spicy fried mushrooms with basil and a fried egg (กระเพราเห็ดรวมไข่ดาว) on their coarse, organic yellow rice.

So yes, it’s a long way off the beaten track, but of course there’s always a reward for getting lost!

deep fried tumeric fish

Turmeric marinated, deep fried fish and garlic ปลาเห็ดโคนทอดขมิ้น

The food is scrumptious and there’s enough variety on the menu to keep you trying new things.

The catch, however, is to not to show up starved because the restaurant section is understaffed.

They’re slow and they get confused if it’s busy, so avoiding peak times also helps.

lemongrass salad in bed of leaves

ยำตะไคร้

Once they sent me the wrong people’s food (which I ate, of course) and then told me about 10 minutes after! By then that person’s food was gone and the food I actually ordered was being finished so I suddenly had an accidental feast.

Awesome in one way, but then again I kinda feel bad for the other dude and there have been plenty of other service mishaps in the two years or so I’ve been going here. Honestly, I kept putting off writing this review because I was secretly hoping it would get better.

sweet organic lemongrass salad on a plate

Can you tell why this is flavor packed salad is one of their best dishes?

But alas, you’ve been warned and you can visit and decide for yourself if it’s worth the hassle.

I’ll keep going sporadically because there’s a couple things on their menu I love.

mieng kam authentic thai dish

Mieng kam (เมี่ยงคำ), one of my favorite Thai snacks.

While I find their curries and egg dishes on the bland side, they do a few tasty stir fry dishes served with their heavy yellow organic rice which you should try out.

I love their sweet and crunchy lemongrass salad, their tofu slathered in tamarind sauce, and their jungle tacos aka miang kam (เมี่ยงคำ). Jungle tacos are when you’re given a plate of leaves used to wrap a variety of ingredients. Their miang kam set includes chili, lime, dried shrimp, onion, unripe banana, peanuts, roasted coconut and a sticky tamarind sauce. In a fresh, crisp leaf all those flavors give you quite the explosion of sweet, tangy, spicy, and sour simultaneously.

The miang kam and lemongrass salad are so good that I keep ordering them when I see them on menus elsewhere, only to find other versions not as fresh or delicious.

miang kham leaf wrap

I like to call these jungle tacos!

Before you wander off, make sure you stick your head in their farm-made ice cream freezer. Their mulberry ice cream is unique and there’s other interesting flavors available too.

mulberry and passionfruit ice cream scoops

Mulberry and passionfruit ice cream scoops.

The Bottom Line

Here’s a great place for meal if you’ve got time on your hands and you’re not starving.

The service can be quite slow and they are easily overwhelmed if there are a lot of customers, but the food is good and is among the city’s most affordable organic eats. The menu items range from 80-120 baht.

I have also tried the massage and it’s great! Make an appointment for a massage and have a meal after. Just remember to browse the organic products only after you’ve already ordered your food.

Front of Thai Sabai Restaurant & Massage

The non-descript entrance to Thai Sabai.

Thai Sabai (ไทสบาย) and Talaypu Organic Kitchen (ครัวทะเลภู)

Address: 38, Tiam Ruammit Rd., Huai Khwang, Huai Khwang, Bangkok 10310 Thailand
Hours: Daily, 11am-8pm
Phone Number: 02-246-1397 ext.9

How to Get There:

This gas station is a popular place for taxis to park because they can fill up and use the bathroom right across from Siam Niramit, where they’re often bringing tourists. So if you’re in this area, it’s easy to tell a taxi, Siam Niramit (a cultural show) and just have them dump you out across the street.

However, coming by MRT is also easy. You need to walk about 20 minutes though from the MRT Thai Cultural Center Station Exit 1. Don’t get lost though at the junction for Tiam Ruam Mit. First you turn left down it (walk past the epic issan restaurant on the corner) and then the road divides again! Pay attention and make sure you cross over to the left to follow the sidewalk to Thai Sabai (hint: you should be walking with the flow of traffic on the one way road, if not you’re on the wrong section of the road).

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