Sainam - Thai Isaan Eatery and Bar

You've probably heard me talk about how many of the restaurants we have in Vancouver (and many other spots around the world) take the "tourist" approach to their menus.  Hence, we see multiple cuisines from different regions of one country all packaged into one restaurant.  We are seeing more often that restaurants are being dedicated to one region as customers are becoming more aware and are also demanding it.   This brings me to one of the newest Northeastern Thai restaurants in town in Sainam.  Opened by Angus An, Sainam joins a growing list of Isaan (or E-Sarn) focused Thai restaurants in Vancouver.  Known for their sweet and sour flavour profiles and Loatian influences, it is definitely different than the usual coconut thick curries and seafood of the South.

Predominant on the front page of the menu, there is a section dedicated to Som Yum (Papaya Salad).  Although it was suggested we try the one with salt cured little crabs, we opted for the Fried Papaya Salad instead.  I've had the one with the crabs before and it was definitely briny and full of umami.  However, this fried papaya salad was all about the textures.  So much crunch in this and bathed in a sweet and tangy dressing that was also plenty spicy.  It was a balanced spiciness though as I could still taste everything else and not kill my tastebuds for the other dishes we ordered.

For our next item, we had something that is not unique to Isaan cuisine, but definitely a Thai favourite as the menu states.  This was of course, the well-known dish of Pad Thai.  I would say this was prepared in a familiar way and it was probably intentional.  For those who are not familiar with Isaan Thai, this (and the other items in the Thai Favourites section), would be accessible.   The noodles were chewy and al dente while doused in enough tamarind for a tangy bite.  There was a touch of brininess and balancing sweetness.  It was pretty mild, but the side of chili powder helped kick things up.

Another dish from the same section of the menu was the Laab Fried Rice.  This had sufficient wok hei for some nuttiness from the rice.  The rice itself was moist, yet not wet, where it was chewy with discernible grains.  It was seasoned well where every bite was full of flavour including the various herbs including the sweet star anise hit from the Thai basil and some spice from the chilies.  Of course we had some brininess as well as plenty of sweetness too.   Some background acidity balanced things out. The big chunks of chicken were rather dry, but not in a bad way.  It had crispy bits on the edges and a firm chew everywhere else.

One of my favourite cuts of meat has to be Pork Neck or aka Pork Collar as it is fatty and tender.  Therefore, we ordered the Nam Tok Pork Neck.  There are 2 versions on the menu and this particular dish found the sliced pork neck tossed with roasted rice powder, herbs and spicy lime dressing.  As per usual, the pork neck was fatty and plenty bouncy in texture.  Very nice mouth feel with tangy spiciness as well as the brightness of the herbs.  There was some nuttiness from the rice powder.

Whenever we are dining on SE Asian cuisine, ordering Fried Chicken Wings is a must.  Something about how they seasoned them and the dipping sauces...  So good!  Well, the one here at Sainam was pretty decent.  The wings themselves were still moist with rendered crispy skin.  We would've liked to see more fish sauce glaze on the outside though.  It was plenty flavourful with caramelized sweetness and briny saltiness.  The dipping sauce on the side was a good combination of saltiness, sweetness, tanginess, herbaceousness and spice.

We ordered one veggie dish in the Stir-Fried Cabbage with fish sauce & dried chili.  This was quite good in terms of flavour as the sweetness of the palm sugar was evident and it was caramelized.  Nice briny saltiness from the fish sauce and there was an earthiness in the background.  There was definitely some spice in the end too.  One thing that we would have liked to see was more wok hei and charring of the cabbage.  Texturally, the cabbage was still crunchy and vibrant.

Onto dessert, we had the Pandan Custard Cake which was in a nice shade of pandan green.  It was soft and mildly sweet with the unmistakable floral and nutty notes.  Definitely tropical tasting and not super heavy.  The sweetened egg topping was texturally pleasing while adding an extra hit of flavour.  Overall, Sainam is a solid choice for Northeastern Thai food.  Yes, I didn't get to dive deep into the true Isaan dishes on the menu, but I wouldn't mind coming back to try them.

The Good:

- Nice flavours

- Attentive service

- Unique dishes on the menu

The Bad:

- Wok hei was sufficient, but we would've liked to see even more smokiness