While they are not the only things on the menu, skewers are the star of the show at the new hip Thai restaurant Sappe, from the owners of Soothr. Aside from chicken satay, I didn’t usually associate Thai food with sticks of meat. But what do I know?
These are called “Ping Yang” and are not so different from Japanese yakitori. They’re cooked over a charcoal grill, with a flavorful marinade and a simple spicy dipping sauce.
They could not be further from the peanut-forward chicken satay and they can’t be missed when visiting Sappe.
I stopped by for lunch and restrained myself with a choice of only four skewers (you can choose 4, 6, 9 or 12). There are 12 to choose from ranging from chicken skin to okra to ox tongue.
I picked the mushroom, chicken (Gai ping), cuttlefish, and marinated pork (moo ping). They were all majorly juicy with a sweet almost fruity flavor on their own (especially the chewy cuttlefish).
With the accompanying sappe sauce, the heat emerges and I picked up a few of the distinct Thai flavor components – sweet, spicy, and funky. The plate also featured a powdery pink garnish that I generously sprinkled on each skewer. It added a unique salty umami quality. Almost like a Cool Ranch flavor, which was unexpected and pretty cool.
My favorite was probably the meaty mushroom that was most potent at soaking up the flavor of the marinade, but they were all delicious.
Now when I think Thai food, I won’t forget about the incredible skewers thanks to Sappe. Price: $20-$50
| SAPPE |
| 20 West 14th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue), Chelsea (212) 466-6361 |
| sappenyc.com |
