Safety Harbor's Sabai Restaurant Pleases Times Critic

Sabai, a Safety Harbor Thai restaurant, receives a positive review from Tampa Bay Times food critic Laura Reiley. (The Times tweeted a photo of Sabai's food. Doesn't it look delicious?)

Located at 2454 North McMullen Booth Rd., Sabai is strategically located on Safety Harbor's border with Clearwater and well able to pull in a lot of traffic.

It also is close by to other popular Thai restaurants, Ban Thai and Thai Spice.

But Reiley notes that owner Suda Deowpawaropas knows the restaurant business, as she owns the King and I and Chiang Mai in St. Petersburg.

Sabai is a new venture for her, opening in the fall of 2012. And Reiley gives a big thumbs up to the menu of classic Thai offerings.

Reiley notes:

It's a "greatest hits" approach that offers a lot of crowd pleasers, but in this case it's served graciously and in a setting that embodies the definition of "sabai."

Like similar restaurants these days, Sabai has a pan Asian appeal, focusing on Thai cuisine but also offering Japanese sushi.

Reiley writes:

"Sushi presentations are tidy and straightforward, on simple white square platters. The kitchen goes light on the volcano and eel sauces (a plus in my book)."

But Reiley is most enthusiastic for the Thai presentations. Here's what she said about the tempura eggplant, at $11.95:

Simple enough, but, wow, was it good. Rounds of eggplant thickly battered and fried crunchy, on a bed of still-crisp mixed veggies...

More Safety Harbor Restaurant Reviews

Reiley must enjoy her visits to Safety Harbor. She recently reviewed two other Safety Harbor restaurants. See what she had to say in this post: Safety Harbor Restaurants Impress Times Critic.

Here are some favorite spots as rated by diners on Urban Spoon: Top 5 Outdoor Dining Spots in Countryside Mall Area.

For Reiley's full review in the Tampa Bay Times, see In Crowded Thai Field, Sabai Is a Contender.

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