Talking SCHOP! Joyful Consumption at Sappesian
I heard great things about a new Thai restaurant opened by the owners of SOOTHR, the 5-time Michelin Bib Gourmand designee and 2021 Best New Restaurant in the World. The post Talking SCHOP! Joyful Consumption at Sappesian appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
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As the great Nate Dogg once said, “Y’all can’t deny it, I’ma f**kin rider.” I ride hard for Asian foods. While I mostly lean into East Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese), Southeast Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino), and South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi), there are myriad other cuisines over Central Asia (Uzbekistan) and the Himalayan region (Tibet) to explore. It is the simple yet complex use of ubiquitous whole food ingredients to create foundational dishes and modern interpretations rooted in their culinary history that speaks to me. (Yes and … this idea can most likely be applied to your favorite cuisines too.)
Recently, two of my longtime (35+ years) friends — Jackie and Regina — and I were due for a hang and I was tasked to pick a restaurant. I heard great things about a new Thai restaurant opened by the owners of SOOTHR, the 5-time Michelin Bib Gourmand designee and 2021 Best New Restaurant in the World. Our dinner would be at Sappesian (240 West 14th Street).
Though I did not make a reservation, our relatively early planned dinner time of 6:30 p.m. got us in quickly with a caveat of us completing our meal in 90 minutes. As someone who has worked in busy restaurants, I appreciate the hustle and transparency to meet demand and to service the bottom line.
Sappe (pronounced “sep”) means to joyfully consume and to participate in all parts of the experience — what you see, hear, smell, feel, and, of course, eat. The railroad-style, wood-paneled space with mirrored ceiling feels cinematic, pulling you down a hallway that appears to be moving farther away to the final destination of the pink scrim-covered window of the bustling kitchen.
Kysha Harris photos
We were told to use a QR code on the table to peruse the menu. (HOT TIP: Do this before you arrive and thank me later.) Scrolling an exhaustive, yet gorgeous, menu on your phone while trying to take note of what you are considering with others in a very loud environment is not my calling. However, we got there and got there WELL!
We ordered from all parts of the menu. From Sappe Green (plant-forward): hed tod ($15) fried enoki mushroom with tamarind sauce and kana fan dang ($21), stir-fried Chinese broccoli with king oyster mushrooms in garlic-soy glaze. From Tum/Yum, we had mango salad ($19) with shallots, chilies, and mint tossed in a Thai dressing and tum pu pla ($16), authentic papaya salad with marinated raw crab. Standouts were kana fan dang and mango salad plus our entree, mama e-la ($25), signature wok-fried egg noodles with beef, Chinese broccoli, egg, and sweet soy pepper glaze. And shout out to Singha Thai beer, ON TAP!
We could not leave without having one of their desserts. While I could have eaten every last one of them, we opted for guava-pineapple sorbet ($15) with a thinly candied and toasted pineapple skewer, finished with chili sea salt.
There is so much, too much, for which to return to Sappesian. Next time, I will get my sappe on with wing zaab, krapow sam moo, chicken ki-mao, and that mango sundae!
Thank you Jackie and Regina for always a fun time. Sappesian, keep making it do what it do. Happy AAPI Month and Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Thanks for reading and happy eating!
Kysha Harris is a chef, food writer and editor, culinary producer, consultant and owner of
SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 23 years. Follow her on Instagram,
@SCHOPnyc and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc.
Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @NYAmNewsFOOD.
The post Talking SCHOP! Joyful Consumption at Sappesian appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
