MU’s newest dining hall is still ironing out the wrinkles in its service, but its tasty Asian-inspired cuisine is worth the wait.
Sabai, which opened earlier this month in Johnston Hall, offers a diverse menu of authentic Southeast Asian dishes. Far from the grease-smothered noodles and fried chicken drowned in ambiguously oriental sauce that one might encounter at Panda Express, Sabai’s food retains its traditional Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian flavors even in the middle of Columbia.
The taste might be unfamiliar to those accustomed to the Imperial Palace school of Asian cuisine, but that should definitely not dissuade MU students from visiting the hall and giving it a shot.
On my visit to Sabai, I sampled the Firecracker Pork Bowl, a savory mix of pulled pork, sweet potatoes, green onions and jasmine rice that, true to its name, made the inside of my mouth feel like it had been the site of a New Year’s celebration. (Thankfully, for those with a lower tolerance for spices, Sabai offers milder equivalents of its other fiery dishes, the Spicy Noodle Bowl and Thai Chicken Curry.)
Other dishes included banh mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich filled with pork, daikon radish and chili mayonnaise, and fresh shrimp spring rolls. Alongside beverage staples like Pepsi and lemonade, Sabai carries a variety of iced teas and Ramune soda, a popular Japanese soft drink.
Tofu can be substituted for meat in most meals, and the restaurant offers a number of pure vegetarian options such as Sabai Salad and Daikon Slaw.
Unfortunately, my otherwise excellent dining experience was slightly marred by the fact that I (as well as a handful of other patrons) waited 30 minutes to eat. At a sit-down restaurant this might be par for the course, but at a campus dining hall where students might be hurrying to wolf down a meal between classes it seems a bit inappropriate.
The staff, though incredibly friendly and apologetic about the delay, seemed harried and slightly confused about whose duties were whose behind the counter. Fifteen minutes into the promised 10-minute wait for dishes with jasmine rice, I saw one turn to another and ask, “Who’s making the rice?” The answer: no one. It had yet to be put on the cooker.
But hey, they’re new at this. Despite some start-up snarls still being worked out in the kitchen, Sabai is worth a visit for its unique, delicious food and classy restaurant atmosphere. With any luck, any remaining tangles will be combed out by Sabai’s formal grand opening celebration Sept. 8.