HOSPITALITY SPOTLIGHT
/SAINAM
Award-winning Chef Opens on Davie
by Jacqui Birchall
(click images to enlarge)
Wow! Multi-award-winning Chef Angus An is in the ‘hood!
After finally overcoming City Hall's red tape delays, Chef Angus An’s new restaurant, Sainam, has opened in Davie Village. After haunting the signs posted on Sainam’s doors and windows, I finally dined there on opening night, Friday, June 13. It was so worth the wait, with delicious food and excellent service.
the sainam team (from left): Manager Parit Siwasilchai, Chef Angus An, and chef Poom Sikarin Sirisupanon. (Jacqui Birchall Photos)
For the superstitious, Chef An shared that Friday, June 13, was an auspicious date in many Asian countries.
Sainam joins Chef An’s six other Thai restaurants in Vancouver and New Westminster. Sainam focuses on the cuisine of Thailand’s Isaan region. Isaan is located in northeastern Thailand, bordering Laos, which has a significant influence on the cuisine of Isaan.
Chef An shared that Isaan is the largest and poorest area of Thailand. The food is simple, featuring a variety of papaya salads (som tum), sticky rice (khao miao), Isaan sausage (sai kroc), grilled chicken (gai yang), and grilled and fried meats, all with bold and spicy flavours, complemented by fresh herbs, chillies, and fermented ingredients. The flavours are humble, sharp, and robust. No coconut milk is used in this region of Thailand.
Chef An explained that years ago it would not have been possible to open a Thai restaurant specific to a region of Thailand, but Vancouver diners have learned much about Thai food. His Thai customers tell him they love Sainam.
the highly recommenced Som tum khao pod papaya salad.
The word sianam, loosely translated, means flowing river.
Sainam’s head chef is Chef Poom Sikarin Sirisupanon. He is from the Isaan region of Thailand, and brings a high level of expertise as the former sous chef at Chef An’s famous Maenam Restaurant.
Chef An explained that cooking Thai style is intuitive.
Don’t know what to order? The staff are helpful, knowledgeable, and informative. Front of house manager Parit Siwasilchai is charming.
I asked Chef An what one should order. He advised ordering a papaya salad and sticky rice (an essential part of the meal, as the rice softens the intense flavours), and suggested Isaan sausage, chicken wings, and raw beef. He also noted that the cabbage is very popular. Dishes are to be shared, he emphasizes.
My dining companion and I enjoyed the som tum khao pod papaya salad (one of the milder choices), sticky rice, crispy pork belly, and gaeng phet gai, an Isaan-style red curry of braised chicken and lotus.
Chef An has his restaurant's ingredients air-freighted. He explained that the cost is worth it because of the freshness of the special ingredients. He explained that, for instance, baby corn was only available here in cans, but he has it flown in fresh, which makes a huge difference in taste. I ate Thai pea eggplants at Sainam. First time!
Lotus and crispy pork belly.
Chef An also explained that the green papaya used for papaya salads is traditionally cut by hand, resulting in irregular slices. Some restaurants use a mandolin, but Chef An purchased a papaya slicing machine from Thailand that produces random cuts of green papaya, resulting in a more authentic salad.
Our delicious beverages included lychee, rhubarb lemonade and Thai iced tea.
Maenam bar tender Tony Limchai has designed Sainam's beverages. Tony was one of the two B.C. winners of the Beyond Noa, Canada’s non-alcoholic cocktail competition, and went on to compete nationally.
The complicated B.C. liquor license rules meant that even a restaurateur as eminent as Chef An did not have a liquor license on opening night. At our interview on June 24, the chef stated that the permit was imminent and expected to arrive in a few hours.
Chef Angus An wanted to open a restaurant in the densely populated West End. He took possession of 1235 Davie Street in November, and it took until June 13 to navigate city permitting.
isaan style red c urry of braised chicken.
This 40-seat, 1,200-square-foot restaurant replaces the Davie Dosa Company and, before that, Café Luxy. The place was designed by architect Scott Cohen, who also designed An’s restaurant, Gastropod, which later became Maenam. Chef An chatted with Cohen, wanting to retain much of the original architecture, Chef An designed the new interior, the finishing details, and completed much of the beautiful millwork himself.
There are plans to open for dinner seven evenings a week and lunch five days a week. Reservations are only accepted for parties of six or more. Chef An explains that the longest wait without a reservation is about 20 minutes.
Chef Angus An has won numerous awards throughout his prestigious career. This year, he was voted Vancouver Chef of the Year.
His other restaurants include Maenam Restaurant, Fat Mao Noodles in Chinatown, Fat Mao Noodles Downtown (interestingly located below the Royal Thai Consulate-General), Sen Pad Thai, Popina Canteen, and Long Tail Kitchen.
