Six saffron robed Buddhist monks, five Asian members of their sect eating, jabbering happily not in English, and mainly watching the monks shovel down large quantities of food quickly to beat their noon no more eating deadline. What would you think if you saw this in a restaurant that was new to you? That was the scene our friend encountered when she arrived early to Satdha. We were off to a good start. Sat down and Chef Gun, the female owner/chef came over and explained what we saw. She was beaming with pride. The sect members were regulars and had been bringing the monks food from Satdha. They liked it so well that they came to eat and for a taste of home.
Our meal: jackfruit pate with bitter nut crackers; snap pea salad with peanuts and crispy shallots; catfish eggplant with peppers and a bit of a non tomato red sauce; beet dyed noodles; shallot tempeh with broccoli, pickled onion and garlic.
The jackfruit was meaty, mildly sweet and enhanced by the contrast of the crispy, mildly bitter cracker; it was unusual, delicious and not challenging, a great starter.
The eggplant is fried like catfish, it doesnât taste anything like catfish. A little brown, white or sticky rice to absorb the excess sauce and Bobâs your uncle. Soft, deeply vegetal, crunchy on the outside.
Next, the snap pea salad, a combo of crunch, fresh slightly sweet and nutty, topped with crispy shallots. Again, very accessible and satisfying.
The beet dyed noodles are just that, but are very deeply flavored by the beet juice; not tasting like beets, but dry noodles with the depth of flavor of pasta with a ragu. My wifeâs favorite dish.
Lastly, the shallot tempeh, basically a sliced tempeh loaf seasoned and accessorized by an excellent chef.
I know this is long and the pictures are from Yelp (which I hope is public domain, if not, apologies), but please try this place. I donât know Thai food, but this is delicious, and monks eat here!
. One question though - Where is it?