Saap Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in South San Francisco

I'm rounding up to four stars with caveats, some of the dishes were no more than three (in our opinion of course)

Found out they are the same (second) owners of White Elephant across town which we've been going to since they first opened. This is a good thing since that gives you some assurance about the competence of the kitchen.

That being said there's a noticeable difference in the menu. This place is supposed to be a more Northern Thai style place vs the mainstream central Thai everyone is familiar with.

Some dishes we had were solid four while others disappointed so I rounded down to three but will revisit and change as needed, I'll explain.

Crab fried rice, tastes like their foundation version at White Elephant, always tasty.

Crispy tofu, this was a standout preparation. Thin super crisp exterior, soft tender interior, expertly prepared. Get this!

Pra ram, menu says it's served on a bed of spinach (like it usually is) but there was no spinach to be found, instead, it was served with the ubiquitous broccoli, cabbage, and carrot mix, so that was very disappointing. I dislike that enough to ask that it not be served with that next time, we didn't eat that. Sauce is less peanutty and sweet than we like but that could be a regional variation, we don't know so ask if you like.

Panang curry salmon. I'm going to reorder this next time. We got there late so that might have affected the preparation of the fish which was very over cooked. The sauce was thin unlike my usual Panang beef I get elsewhere. This could also be another regional variation so not judging that, again perhaps asking will get answers, I will do this next time. Unfortunately this was also served with a volume of the Asian American veggie mix which I just didn't eat. I will ask that it be omitted next time but if you like that definitely get it, nicely blanched cabbage included.

Pad Thai was solid with well prepared wider version noodles (vs the thinner used at some places) not overly saucy, not dry, and not over cooked. We opted for tofu instead of meat and it was excellent. The tofu was nice and tender, many places give you this fried out tofu that's nothing but a chewy skin and no tofu...

Saap Thai Kitchen in South San Francisco was a huge letdown. Here's why it gets only 1 star.

Service with a Snail's Pace: The service was incredibly slow and inattentive. We were in a small indoor space, so it shouldn't have been hard to get the staff's attention. However, it took a frustrating 10 minutes to flag them down after finding a hair in the soup! Even worse, the restaurant wasn't even busy. On top of that, my Thai iced tea (which should have come out quickly) arrived after the food, and only after I reminded them about the order.

Chicken Pad Kee Mao Mystery: My chicken pad kee mao came with a measly 5 tiny pieces of chicken. There were no vegetables to speak of, just 2-3 cold red bell peppers thrown in for good measure. It lacked any spice whatsoever, and only the chili sauce saved it from being completely bland.

A Single Bright Spot: The only saving grace of the entire meal was the Thai iced tea. It was good, and probably the highlight of my experience.

Hair-Raising Tom Yum: My friend's experience wasn't much better. Her Tom Yum noodle soup, while flavorful, was marred by the discovery of a hai! Thankfully, our server was apologetic and replaced the soup after we finally managed to get his attention.

Salad with a Kick: On a slightly positive note, my friend did enjoy her salad. It had the spice level she requested.

Overall, Saap Thai Kitchen was a frustrating and...

I’ve been craving duck curry for awhile but it’s not something offered in many Thai restaurants lately. When offered in some places, duck doesn’t always taste fresh. I was ecstatic to find this place. Now, Saap doesn’t have the best duck curry I’ve had but it definitely hits the spot. The duck was fresh and plentiful. The broth could be creamier but the spiciness and flavor were there. I’d rate it 4.5 stars.

The Thai iced tea had the perfect level of sweetness. I should’ve ordered one more to go.

I was surprised they were offering mango sticky rice! Some restaurants only offer it when Manila mangoes are in season during the summer! For $8.95, the dessert was plentiful! It could’ve been an entire meal if I wasn’t so hungry! 😂

The best, however, is the staff. The manager/server who helped me was very nice and friendly. Although I came half hour before they closed for lunch, I wasn’t rushed at all. He answered my questions, and was very accommodating. The kitchen(?) staff that were leaving as I was finishing my food were also friendly. They all said “thank you” as they passed by to exit! Not a single employee was unhappy!

I highly recommend...