Great value and good quality. Perfect for takeaway or quick eat in meal. This is our go-to for Thai. Sometimes we order it every week. You can't beat Saab Wer for value.
Delicious food at cheap prices without lacking in flavor or content- the portion size is generous and the vegetarian dishes are packed full of fresh vegetables. The $8.90 lunch deal always hits the spot and even comes with a free black sticky coconut rice dessert, which is a real favorite of ours! The small are friendly and hardworking too
Good lunchtime deals and nice customer service. We stopped in for a quick lunch and were provided with a bottle of chilled water and a small coconut dish (which was nice) before we ordered. The lunchtime portions are quite good too.
Have came here for more than 5 times. Lunch specials are really cheap and have large portions. The green curry is great. I have tried green curry in several Thai restaurants, but this one is the best! Not too spicy and enough vegetables. Pad Thai is also a great choice.
Saab Wer Thai is next level Thai food cooked with love and respect. The venue felt more like I was eating with Bruce and Noi and their family than being in a Newtown restaurant. As I haven’t eaten at every Thai restaurant in Newtown I cannot judge if it is truly the best Thai in Newtown but it is one of my all time favourite Thai dining experiences and I wish Bruce and Noi all the best for their future. Kob kun krub.
Full review is now up on Spooning Australia
Been here 3 times recently, n I guess we got it good twice n once was so so. The Esan menu is worth trying as it is quite a way diff from the thai joints nearby. The Esan dishes were quite complex, often sour - which is good! - and intrigued us all. Make sure u ask for the Esan menu, coz they will just give u the stock standard red/green curry/tom yum menu if you don't. Anywho, a nice point of difference vis-a-vis other thai places on the King St strip, so give it a go.
Familly run restaurant where everything is super fresh - try the prawn coconut rice & the BBQ pork neck - yum !! Nice courtyard out the back.
Brendon The Smiling Chef
+4
Don't be fooled by it's humble exterior. Saab Wer is the home of extremely delicious Esan delights!
"Saab wer" in fact means "extremely delicious" in the Esan dialect from North-Eastern Thailand and the food definitely lives up to this namesake.
We leave our dinner choices in the hand of owner Noi who recommends we begin with a series of entrees: Saab Wer Prawns ($9.90 for 4), Golden Bags ($7.00 for 4) and Moo Ping ($8.90) – Grilled marinated pork skewers with a serve of sticky rice. The Golden Bags are Saab Wer's take on traditional Moneybags and are wrapped in a glassy, crunchy wonton wrapper. Far from the stock-standard pork and and prawn offering – these are filled with a sweet, savoury and crunchy mix of minced chicken, corn, coconut and peanuts. Trust me...YOU NEED TO TRY THESE WHEN YOU COME HERE!
I cannot lie, I'm a green papaya salad freak. I couldn't think of a better way to liven up the palate than with this humble offering – Son Thum Thai ($16.90) – of shredded green papaya, shrimps, peanuts, tomato, carrot, green beans with lime dressing and four grilled king prawns on the side. Noi tells us the best way to eat this salad is with sticky rice. You make a ball with the sticky rice and use it to mop up the spicy lime dressing. The salad is so popular that Saab Wer have six different versions made with everything from seafood to whole prawns and even prawn crackers.
We also tuck into the Kana Moo Grob ($14.90) or Crispy Pork Belly that has the best crackling and a the Red Duck Curry ($16.90) which is sweetened by lychees and pineapple. The duck just melts in your mouth.
We're halfway through our main when Noi's eyes light up. Checking if we're still hungry and have room for more (not gonna lie, I'm stuffed, but how could I say no?) he offers a special treat – mixed seafood with rice, chilli sauce, eggs, cashews, coconut meat, herbs and more served in a coconut shell. I don't believe this particular dish is on the menu but it seems to be a fusion of the Saab Wer Pineapple ($18.90) and Saab Wer Fresh Coconut ($17.90) but I'm sure that the team wouldn't mind recreating this for you. As an added bonus we even got to have a glass of fresh young coconut juice from the same coconut the dish was later served in!
Review by Brendon The Smiling Chef. Full review on my blog: brendonthesmilingchef[dot]com
@brendonthesmilingchef
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
(As seen in Ciao Magazine, Edited by Sharon Gerrard):
EXTREMELY DELICIOUS is the english translation of the North Eastern Thai expression (The Essan Region to be exact) for “Saab Wer"
Sticky rice runs wild in this region, a distinct characteristic to its neighboring Laos, but a cuisine all it’s own. Another feature is the heat you will find in these dishes, and where the much loved GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (Som Tam) originated. Sticky rice is commonly rolled into a ball, eating with your hands, dipping the sour hotness of that dressing. A number of protein versions available and we opted for the Tiger Prawn one.
The colder weather makes for a perfect dish of comfort from the family of Chefs and service staff here adding to that extra feeling of fondness you will feel for the cosy and hot pink setting. The RED CURRY WITH DUCK and CHEF’S SPECIAL RICE showcase another staple, the coconut. The milky sauce from the curry is a winter pleaser alone over rice! The presentation of the the SAAB WER FRESH COCONUT RICE (Chef’s Special) is so striking with a mix of eggs, vegetables, chicken (choice of proteins available) and scrapings of coconut through it and packed into the coconut shell! So tropical and flavorsome.
Also noticeable are the intricate details which appear so subtlely in their entree selection. A number of these could be a light meal on their own. From the MOO PING (street-like pork skewers drenched in marinade flavor) to the hand tied wrapper strings on the PRAWN & CRAB SPRING ROLLS and MONEY BAGS.
For me the love in this food comes not only from the rich history of recipes and ingredients, but from the owners, Bruce and Noi and their large team of friends and family that hand their love for food and family into a bowl/plate to your table! Deliveries are also done personally by Bruce so if you can’t drop in, chances are they will literally come to your door.
Great Food, I go here every few weeks.......................................................................................................
Definitely the best Thai food we had throughout out trip on Australia. Authentic flavors, super tasty and large dishes, quick and kind service. This place made me miss Thailand 🇹🇭. Everything we tried was real good, just don't over order since the portions are really big
Went there at night, the lunch special is cheaper and a noodle cost 12.9 dollars at night.
Generous portion, good flavour. Will come back to try something else
Friendly and tasty restaurant. They do lunch specials for just under $10 and give you a small purple rice dessert with coconut cream (during the day only). Also if you present your student card you get 10% off. My friend took me here and in the same week I returned twice for their tom yum fried rice and spicy fried rice/fried flat noodles. The papaya salad was also very tasty, packed with the fermented crab flavour. I also tried the BBQ beef (crying tiger) but wasn't a fan after a while the meat got chewy. New favourite thai place in Newtown.
Very cautious about high rating place, but this one deserves it. Ordered Pad Kee Mao, very tasty and even the onions, beans and carrots are all fresh. (Most places aren't that fresh in those little stuff)
I gave a review for this restaurant yesterday because Google asked me to contribute a review but as I understood it google maps confused this restaurant with another thai restaurant nearby. Although I haven't eaten here recently, I must commend the management at Saab Wer Thai Esan Restaurant for their friendly approach and reply to my earlier review despite my error. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Delicious and good service!
Really enjoy their small dessert.
This is my go-to Thai restaurant in Newtown. I've never been disappointed by the authentic meals and customer service here! They do amazing lunch deals and do 10% student discount in the evenings too. The staff are always happy to help and are willing to change a dish to suit your preferences.
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