Zaab

A taste of Lao. That was the name of the tasting menu that I had at Zaab. Zaab is a Thai and Lao-based restaurant that turns street food fancy. Walking in, I immediately noticed the moody lighting and the incredible graffiti on the walls. Zaab had a long bar with a bright orange-neon sign that said "Zaab", around the sides of the bar were blue-neon lights that contrasted perfectly with the orange. Two walls were filled with graffiti. One had a mural of a tiger that had the same colours as the bar (orange and blue). The other wall was long and featured human faces. It was predominately grey, white and pink which added a unique flair to the restaurant. 

 

The "Taste of Lao" special menu exclusively focused on Laotian food. Up until I went to Zaab, I'd never tried Laotian food. But after some further research (and a lot of eating), I now have somewhat of an idea of food from Lao. Lao is an inland country, meaning that they supply most (if not all) of their food from their own land. In order to preserve their food, Laotians ferment lots of their food. This fermentation process can summon new flavours into the food, which results in the signature flavour of Lao. However, fermenting can make food smell terrible, but the taste overrides the smell. 

 

When I first arrived at Zaab, a waitress (Emma) served me. She already knew that I was coming because I emailed them asking about the "Taste of Lao" menu. I asked if it was available for one without the wine pairing, and thankfully it was. She told me that the menu had some spicy components and asked if I was okay with that. I was perfectly happy to have the spicy dishes as I adore spicy food (my taste buds would soon be burnt off by the "Larb Mhoo" (go to the "Meal Reviews" section to find out more)). She also asked me for any dietary requirements, and thankfully I don't have any. 

 

The "Taste of Lao" menu is in collaboration with a wine brand named "Sapling Yard". Sapling Yard made all of the wines involved in the "Taste of Lao" menu, most of which are from 2022. It's great that Zaab is supporting local businesses in large ways like this. One of the owners of Sapling Yard (Carla), was at Zaab talking to the customers about her business and the wine that they are having. I am positive that Carla talking to the customers made their experience a lot better. The wines that both Carla and the chefs at Zaab chose go perfectly with the dishes on the menu (according to the information that I received). Simply having drinks with a meal, can significantly improve your experience and can also change how you taste the dish. Unfortunately, I couldn't have these specially chosen wines, instead, I had mocktails and "Strange Love" sodas. Both mocktails I had ("The Foghorn" and "Cucumber and Lime Mocktail") tasted incredible. They were both light and full of delicious flavour. "Strange Love Soda" is something new to me. It is a brand that sells low-calorie soft drinks with unique flavours. I had two of these "Strange Love" soft drinks, one was a "very mandarin" flavour, and the other was "yuzu". Both of these tasted incredible without having too much sweetness. The mocktails and the "Strange Love" soft drinks were both perfect choices for all of the dishes that I ate at Zaab. 

 

After my first course ("Sakoo Yad Sai" and "Tum Mak Hoong"), someone came up to me and said:
   "Hi I'm Becky, can I sit here for a while?"
   "Go ahead", I replied. 
   "So your name is Tyler, correct?" she asked
   "Yep!" I replied
   "And you have a blog?" she then asked
   "Yep," I replied again. 
   "How has the food been so far?" she asked me
   "It's been wonderful thank you," I replied
   "So why have you decided to make a food blog?" Becky asked
   "Well, it's my dream to open a restaurant as my career," I explained. "I don't know how, or when, but I think that eating delicious food like Zaab is the perfect way to start my journey. I like to write about the food so I can gain an understanding of what type of restaurant I want to open,"
   "And what is your plan for a restaurant?" Becky asked
   "I have no idea. I like fancy Japanese restaurants, but the stinky-deliciousness of street food like Zaab is also a great option" I told her
   "I am so glad you said that!" Becky exclaimed. "How do you want the restaurant to be set up?" she asked
   "I would like my restaurant to have neon lights, similar to Zaab. I also want it to have a to-share-based menu because I've noticed that restaurants that have smaller plates normally have a better atmosphere than restaurants that only have dishes for one. I also prefer having lots of dishes instead of only one," I replied
   "YES!" Becky said, "that's exactly how I want Zaab to be" she explained. "I have to talk to some other customers now," Becky said
   "Okay bye!" I replied. 

 

I sat there for a while, just thinking about how if I open my own restaurant, it will be vastly similar to Zaab. The dark, moody lighting. The music is pumping but not loud enough to overrule your conversations. The long bar with neon lights. The menu uses small dishes designed to share. The intricate graffiti on the walls adds some extra flair to the restaurant. Zaab is almost the spitting image of my dream restaurant, which makes it more memorable. 

 

At 7:00 pm, Zaab was fully packed to the brim. Every single table was full of people. Lots of chatter, lots of laughter and lots of memories. When I went back to Zaab two days later, I was talking to one of the bartenders who was there that night (Thursday), and he said that it was even more busy on Friday. I can't imagine how it could be more busy than a full restaurant. Are people lining up outside? Standing and eating? It just doesn't make sense. Maybe everyone was spending a shorter time there. Coming and going within an hour perhaps? But I'm not too sure. 

 

Roughly 20 minutes after I talked to Becky, another person came up to me. 
   "Becky told me about you, do you want me to promote you?" she asked
   "What do you mean?" I replied
   "Me and my husband got you to 70 followers, would you like us to try and get you to 100?" she asked
   "Seriously?" I questioned
   "Yeah!" she exclaimed
   "If it doesn't bother you, I would like that very much thank you," I said
   "Okay we will try our best," she said.

 

Over the next hour or two, I got almost 20 followers all thanks to her and her husband. So thank you Alison and Max! I appreciate it very, very much. 

 

During my third course ("Mok Pa" and "Ping Gai with Sticky Rice"), I was attempting to eat the sticky rice with a spoon. And I was failing miserably. It was the stickiest of sticky rice. One of the ladies sitting on the table left of me, asked 
   "How is the sticky rice?"
   "Extremely sticky," I replied
   "You're supposed to eat it with your fingers. Just grab a little pinch, and start to knead it like Play-Doh," she said. "The texture changes, similar to French bread, and the flavour also changes. Once you've kneaded it, dip it into the sauce for some extra flavour"
   "Okay!" I said. I grabbed a pinch of the sticky rice and started to knead it with my fingers. I immediately felt the change in texture. It became denser. 
   "Now dip it into the sauce," she said
And so, I dipped it into the sauce and tried the new and improved sticky rice. The flavour and texture completely changed. Another amazing thing about this sticky rice is that even though it stuck together like super glue, it never sticks to your fingers. I don't know how, or why, but it just works. 

 

The "Taste of Lao" menu at Zaab was beyond perfect. I am hoping that they soon create a "Taste of Thai" menu as well. But if not, I am overjoyed that I had the opportunity to try that exclusive menu. 

 

Zaab is a must for every person living in Canberra. It has wonderful food, staff and atmosphere. They make street food into fancy food. Its menu is designed to share which makes it incredible for groups big or small. From the neon lights to the walls full of graffiti, every aspect is incredible. If you want to experience Thai and Lao cuisine, Zaab is a must. 

 

Thank you for reading.