In addition to this mix of Mexican and Southeast Asian flavors, vegetables play a prominent role in every dish. The menu on the restaurant’s website has symbols for vegan and gluten-free dishes – 95 percent of the menu items fit into these categories. The menu is also dairy-free, though Griffith plans to bring some milk back into the menu specifically for the quesadillas. He tried several vegan cheeses for this plate but wasn’t happy with the result. All dishes are $ 15 or less, with the exception of the smoked pork tenderloin (US $ 17) and Aleppo beef tenderloin (US $ 18).
There’s also a kids’ menu of things like wok-fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables and fried chicken on a bed of lemongrass jasmine rice.
Bar director Thepsouvanh returned to her hometown of Portland from Las Vegas. Before that, she was a mixologist at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. For Thepsouvanh, the opportunity to develop a bar program and be part of a team creating other fusion restaurants was irresistible. Since retiring, she has been visiting cocktail bars in Vancouver to get a feel for local flavors.
The seven signature cocktails she created for Saap contain many surprises such as His & Hers, a pisco sour with raspberry syrup, and Kiss Me, described as “like a mojito meets a strawberry-balsamic salad”. Kiss Me was inspired by a refreshing strawberry and balsamic salad Thepsouvanh ate at a wedding. According to Saap’s motto of making something for everyone, every cocktail on the menu can be prepared as a mocktail. There is also a rotating bartender mocktail on the menu.
On the opening weekend, the smoked Old Fashioned was a surprise hit. Thepsouvanh didn’t think customers would want a smoky, strong drink in hot weather, but its dramatic presentation may have caused the FOMO (fear of missing out) cocktail. For this drink, a smoking pistol filled with apple wood chips is used at the bar. The server opens the smoke-filled decanter table side so that the smoke can escape into the drink.
For those who have had dinner at Lapellah, the restaurant that used to be in this area, a visit to Saap will come as a surprise. Hurley spent $ 500,000 renovating the space according to his vision. The interior has been opened up and the walls painted white, giving the place a fresh, lively atmosphere. A galaxy of swinging lights has been added to the small room to the right of the entrance, renamed Constellation Room. The outdoor area has a large fire pit surrounded by chairs for guests to sip cocktails or make s’mores. Tables fill the rest of the open-air space for those who prefer to dine al fresco or for guests who want to hang out inside after eating.
Saap’s takeout is limited for now. The restaurant recently opened and the team is looking to cut down on the on-site food before expanding the takeout. They will soon be increasing take-out by working with DoorDash and opening online orders through their website.
After Saap is founded, Hurley, Rasaphangthong, Belter, Griffith and Thepsouvanh will move to their next restaurant with a merger concept. Hurley has some ideas about the types of cuisines he wants to mix for these future restaurants, but for now this information remains top secret.
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