Thai restaurant brings Southeast Asian cafe culture to downtown Sacramento
A new Thai restaurant that is modeled on cafes in Southeast Asia has opened in downtown Sacramento.
Sapha Kafae, which opened May 26 at 1331 O St., is owned by Tim Tararug and Loifa “Gift” Somboonnanon.
Its name derives from the Thai word for “coffee council” or “coffee club,” and is reminiscent of the kopitiams or cafes seen in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, said Tararug.
“It’s akin to folks going to the barber shop, getting their nails done and seeing all those old uncles reading the newspapers outside of Starbucks — (Sapha Kafae) is all of those, where everybody gossips and socializes,” he said.
Sapha Kafae came to fruition after Tararug’s wife, Somboonnanon, returned from maternity leave after working as the manager of S.E.A. Hut, a Cambodian and Southeast Asian restaurant in Elk Grove.
“She decided, hey, I don’t want to go back to work– I want to open up a shop,” Tararug said. Tararug had been working in school administration.
“We started looking into making that a reality, and fast forward a few months, here we are,” he said. Sapha Kafae replaces Society Bistro, an upscale American restaurant that was open at the same site for less than a year.
Tararug said he does not want the restaurant to be known as just “another Thai spot,” with menu items that are not typically found elsewhere.
“One thing I want to highlight are the (Lion City) coffee ribs,” he said. Influenced by Singapore and Malaysia’s street foods, these pork ribs are air-fried and coated in a sweet and savory coffee glaze.
Other highlights include the Hainan hustle, a Thai twist on a signature dish seen in Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia with tender, poached chicken served over fragrant, garlicky and ginger-infused rice with chili-ginger sauce and clear broth, and the pork pops, which are marinated and grilled pork skewers.
The cafe’s caffeinated specialties include black thai, a Thai tea made with espresso and condensed milk; Oliang, a sweetened Robusta iced coffee brewed with corn and toasted sesame; and classic Thai and green Thai tea.
Tararug said he enjoys talking with customers who walk by, curious about the menu.
“People poke their head in, they see the menu and see how it’s different,” he said. “What’s keeping me happy right now is being able to sit down and explain why we chose this menu.”
What caught Tararug off guard the most since opening are the slew of repeat customers. “There’s some people that have been here three or four times already, and I’m like, wow, I wasn’t expecting that at all,” he said.
