Bill A.
Yelp
First trip after reading so many great reviews for Zaab Der on Yelp and other social medias. They lived up to expectations last night and gained a fan as well as repeat customer.
We arrived about 7:30 PM on a Friday night and was able to get a table with no effort. There was a large and VERY LOUD group sitting along the wall and they could be heard from the parking lot. Seems they had no concern for anyone but themselves as other diners were subjected to their inconsiderate display throughout the evening. This is the only bad thing I have to say about Zaab Der, and it wasn't really the restaurant's fault.
We started out with Fried Calamari, Soft Roll and Cheese Puffs. Calamari was outstanding, lightly bread and thick cut, so surprised to find the thick calamari was really tender and the rings weren't dripping with grease. Didn't realize the soft roll was vegetarian until we started eating it, but it was excellent with chunks of fried tofu through out, served with a delicious peanut sauce (could have eaten it with a spoon). The cheese puffs were another surprise as well. They looked like small empanadas, not the deep fried wanton wrappers stuffed with cream cheese and crab like most Asian restaurants serve. Nonetheless, they were tasty, served with sweet and sour sauce that balanced perfectly.
Between the starters and mains, I ordered a Papaya Salad (Tum Thai), with dried baby shrimp and peanuts. It was really good, but not quite hot enough for me, with a great lime juice dressing. The baby shrimp needed to be hydrated a bit longer to soften them up some, but were still good, just kinda chewy.
I ordered the Red Curry w/Pork "HOT", which was the third level of heat just behind Thai Hot; which I found to be a bit mild for my taste, so next time it's going to be Thai Hot for me. My wife had the Musman Curry and ordered it "mild", it came out perfect for her taste. She had me taste it, it was the best Musman Curry (Massaman Curry) I'd ever tasted, and I've had it all over Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore; this was the most flavorful!! Definitely my next dish at Zaab Der, but will need it "Hot" or "Thai Hot". My sister-in-law had the Pad C Ew, she ordered it "Medium" but with chili oil on the side. After she dumped the chili oil on it, it was a bit hot for her, but she braved through about 1/2 of it. Lucky for me! I was able to pack her left overs for a nice lunch the next day.
This small casual restaurant tucked away a strip center is hard to find, but well worth hunting it down. If you like Thai food in casual setting and bringing in your own wine, this is the place for you!!
Please Note: some of the photos were taken after we had eaten some of the dish, so it's not the full dishes.