Sue's Kitchen: Exquisite Thai/Lao Cuisine in El Sobrante

Drunken Noodles with chicken. Just went to Sue's Kitchen last night (10/8), the cuisine exalted, the hospitable family vibe still the golden x-factor. The key to their Drunken Noodle dish is the precise interplay of chile, basil and the sauce with the char on the red bells, onions and noodles.

Panang Curry with beef. Pretty sure we hadn't tried this before, and it would be just as good in a vegan context. Sue's has an extensive selection of vegan choices, and their curries taste like they are all coconut-based. Probably some fermented fish sauce in some dishes though.

Yum Pla Meuk. And maybe our absolute favorite, the squid salad, from the first bite to the last it hits you: lemongrass, green onion, lime, chile, cilantro, mint, perfectly cooked squid over lettuce. 

Just got back from eating at Sue's Kitchen for the 5th time. Tried some new stuff, all of which was great, including these, Thai Iced Coffee.

Two shots of their Seaweed Seafood Salad. Seaweed "noodles" with shrimp, calamari, chile, lemongrass, cilantro, fish sauce, lettuce.

Green Curry with Chicken & Rice--eggplant, basil, bamboo, red bells, green curry paste in coconut milk. Ever have one of those experiences where when the sauce hits your sweet spot, your eyes roll into the back of your head, producing otherworldly bliss? That's it.

Pad Thai with chicken. Sauce tangier than usual, texture more buoyant due to the give of the noodles. Wonderful stuff. Yet another take on a classic, made in a new way. 

We returned to Sue's Kitchen last night (3/26) for the 3rd time, and tried a couple of new dishes.

These three are shots of the Yum Pla Meuk (Calamari salad). Calamari: perfectly cooked, served with crisp fresh lettuce, mint, cilantro, red and green onion, chili pepper & lemongrass. The sauce clinging to the calamari is the key, brilliant balance of lime juice, homemade sweet chili paste, and what tastes like a splash of fermented fish sauce. Balanced interplay of aroma, flavor and texture. 

Two shots of Larb Kai, similar to the previous dish, save with the ground chicken mixed with rice powder. I've had many versions of this dish, this one has more depth, with a nuanced Umami flavor to the chicken that suggests use of in-house chicken stock.

Finally, our favorite dish at Sue's Kitchen, Pad Kee Mao, or Drunken Noodles, this version with beef, basil leaves, mixed vegetables (this time: onion, cabbage, & yellow bell pepper) and chili garlic sauce. I can't think of a flat noodle dish that's impressed me so consistently. The chef knows the timing, how to make the sauce, cook the meat and vegetables to perfection before adding the al dente noodles to the mix. I can tell these aren't necessarily the best ingredients money can buy (this is definitely not Kobe Beef), but that's not where the magic is. The magic is in the perfect touch and learned, skilled instinct, something you can't get to by reading a recipe. 

I am completely smitten. I am hesitant to tell you about my secret place, but it is far from secret, and only have a handful of people read my blog anyway. So instead let me praise Sue's Kitchen and speak the whole truth about this sublime fare and the golden vibration of welcoming extended to friend, family and stranger all darkening their door. There's few culinary experiences I can recall to match what I discovered tonight.

These first two shots are of the Nam Kao, deep fried rice ball mixed with sour pork, cilantro, green onion, ground peanuts, and lime juice served with lettuce a mint leaves ($7.95), the dish I first experienced at Chao Thai in Oakland, and we've been trying its myriad versions at Thai & Lao restaurants throughout the Bay Area since. This is, as far as I'm concerned, my favorite version yet. 

We decided upon a second salad, the Nuer Num Thoke, grilled beef slice mixed with mint leaves, cilantro, green onion, chili peppers, lemongrass and lime juice served over lettuce ($7.95). The lemongrass sauce imbues the beef deeply (I'm assuming they've marinated it in a lemongrass for some time, judging from the intensity). Another masterful dish, in terms of contrasting & complementary texture & flavor. Complex yet balanced. Extraordinarily healthy.

Above are two shots of Pad Kee Mao, flat noodle stir-fried with chicken breast, basil, red bell peppers, onion and a chili garlic sauce ($7.95). But mainly, a plate of noodles. It looks simple, but it is far from it. I have never had a dish more finely nuanced. This is a far cry from the Bangkok-style Thai dishes I've had most of my adult life. Until I returned here a few years ago, what used to stand out for me is how much Bay Area Thai restaurants differ from Central Texas equivalents: less spice, but much better vegetables and fish. However, Austin eventually got Madam Mam's, then Sap's, bringing a whole different style of Thai cuisine to light. And now, there's a whole host of Thai/Lao restaurants throughout the East Bay and elsewhere that are impressive on their own terms. Sue's Kitchen is, without a doubt, the best of these that I've experienced.

Sue's Kitchen

510-222-2312

448 Valley View Rd. Suite H

El Sobrante, CA 94803