Zab Zab Thai

It’s good to feel the buzz of conversation and laughter at a new restaurant and overhear comments like, “Last time we were here we ordered the… ” It says to me: regulars.

Or a guy saying on his way out, “Everything was delicious. We’ll be back.” That says: more regulars.

So here we were. Friday, dinner hour. Bustling crowd. People of all ages. The large round table in the center of the small-but-uncramped 22-seat dining room is occupied by four young guys, probably students – the ones I overheard talking about what they ordered last time.

All the other tables are rectangular two-tops that can easily be moved together or apart to accommodate different-sized groups. Smart. Ours was by the big picture window which gives diners a nice look through the deck to the avenue below, with a big-city feel – almost. Nice paint and texturing on the walls feel clean and bright. Somebody clearly cares.

Lots of smiles and good energy come from the two servers ably working as a team, one being owner-operator Pui Sujun, who can’t help but radiate an upbeat vibe. It’s a fun place. Even the name is fun to say. Zab Zab. Loosely translated, it means delicious, flavorful and spicy in northeastern Thailand.

We started with the chicken satay appetizer ($7.99) featuring a cucumber relish along with the usual peanut sauce. Four skewers of coconut-turmeric marinated chicken arrive, nicely grilled, caramelized outside, tender inside, with ample sauce on the side.

Then we went off the beaten path from the standard favorites – curries, pad Thais, etc. – opting for the Bangkok duck ($16.99) and phud hoy ($11.99).

The duck was exquisitely cooked. A crispy exterior gave way to a moist and tender interior, served in medallions in a citrus chili sauce accompanied by carrots, onions, peas, red and yellow peppers and zucchini. Zab zab! I would order it again.

The New Zealand mussels of the phud hoy were large and meaty, with a captivating orangish salmon coloring, served in its own eating utensil (the shell). A mild sweet chili sauce with onion, basil and rice wine gives a layered zing.

In both dishes the basil leaves enjoy a crispy, crunchy texture rather than the limp, more saturated one often found in Thai cooking. It seems they might char it on the grill a little bit before they add it to the dish – whatever the case, a nice touch that reveals an attention to detail.

Satisfied but not stuffed, we said yes to dessert when Sujun energetically offered the sticky rice with mango, a seasonal delight she recommends and explains is a homeland fave. We don’t always order dessert but cleaned the plate on this one.

We returned on St. Patrick’s Day. Things were a little slower, giving us a nice opportunity to get to know the personable Sujun, who, as usual, was working the dining room and lavishing TLC.

Her smile is the first clue she’s loving life as she and her aunt, Zab Zab’s chef, have found a place where they can flourish. The 37-year-old Thailand native says she has very fond memories, though, of the last decade working at Stillwater Grill (in The Lodge at Pebble Beach), Crystal Fish and other freelance cooking gigs.

They had been looking for a spot where they could honor and share Thai cuisine when they found Henry’s Famous BBQ had vacated. As Sujun tells it, while cleanup and preparations were being made for a new tenant, she kept coming back to let the owner know she was ready to move in.

She’s not sure why she got the nod over many others, but she has a hunch it had to do with her story – of coming to the area to be with her aunt and uncle after her mom died of cancer.

Apparently the landlord knew little to nothing about Thai food before. Now she’s one of Zab Zab’s regulars.

Back to the food. On this visit we started with a fire pot of tom kha soup ($10.99), then we went straight to the entrées. Our choice, the kai yang, a barbecued half-chicken marinated in lemongrass and Thai herbs, was served with spicy sweet-and-sour and tamarind dipping sauce on the side ($12.99). Zab zab again. I like working through a menu before I repeat; it will be hard not to call for an early encore of this.

Our second entree, the Gulf of Siam ($14.99), brought a combination of sauteed prawns, scallops, mussels, squid and salmon in a Thai chili, onion, garlic, kachai, and kaffir lime leaf sauce. Quite tasty, but anticlimactic after the chicken.

Oh, the fried banana with coconut ($6.95) proved a memorable dessert worthy of becoming a post-meal tradition.

After two visits, six dishes and two desserts, I’ve got a ways to go before I become intimately acquainted with a menu of five soups, seven wok dishes, six curries, six fried-rice options, seven noodle-based creations, five noodle soups and the 10 land and ocean entrees. But the project is at the top on my agenda, since Zab Zab appears here to stay, thanks to warm smiles in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere and, of course, food made with love and care. These are the ingredients that lead visitors to say, “Everything was delicious, we’ll be back.” which I was soon saying myself.

ZAB ZAB THAI 401 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. • Hours: Lunch 11am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm-9ish, 7 days a week •747-2225, www.zabzabmonterey.com.