The Saap Avenue

We stopped here on a whim as we were looking for something new after a workout class. Walking in there were plenty of tables open. This place has an enormous bar area as well. It must have been a sports bar in its former life. We ordered the Roti to start and my wife ordered the spring rolls with shrimp. I went with the roast duck over rice. The Roti was fine… it seemed like they put their roti in a panini press and just served it like that, so not a lot of flavor. The Thai restaurant down the street (infinity) has a much better roti. The curry dipping sauce was really good though. My wife said the spring rolls were “fine”. I really enjoyed my duck over rice dish though. The duck was moist and full of flavor and the hot soy sauce had a nice kick to it. Service seemed a bit off, slow to get water for us and hot sauce, but everyone was nice. I’d come back for the duck rice, but I don’t know if this place would get elevated to a “must return”.

FYI, we came for happy hour but the prices have been updated and everything is about $2-$3 more than the menus I've seen online; hours are also reduced to 4-7PM. The cocktail were solid but the beef jerky was a very small portion and not very flavorful

A week ago, I got to check out this really great Laotian restaurant/bar conveniently located on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. I overheard a colleague mention that they were a mixologist here and after a mutually rough day at work- another colleague and I decided to check it out for happy hour. Did I mention Happy Hour is everyday from 5-8 pm (only at the bar) with it's own bar menu alongside the restaurant menu? We were pleasantly surprised as we walked in- first off, we were able to find parking across the street on a busy Friday night so it made me feel safe to be able to see my car. The place seats about 50 people (both bar and restaurant). Lots of open windows- as you walk in you wait to be seated. We were delighted to see how many people were coming in and out- seemed like a lot of regulars including family, couples and friends. We even sat next to two friends who frequent here regularly and offered up some good food suggestions. We sat at the bar and chose the following from the bar menu: CRISPY VEGETARIAN EGG ROLLS- 5/5 The egg rolls were just as described- nice and crispy on the outside filled to the brim with fresh to order veggies and a sweet dipping sauce. This was our favorite dish. GARLIC PORK RIBS My friend ordered these as I'm pescatarian- she loved them and ate them all! CHIVE CAKE- Vegetarian 3/5 Personally not my favorite- I think it was a texture thing... a little gummy for me on the chew and filled only with chive. I would order the shrimp dish next time. THE COCKTAILS See Daniel at the bar- he is passionate and so knowledgeable about spirits and mixing cocktails. I had the Miss Lemongrass as I asked for something light and my friend had the Kissing Lychee which was tasty (I had a sip). We even asked Daniel to make up a drink on the spot and he didn't disappoint. COST- Pricing is very reasonable for the Happy Hour food menu- cocktails run about $14 so it can add up pretty quickly if you're ordering a few. OVERALL AMBIENCE/EXPERIENCE The decor was really funky and aesthetically pleasing- I took lots of photos and videos. I will definitely come back to try the regular menu with my Mom. It's a cozy place to get a good meal, have some sexy libations or mocktails and meet some cool people and although it was busy- it never seemed too packed.

Starting with the service, I came here with a group of 10 people, and never felt like we had to wait too long for anything. They were really attentive and accommodating. The drinks were great, and the bartender was really fun! Definitely recommend the gin spritz and peach bourbon highball. Then the food, it came out really quickly and was really flavourful. My favourites were the roti with curry, the curry puffs, the duck over rice and the yellow curry. Will definitely be back here, and 10/10 recommend it for everyone. Unfortunately didn’t get any pictures cus I was enjoying the food so much.

This place is very charming and has very good, attentive service. Unfortunately, I just don't think the food is prepared very well. I ordered the Pumpkin Curry with beef, and the beef was so dried and hard. I could not chew it at all. My friend also got a beef dish and it tasted the same. I recommend either the tiger prawns or chicken instead.