The Pun Pa fish wrap platter: fried tilapia with a litany of vegetables

A party of ten sits down at the next table, just after my first slurp of broth from the boat noodle soup, and right before the fish platter arrives.

I’ve been exploring the menu at So Saap for going on three years now, however it’s a long menu, and a lot of this stuff remains new to me. As much as I’ve tried to evangelize the Lao restaurant, it’s remained one of San Dego’s best kept secrets. For one, Lao cuisine hasn’t yet gained the visibility of its regional cousins, Vietnamese and Thai. And it couldn’t help that So Saap’s original location was all but buried behind a Lincoln Park tire shop, and little bigger than a postage stamp. A party of ten would about fill the whole place, split among separate tables.

But now? So Saap recently moved into a significantly larger space on University Avenue in City Heights, just off the 15 freeway. And as the dinner hour gets under way, all the extra seating seems to be coming in handy. Customers keep rolling in and delivery orders keep going out. The four young women at the next table tell me they work nearby and have already become regulars. So I guess the secret is out.

And the larger space makes any day of the week a good time to try what used to be a Tuesday special: the pun pa. That would be the fish platter, which starts with a whole fried tilapia ($24 for one, $36 for two).

But the fun of this platter goes way, way beyond the fish. In fact, I can’t recall any single entree that’s accompanied by so many different ingredients. Pun pa is a fish wrap. A criss-cross of slices across the top of the fish allow you to pinch away a piece of flesh with a leaf of cabbage or lettuce. I’m told cabbage is more conventional, but both are provided.

Also provided: sliced preparations of Thai eggplant, lemongrass, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, red onions, slivers of ginger, roasted peanuts, dill, cilantro, and vermicelli rice noodles. Technically, it doesn’t take an engineering degree to fit everything into a single bite, tho it would probably help. Adding to the joy are two choices of dipping sauce. With so many vegetables, leafy and otherwise, you could almost get the same experience from making a robust salad. But you could never fit all the ingredients on a fork. Heck, I’m surprised they could all fit into the original So Saap location.

Fans living near that first location needn’t worry too much — the space has been taken over by Kin Saep. Though a different restaurant, Kin Saep’s menu remains similar to So Saap’s, including a mix of Lao specialties, popular Thai dishes, and an abundance of fine vegan options.

Thai boat noodle and basil eggplant

Thanks to an allergy, I tend to worry about shrimp paste being slipped into Thai curries, but at So Saap I’m able to order with abandon: Panang curry? Khao Poon curry noodles? I just order the vegan alternative, and feast. Even the fish sauce is vegan. Lately, my favorite is a basil eggplant stir fry, with fried tofu as the protein. As a result, So Saap has sneakily become one of my favorite vegan restaurants.

There’s even a vegan alternative for the boat noodle soup. Which is pretty huge, given that Thai boat noodle typically features several forms of beef, tripe, and broth made using pork or beef blood. But I’ve finally decided to get over any squeamishness to try the real thing. And to finally realize this relative of phở tastes impressively complex, its rich, brown broth warmed by notes of star anise and, I suppose, beef blood. Or, put another way: beef.

I figure, if I can get over my squeamishness to enjoy blood-infused broth, the rest of San Diego can overcome whatever insecurity may keep them from developing a taste for Lao food. Now that So Saap boasts a more central location and larger dining room, it’s past time this becomes a local staple.