Zaab opens in Braddon with Lao and Thai street food

Braddon's newest restaurant features an alfresco noodle cart, a big list of Asian beers, and Lao and Thai street food in a retro setting. Oh, and there'll also be late-night DJs and a dance floor.

This is Zaab, on Lonsdale Street, tucked away next to Rye cafe and the now defunct Vitis Eatery.

Inside the restaurant is a spin on a classic southeast Asian food shop - a little spot with beer ads hanging out the front, corrugated iron panels and graffiti on the walls, and low tables and stools scattered around.

Owner Becky Khanthavongsa wants to serve up the food her Lao family loves to eat - and she's got her dad Sangkeo in the kitchen cooking it. Zaab's menu includes Lao sausage, larb, house-made Asian beef jerky, and green chilli dips. There are also Thai classics such as tom yum goong, pad Thai, curries and green papaya salad.

Khanthavongsa explains that Zaab (pronounced "sahp") comes from the Lao word for "delicious food" - and in Thai it means "intensely flavoured" or "extra spicy".

"In terms of Zaab, I wanted to keep it as casual as possible, still quite nice, that kind of family atmosphere that I was raised in and just fun," she says.

A long bar offers communal dining and a list of 16 craft and Asian beers, from Beerlao to Chang. Cocktails will also be a speciality, including a cheeky creation made in a coconut shell with a smiley face on it.

Khanthavongsa's parents previously owned Thai Basil restaurant in Erindale and she worked with retail savant and Zambrero's owner Sam Prince, eventually opening her own Zambrero's franchise in Canberra.

Zaab will initially be open from 5pm to late seven days a week but Khanthavongsa hopes to expand into lunch soon.

Out the front of the restaurant is a noodle cart festooned with fairy lights that will serve meals during the day. But during the night it will transform into a DJ station, with beats and space for a dance floor as the night wears on.

Zaab is at 9 Lonsdale Street in Braddon. See facebook.com/zaabstreetfood

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