Satdha

Satdha Restaurant Review:

A real local favorite, Satdha is a plant-based Thai eatery in Santa Monica with a friendly atmosphere and simple setting. The large floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the parking lot, which gets packed as the night goes on. The menu offers 100% vegan dishes including tom kha (coconut and lemongrass soup with mushrooms), beet-dyed noodles (beet-infused rice vermicelli with coconut, shallots, baked tofu, bean sprouts and fermented black beans) and chard leaves stuffed with coconut, shitake, lime, cashews and ginger. “Catfish Eggplant” is a signature item, featuring battered eggplant with red curry paste, bell peppers, young pepper corn and Thai basil; the eggplant, encased in crispy skin, shreds much like catfish, hence the name. The shallot tempeh with broccoli is a beguilingly simple yet savory dish, demonstrating chef Gunn Pankum’s flair for innovation with flavors and ingredients. There is a brief list of wines by the glass, plus draft beers, organic teas and kombucha on draft. Satdha also does a brisk take-out business with people usually waiting in the front area.