DINING FEATURE
BY JESSICA SHORTEN
4 DISHES TO TRY
“I THINK WE TRY TO DO BETTER EVERY SINGLE DAY.” ORASINEE RATANAARPORN
The braised pork shoulder ($22.50) takes ve hours to cook and is only available on the weekends with advance notice.
From left, management team Kawika Chieng, Orasinee Ratanaarporn and Tanaporn Ksambang run the restaurant.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA SHORTEN COMMUNITY IMPACT
ZapVor by Thai Spice Restaurant joins regional cuisines of Thailand at one table G rowing up, Orasinee Ratanaarporn devoted a lot of her studies to the eld of medical technology. After
Som tum ($22) comes with papaya salad, vermicelli noodles, steamed pork, and sweet and sour pork sausage.
Traditional avors Head chef Tanaporn Ksambang works to incorporate traditional Thai foods and tech- niques into menu items that will be familiar to those who know the cuisine, but they will also interest those who have never tried the blends of spices and herbs that de ne the dishes, Ksambang said. “I am a picky eater, and I’ve been to many places where I tried [Thai food], and I did not like it, but I know how to take the avors and pick them out,” Ksambang said. Lemongrass, pickled sh, raw turmeric, ginger, mint and coriander are all key ingredients in many dishes of Thailand. In dishes, such as the braised pork shoulder, the juices contain sweet and tangy avors, while the papaya salad has a fresh and spicy twist. Individuals can choose their level of avor for spicy, sweet and tangy. The variety extends to the drinks as well. Guests can try beverages, such as lychee soda, which is made with a native fruit to Thailand and China, or one of the many cold- brewed fruit and ower teas, such as mango, hibiscus or butter y-pea ower. Ratanaarporn aims to provide the comfort of traditional dishes for those who seek them as well as o er a new taste to those who only know dishes such as pad thai and curry. “I think we try to do better every single day,” Ratanaarporn said. “We take a bet on that people will like it, and once they’ve been introduced they do like it.”
moving from Bangkok, Thailand, to Los Angeles in 1982 for college, she found her way to downtown Houston, where she noticed a distinct lack of the food that reminded her of home. “I never liked to be in the lab all day long,” said Ratanaarporn, founder of ZapVor by Thai Spice. “But I am a good cook, and everywhere I ate, it didn’t compete with what I’ve been cooking myself—so why not take a chance?” Originally founded in 1995 as Thai Spice, ZapVor is based on the combination of “zap”—Thai slang for “delicious”—and “ a- vor.” While her rst location was in Bellaire, the Spring location, which opened in 2022, was a push to bring more traditional and authentic Thai cuisine to the region. “We have northern food, eastern food, southern food, and each region is slightly di erent. They have their own herbs, spices and ingredients,” Ratanaarporn said. Papaya salad, sweet and sour pork sausage, and pickled crab are all dishes that may seem new to people who have never eaten traditional Thai food, but Ratanaar- porn stated those dishes help bring a taste of home to an increasingly diverse community. “It’s a literal melting pot, and we have something from back home that nobody wants to [make] here, but we do it,” she said.
The stu ed sachets ($6) are made with chicken or pork and accompanied by a plum sauce.
The chicken curry pu pastries ($6) are paired with a sweet vinaigrette with cucumber and red onion.
ZapVor by Thai Spice 421 Sawdust Road, Spring 281-651-2205 www.zapvorbythaispice.com Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
SAWDUST RD.
45
42
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook