Pleasant Hill has a new Thai comfort food eatery

With menu items like crab omelets, pork belly, taro puffs and curry, Saneh Bangkok is making a flavorful splash on the Pleasant Hill dining scene.

The Thai brunch and comfort food restaurant, which opened several weeks ago, is the latest restaurant by Nichaporn (Mickey) Smaili and Wittawat Sangrat, who also run Berkeley’s Sistory Thai Kitchen and El Cerrito’s Banana Leaf.

The restaurant aims to serve food evocative of what Smaili grew up eating as a child in her grandmother’s kitchen  in Bangkok. Much of the restaurant decor comes from her grandmother’s collection, she says.

One popular dish so far is the Kai Jeow Puu ($24), a Thai-style omelet made with crab, green onions, cucumbers, cilantro and rice, served with a side of broth and Thai sriracha sauce and inspired by the school day breakfasts of Smaili’s childhood. Another is Neur Gra Tiem ($21), stir-fried beef with housemade garlic sauce, served with fried egg, clear broth and chili sauce. 

Additional menu items include a Saneh taco ($16), made with crispy chicken and housemade sweet and sour sauce, wrapped in roti and served with greens, carrots and a side of crispy potatoes, crab fried rice ($24) and, for dessert, coconut ice cream ($5) or Toast Kai Kem ($8), Texas toast with salted egg yolk custard.

Details: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. at 2634 Pleasant Hill Road in Pleasant Hill; sanehbangkok.com.