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New nightspot offers late-night dining option in Inverness

The Sabah Restaurant and Nightspot features some entrees usually offered only at upscale establishments.

By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published October 2, 2006

INVERNESS - A new nightspot is offering late-night hours for people who want to have something to eat after 9 p.m. that goes beyond a burger and is accompanied on most nights by live music.

The Sabah Restaurant and Nightspot opened last week, and its menu carries entrees that usually can be found only at upscale restaurants. Among them are four choices of steaks that can be charbroiled, along with seared tuna, baked chicken and the house speciality, island shrimp.

Sabah Restaurant and Nightspot is only open for dinner, from 4 p.m. until midnight and beyond.

That means if you want to go out and have a nice meal after watching a movie or a play, you can avoid the usual targets of fast food and chain restaurants.

The Sabah menu includes salads, topped off with grilled chicken, tuna steak or shrimp, a wide assortment of sandwiches, appetizers and many full dinner entrees.

The house speciality, island shrimp, is a Malaysian dish, described on the menu as seared and spicy.

The shrimp are topped off with a mushroom pepper sauce and finished with a shot of brandy and served with fragrant saffron rice.

Owner Chee Thau describes Malaysian cuisine as very similar to Thai, with both using a peanut sauce.

Thau owns the restaurant property and decided to get back in the restaurant business after several renters came and went. This is his seventh restaurant, he said. Sabah is Thau's home province in Malaysia.

Sabah seeks to attract a clientele that appreciates fine dining and music, Thau said. The restaurant serves beer and wine.

The head chef, Dominic Petti, may be familiar to some Inverness diners. Petti worked as the head chef at the Crown Hotel a decade ago when the hotel's restaurant was known for its casual fine dining cuisine. He took a break to work in the food delivery industry when new owners took over the hotel, and said he's glad to be back in the kitchen.

His signature steak dish, charbroiled and served over a bed of fried onions, made its way onto the Sabah menu.

He appreciates that Sabah is only open for dinners.

"That way it's easier to maintain quality, because there is only one shift," he said. "I don't have to come in after the lunch shift and find out what went wrong or what we're out of. We can be totally prepared by just focusing on serving dinner.

"If you come in at 10 p.m. or later and want a good meal or just a fresh appetizer, that won't be a problem for us."

As for music, the current lineup offers light jazz and contemporary music at 6 p.m. Tuesdays starting Oct. 10 by Carousel. On Thursdays, Inverness blues and folk rock musician Bill Osborne hosts an open mike night. There will be weekend entertainment as well.

Sabah is at 1314 U.S. 41 N, Inverness, just north of Zephyr Street and south of the post office. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Sabah is open from 4 p.m. until midnight Mondays through Thursdays and until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Jorge Sanchez covers arts and entertainment in Citrus. Contact him at sanchez@sptimes.com or 352860-7313 or toll free at 1-800-333-7505 ext. 7313.

[Last modified October 2, 2006, 06:28:55]