Sabuy Sabuy I
5231 College Ave. @Broadway, Oakland, CA
No website; Yelp reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sabuy-sabuy-thai-cuisine-oakland#query:Sabuy%20Sabuy%20I 
Review date: Sept. 2013

A month ago, we enjoyed our lunch at Sabuy Sabuy/Berkeley so much that we're determined to return for dinner someday soon. But the original, Sabuy Sabuy I, is closer to us. Being in the immediate neighborhood one day, we decided to try it for lunch to compare against its sibling.

If SS2 is in a modest building in Berkeley, then SS1 is in a dump in Oakland, despite being technically right on the now-upscale Rockridge border. The low small building is a very old, small greasy spoon dive, but the patio is fairly pleasant with small tables and big umbrellas providing shade. We picked inside, however, and chose a couple of starters and two noodle dishes.

The soup of the day sounded the same – a coconut soup with chicken – but was a little different from what we received at SS2. This one had big wedges of king mushrooms, overcooked chicken breast, no young coconut, and a less-rich broth. Still, it was good, and we both enjoyed it.

The calamari, however, was terrible in comparison with SS2's version. It was baby squid, battered and overfried until hard and chewy. Nowhere near as good, and not worth ordering again.

Carlos chose the Pad Kee Now, stir-fried Chinese fresh rice noodles, picking chicken as the meat. The chicken was overcooked and scant, the vegetables just as raw as in Berkeley, but the noodles were actually pretty tasty. Seasoned with a good dose of soya, there was no sugar used so the umami aspect was very satisfying. But those veggies and (lack of) meat were a miss; the Berkeley-ized noodle dishes just don't cut it with us.

I ordered the Pad Thai just to see what it was like. The serving was large, but it was all noodles. The fried tofu cubes weren't fresh, and three small shrimps made a sad showing. Carlos liked the fact the kitchen puts most of the raw beansprouts on the side, as he doesn't care for them overmuch. I found the flavor interesting: more tart than sweet, without as much ketchup as most places use nowadays (it used to be an accent, not a substitute for the sauce). But overall, it was a cheap, filling, indifferent noodle plate.

Lots of people do take-out here. But we both agreed we fully understand why Sabuy Sabuy I gets a full star less rating than Sabuy Sabuy II by Yelpers. You wouldn't even know they were more than distantly related. SS2 tries hard to do things right while still pleasing Western tastes. By contrast, SS1 is just slinging cheap greasy take-out.

Two people, lunch: three starters, two entrées, one beverage, with tip was $38.