Review: Thai Basil
Originally featured on Walesonline on Feb 5th 2010
With Balti Wallah moving from it’s longstanding home on Cowbridge Road East all the way to, well, the other side of the road, locals in Canton were left wondering what would take over at number 72.
The answer came in the form of Thai Basil, which had it’s grand opening night on January 28th, following the opening of another Thai restaurant (Bangkok Cafe) only a few minutes away.
The place has had a paint-job since the Balti Wallah days and the “interesting” mural of the Taj Mahal has been replaced with a rather more neutral affair, with oriental art decorating the walls.
“But what of the food?”, I hear you cry. For the bargain price of £8.95 my fellow diners and I were treated to a buffet selection of Thai treats, giving a hint of what the new enterprise is like. On arrival we were treated to a glass of cava before being shown to our table for the evening and were told to help ourselves to as much of the buffet as we liked.
For starters we helped ourselves to Chicken Toasts (imagine a prawn toast and you’re halfway there!), veggie spring rolls and some tempura battered vegetables. Whilst the toasts looked thin, and, to be honest, a bit mean on the filling, they were packed with chicken and spices but without being overpowering or having a greasy feel to them. The tempura batter was light and fluffy and again lacked the grease normally associated with fried food. The selection of vegetables was also wide ranging, with everything from green beans to cauliflower making an appearence. The spring rolls were possibly the weakest of the three. Still tasty but had a shop bought feel to them.
After a brief respite, and another sip of the cava, it was onto the mains. Beef in Oyster sauce had a good salty flavour and plenty of depth, with a vegetable version of the dish on offer too, though this lacked some of the pizazz of it’s meaty cousin. The standout winner of the night had to be the Thai Green Chicken Curry, with its spicy flavour and a hint of lime and star anise in the thin, coconut sauce. Again, a vegetarian alternative was offered in the form of a Thai Red Vegetable Curry, which offered the same big flavours but with the heat turned down a notch or two. Rice and vegetable noodles were on offer as an accompaniment.
Whilst all the dishes were well received, they did suffer somewhat from the buffet setting and the meat in particular did not benefit from being left on heaters all evening, quickly becoming overcooked and chewy.
A dessert of fruit salad hastily appeared at the end of our meal and felt a little bit like a last minute thought.
One other niggle is that the owners had packed the tables tightly together, leaving people to squeeze past the neighbouring tables to get to the food. If this is the set up on a regular night then those with mobility problems may find it hard to manouevere the cramped space.
This is a promising addition to the Canton high street and one that is definitely worth a repeat visit as I feel they will only improve as the months go on. They also provide a take away service (though no mention is made of delivery) and are also taking bookings for Valentines Day.
For more information, or to view the menu, visit their website.
Thai Basil, 72 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9DU
With Balti Wallah moving from it’s longstanding home on Cowbridge Road East all the way to, well, the other side of the road, locals in Canton were left wondering what would take over at number 72.
The answer came in the form of Thai Basil, which had it’s grand opening night on January 28th, following the opening of another Thai restaurant (Bangkok Cafe) only a few minutes away.
The place has had a paint-job since the Balti Wallah days and the “interesting” mural of the Taj Mahal has been replaced with a rather more neutral affair, with oriental art decorating the walls.
“But what of the food?”, I hear you cry. For the bargain price of £8.95 my fellow diners and I were treated to a buffet selection of Thai treats, giving a hint of what the new enterprise is like. On arrival we were treated to a glass of cava before being shown to our table for the evening and were told to help ourselves to as much of the buffet as we liked.
For starters we helped ourselves to Chicken Toasts (imagine a prawn toast and you’re halfway there!), veggie spring rolls and some tempura battered vegetables. Whilst the toasts looked thin, and, to be honest, a bit mean on the filling, they were packed with chicken and spices but without being overpowering or having a greasy feel to them. The tempura batter was light and fluffy and again lacked the grease normally associated with fried food. The selection of vegetables was also wide ranging, with everything from green beans to cauliflower making an appearence. The spring rolls were possibly the weakest of the three. Still tasty but had a shop bought feel to them.
After a brief respite, and another sip of the cava, it was onto the mains. Beef in Oyster sauce had a good salty flavour and plenty of depth, with a vegetable version of the dish on offer too, though this lacked some of the pizazz of it’s meaty cousin. The standout winner of the night had to be the Thai Green Chicken Curry, with its spicy flavour and a hint of lime and star anise in the thin, coconut sauce. Again, a vegetarian alternative was offered in the form of a Thai Red Vegetable Curry, which offered the same big flavours but with the heat turned down a notch or two. Rice and vegetable noodles were on offer as an accompaniment.
Whilst all the dishes were well received, they did suffer somewhat from the buffet setting and the meat in particular did not benefit from being left on heaters all evening, quickly becoming overcooked and chewy.
A dessert of fruit salad hastily appeared at the end of our meal and felt a little bit like a last minute thought.
One other niggle is that the owners had packed the tables tightly together, leaving people to squeeze past the neighbouring tables to get to the food. If this is the set up on a regular night then those with mobility problems may find it hard to manouevere the cramped space.
This is a promising addition to the Canton high street and one that is definitely worth a repeat visit as I feel they will only improve as the months go on. They also provide a take away service (though no mention is made of delivery) and are also taking bookings for Valentines Day.
For more information, or to view the menu, visit their website.
Thai Basil, 72 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9DU
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