Thai Basil

Restaurant: Thai Basil

Cuisine: Thai
Last visited: December 18, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Westend/Downtown)
1215 Thurlow Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Hole in the wall, seats 10
• Family owned and operated
• Outdoor seating for maybe 3 people
• Homecooked/Homestyle
• Made upon order
• Local ingredients
• Very cheap
• Eat in / Take-out
• $5.95 lunch specials
• Optional brown rice
• Attracts Westerners/white people
• Open kitchen
• Accepts MC/Debit/Visa
• Tuesday- Sunday 11am-9:30pm
• Closed Monday

**Recommendation: Pad Grapow (not on menu, need to make special request)

I walked past Thai Basil several months and finally decide to try it out. I was with my friend and we had spent the last couple days Christmas shopping so when we were deciding where to go for dinner the only craving we had was CHEAP. So we walked up Davie scoping out restaurants and had the intentions of going to Samurai Sushi as our default eatery for cheap eats…until I remembered Thai Basil that is. I had forgotten what the menu looked like, but all I knew was that it was really cheap; cheaper than Samurai Sushi, so it was a natural choice at the time.

I really questioned its authenticity because everyone having dinner there is predominantly white. However I think it could be the area; as well you wouldn't notice it unless you lived in the neighborhood. This place is the definition of hole-in-the-wall; it’s a small operation that seats maybe 10. The kitchen is open which is good because at least I can see where my food is coming from. It’s clean and everything is served on nice rectangular white plates which really surprised me. I also loved the free toasted ground peanuts available at the counter. We seriously used the entire container between the 2 of us.

I had no idea what I was expecting. Part of me was thinking definitely watered down Thai food. When I asked for a recommendation she kept saying that the most popular was cashew nut chicken and Pad Thai, the dishes most popular for white people and mainly because they're mild. So I had to really explain to her that I didn't necessarily want most popular, but just the best thing according to them - basically what they would order. She said what she eats isn't on the menu, but she could get it made for us. I was sold.

She didn't know I was a reviewer/blogger but she did know I wanted the really authentic stuff. Therefore the dishes they prepared for us were especially made "Thai style". Meaning everything is spicy and served how they would eat it at home or in Thailand.

Note: You can make this request at Thai/Indian restaurants.

On the table:

Nua Nam Tok 3.5/6

• Grilled beef, onion, mint, roasted rice tossed in spicy dressing. Served on a bed of greens $5.95

• At first bite this was very spicy to me and I can handle spicy. I will usually go for medium, but I can handle hot. The first bite was spicy to the point of smoky bitter spicy. It had my nose runny quite early.
• The vinaigrette sauce was almost like a spicy Thai version of that orange Vietnamese sauce you dip your spring rolls in. It's made of fish sauce, lime juice, and other Thai spices. The seasoning they use for it is this dark red spice made of dried Thai red chili peppers. It’s available at their help yourself condiments section at the counter.
• It was very flavourful and started off salty, then immediately to tangy, and then right away to very spicy. But it's so weird because after a while of being spicy, it suddenly gets sweet. I couldn't even taste the spiciness anymore. They also fried the actual dried Thai red chilies right into the oil before sautéing the beef and I think they did the same with the Thai basil leaves, so the flavourful was intense. To my surprise it wasn’t greasy either.
• The beef is really tender from being marinated. It looks dry, but it was juicy. It was pretty lean pieces and for the price they give you quite a bit and the dish is big overall.
• I couldn’t taste or see any roasted rice though.
• I also wish the fresh mint should have been more chopped up.
• I still prefer larb gai, another authentic Thai salad, over this one.
• Must eat this with lots of ground peanuts - that are unlimited!

**Pad Grapow 5/6

• Stir fried minced chicken, garlic, & holy basil served with a fried egg on a bed of rice $8.50
• You can order it with minced chicken, pork, or beef.
• This is the secret dish that isn’t on the menu that was specially prepared upon request. Anyone can order it though, and I really suggest you do.
• This dish was very home style Thai, it was one of those dishes that you know is what they cook at home. It was really simple and when you see it served with a fried egg you just know it’s one of their go-to, feel good, home cooked meals. Fried eggs are common sides to lots of Asian cuisines, although it’s something we would do it at home or something you would see at Asian tea houses serving very casual food.
• The ground chicken is actually marinated in what tasted like sweet soy like sauce with garlic. It’s probably tamarind, fish sauce and (palm) sugar in the marinade with some garlic. It was very lean and delicious.
• The spiciness totally sneaks up on you with this dish…and I know why now! At first I thought it was because of the fresh red chilies and the seeds that got camouflaged into the minced meat. But now I know it’s because they use Thai holy basil in the dish and not Thai sweet basil! The flavour is totally different and this is when you know you’re getting the authentic stuff. This dish has to use a lot of holy basil because the flavour is what makes this dish. It has a peppery aromatic kick that’s softer than using straight up chilies. Both are used in the dish, but together the flavour is unmistakable.
• Again it’s best eaten with ground peanuts and the fish sauce and ground chili spice that comes with it. Adding peanuts isn’t the authentic way to eat it, but I loved the texture and flavour it added.
• The side of fish sauce doesn’t smell great, but the flavour it adds is amazing. Use it! It’s almost like a very pungent and potent salt – you just need to sprinkle some over the whole dish and mix it until you reached your desired flavour.
• My only complaint is that the egg was slightly overdone, so the yolk wasn't as runny. It should be runny so that you can mixed everything nicely together.
• It’s a very big portion for one person and totally worth the price.
• It’s also not greasy and a perfect ratio of meat and rice.

Khai Thai

Restaurant: Khai Thai
Cuisine: Thai
Last visited: September 29, 09

Area: Vancouver, BC
809 Seymour Street (Seymour & Robson)
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Thai chefs/cooks/staff
• Chefs trained in fine restaurants in Thailand
• Good food, somewhat authentic Thai food
• Still Westernized (attracts tourists/Westerners)
• Lunch M-F 11:30am-2pm
  
• Dinner daily at 5pm
• Pictures available
• Eat in/Take-out/Delivery

**Recommendation: Larb Chicken, Pla Sarm Rod

I can trust that this restaurant is somewhat authentic Thai and not as Westernized as some of the others. My Thai friend took me here and helped with the ordering so I was able to try items I would not normally order. It's hard to know what to order when you don't come from that culture.

However it's not the best Thai place around and it still is somewhat Westernized. (I was with other Thai people and for some it was their first time dining here). I don't want to judge, but it is near Robson which is also a tourist hot spot. It's difficult to locate because there's construction going on around it and it looks like a hole in the wall on the outside. The inside is nice, but it also looks like a tacky hotel resort with a fake garden and flowers. The chef's are actually from Thailand and have cooked at some of the finest restaurants - which means that the food is good, but it's hotel/restaurant style Thai food. So it's borderline made to appeal to tourist tastes and their fantasies of Thailand and Thai food.

On the table:

• Spring Rolls 2/6
• Vegetable and glass noodles served with plum sauce.

• I know. SO typical...I wouldn't have ordered it, but it was standard with our selection of appetizers. At least they're not frozen and made in house.
• The filling was curried vermicelli noodles, the clear ones, mixed with a little tofu, carrots and cabbage. I don't know how authentic the curry is. I would have preferred if there was some shitake mushrooms and more ingredients. They were missing something. Too simple.
• They served it with plum sauce...which is not authentic! It should be served with a Thai dipping sauce made with fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili etc.
• 
• Fish Cakes or "Tod Man Pla" 2/6
• Deep fried fish cake marinated in chili paste served with Thai spicy sauce.

• It's another dish for Western taste buds. This wasn't that spicy, surely not as spicy as it sounds. It actually taste more aromatic because it had lemongrass in it, which I liked.
  
• They were ok, but nothing special or memorable. The sauce was a spicy sauce that was also sweet and sour tasting. It went well with the cakes.
• 
• **Laab Chicken/Larb Gai 6/6
• Minced chicken mixed with roasted sticky rice powder, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, chillies, sesame seeds and green onions.

• DROOL! This this is sooo good! It's under "Salad" and it's not even really a salad, so most people would overlook it because it's always under the wrong category. It's supposed to be served with romaine leaves (almost like a lettuce wrap) and this one was not - so again it's not served the authentic Thai way.

• Larb Gai is one of those authentic dishes that Thai people order.
• Wow, this was sooo good. Now I don't know if they make it especially good here, but all I know is the dish is good. It's SO flavourful and aromatic! It's quite spicy, tangy, savoury, citrusy, nutty - it takes your taste buds on a 30 sec. tour through Thailand.
• The chicken is so well marinated and juicy. Everything is nicely minced so the flavours mesh together perfectly. The roasted rice is amazing too and they mix it with sesame seeds. This combination adds two levels of nuttiness that I've never experienced before. Almost tastes like coarsely ground peanuts. Really unique. I'll order it every time I go to a Thai restaurant now.
• It's quite expensive for the size you get (appy size) - $9.95...but it's SO good!
• 
• Yum Woonsen 3/6

• Glass noodles with shrimp, minced pork, peanuts, onions, tomato, fish sauce and fresh lime juice.

• This is another item I would have glanced over and not ordered. It's under "Salads" and it was more like an appetizer to me.
• It's a bit mushy for my liking, I feel like the noodles were overcooked and lost their texture. They were a bit too chopped up too so it felt a little like baby food. It was salty (fish sauce), tangy (vinegar), sweet (sugar) and had a slight spiciness - more like a kick. Flavour was good, but execution could have been better. There was also big chunks of tomatoes and onions in it. The onions were kind of raw and I don't know if they were supposed to be.
• 

• Pad Cashew Nut 4/6
• Stir-fried chicken with bell peppers, onions and cashew nuts.

• This is not really an authentic Thai dish, it's more Chinese influenced, so it's not spicy at all but it's still really good. Definitely more sweet and salty.
  
• It was really fresh, and the chicken was nice and juicy. The veggies weren't overcooked and the sauce wasn't oily or greasy.
• They give you tons of chicken and cashew nuts - no fillers here or excessive veggies.
• The presentation is weak though.

Excuse the blurry picture, there was no attempt to take a second photo because everyone was too excited to eat it...including me.

• Pla Sarm Rod 5/6
• Deep fried fish topped with a three-flavored spicy sauce, chili, garlic & deep fried Thai basil leaves.They don't inform you of the type of fish because they use either Salmon or Red Snapper. The authentic Thai way is to use Garoupa.

• When I ordered it they used Red Snapper. It tastes almost the same as salmon and is similar in texture, but it's not as fishy tasting.
• It took a liking to the spicy sauce because the fish was so mild tasting itself. The sauce kind of tastes like a spicy version of sweet and sour sauce. They definitely made it less spicy than how Thai people would enjoy it. The authentic way would be to garnish it with slices of Thai red chilies too.
• The best part was the deep-fried Thai basil leaves! What a great garnish. I've never had this before and I thoroughly enjoyed them. They're really crispy and light. It's the texture of a thinly baked filo pastry sheet. It really aromatic and gives off this subtle basil taste that's also nutty. It went fabulous with the fish, and they gave you a lot! It was a gourmet and authentic garnish because they could have used parsley.

Drinks

• Thai Iced Tea 4.5/6
• This is good, but it's very very sweet. There should be a slight orange colour if it's authentic. It's a brewed Thai tea that's iced and sweetened with sugar cane syrup (some other Thai places use regular syrup as a simple substitution). Compared to simple sugar syrup, sugar cane syrup is thicker, richer and intensely sweet. They top the drink off with evaporated milk. Mix it all together before you drink it. It's creamy, rich, bold, and strong. It's almost like a dessert.

• Coconut Milk
  
• This is just a fresh and young coconut that's opened and served with a straw.

Green Basil Thai

Restaurant: Green Thai Basil
Cuisine: Thai
Last visited: August 1, 09

Area: Burnaby
4326 Kingsway
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2
Service: 2
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Not the best Thai in Vancouver, it's ok
• I'm not Thai, neither was the clientele
• More Chinese Thai food than authentic Thai food
• Nothing looks like the pictures on the menu
• No presentation
  
• Lunch specials available M-F: 11-3pm @ $6.95
  
• Spiciness levels are pre-set
• Food comes quickly

**Recommendation: I can't really recommend anything because it was all ok, but out of the things I had, the Khaoo Phat Sap-Bpa-Roht (Fried rice with pineapples, peanuts, raisins & pork floss) was the best...actually quite tasty.

Alright so I'm not Thai and neither was the clientele. I have Thai friends and they've never heard of this restaurant, so I really question its authenticity to traditional Thia food. I felt like it was more on the Chinese side. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. Just average Thai food, and if I was in the area and really craving Thai food I would go here. But I wouldn't plan a dinner just to go here again. The owner/waiter was also kind of rude, but the rest of the staff was ok. The food also came very fast, which usually means it's all pre-made sitting on heaters or stove tops in the back all day. Because you can't adjust the spiciness to your liking, you know it's all somewhat pre-made and reheated. Yes, some curries cannot be adjusted because the curry paste is spicy on its own - but you can just tell it's probably a buffet style set-up in the kitchen...which is out of sight.

On the table:

• Tom Yum - Soup 2/6
• Hot and sour soup with mushroom, tomato, lemongrass, and Thai herbs.
• I had it with prawns. I've had better, this was actually kind of disappointing. it doesn't look like the picture and they could have been more generous with the ingredients. The care wasn't there, everything was more or less just thrown in.
• The waiter/owner was really poor at serving the soup equally - some people had no prawns, some has no mushrooms, some had more soup...bad job.
• Gaaeng Ka-Ri - Yellow Thai curry in a hot pot 3/6
  
• Yellow curry paste with carrots, potato, pineapple and coconut milk
• I ordered it with seafood and it did come with a reasonable amount of seafood for $14.50. Good amount of seafood to sauce ratio. It was better than the green Thai curry we ordered. It was more flavourful and their were some fresh green and red peppers that were probably sauteed in before serving. I feel that the potatoes, carrots and curry sauce were all precooked though.
• Gaaeng Kiew Waan - Green Thai curry 2/6
• Green curry paste with basil, eggplant, green beans and coconut milk
  
• I ordered it with chicken - which was slices of chicken breasts. It doesn't look like the picture and I feel like they could have gone heavier on the green curry paste. For 3 chili peppers, it wasn't that spicy either. Nothing really rave about, it wasn't bad it wasn't really good...just meh.
• Khaoo Phat Sap-Bpa-Roht - Thai fried rice 5/6
  
• Fried rice with fresh pineapple, peanuts, and raisins topped with dried pork floss
• Does not look like the pictures again! But it's pretty good, so I guess it's ok. It needed more cashews and raisins, we barely had any. It also had no dried pork floss when it was served, so we told the waiter and his excuse was lame. He tried to convince us that they purposely don't serve it with pork floss because we already ordered it with chicken and that most people don't like pork floss on it etc. It was a stupid excuse.
• The pineapples were fresh, plentiful and there were pretty big chunks of them which is nice. The chef did a good job frying the rice as well - each rice grain is separate (a skill to master) and it took longer to come out, which means it was made upon order. I like the sweet, salty, tangy and hint of spicy flavour this rice has. Hits all the taste buds in the right way.
  
• It was the best thing out of everything we ordered. I like it with the dried pork floss, even though it was the cheap kind...which is still good though. The pork floss, to me, is a Chinese influence, Thai style fried rice anywhere else doesn't come with this. I liked it though, even if it made it less Thai...I'd call this a Thai/Chinese style fried rice for sure. The chef is probably Chinese, hence why this was the best dish - I'm only assuming though so don't take my word for it!