Restauraunt blends several Asian cultures, creates unique dining experience

Photo Credit: Mddie Schorr

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October 20, 2011

Maddie Schorr, Staff Writer

   For over 13 years Thai Basil on West Bay drive has been serving fresh sushi, an array of curries and other cultural foods.

   However I found that in order to actually enjoy the meal, one must order extra spicy or the food becomes bland.  When first entering the restaurant, the tinkling of bells announces the arrival of a new customer.   It’s seat yourself and a waitress arrives to take the order.

   Dinner prices range from around $10 to $20 for a meal. Sushi is about $13 for eight pieces.     The house favorite and top selling dish is the “pad thai”. The curry meals are best with fried tofu and ordered “Thai Spicy” because it is very bland without the spices. If the intense flavors prove to be too much, sushi provides a unique flavor to an otherwise boring meal.

   Statues of Thai gods are strewn throughout the restaurant to provide a bit of cultural background.  The lights are dim making it hard to see the other tables and into the kitchen and providing a mysterious air.  When first entering, large statues of Asian women in yoga poses line the unused hostess table, silent guards against thieves and those wishing harm.

   It is a family-owned, giving service a family feel.  There are two locations- East Bay and West Bay.  The West Bay premise is 1700 West Bay Dr Largo, FL.

   This location is the biggest and busiest, but it is the East bay location that is now experimenting with a completely new menu.  Vietnamese food is being introduced into the restaurant.

   “Order the Fu! It’s the greatest.” said waitress Christina.  Fu is a Vietnamese soup made of beef and noodles.

   However the East bay Thai Basil does not feature a sushi chef so if one wishes to enjoy that Japanese luxury, dinner time at the West Bay Thai Basil is the only place to eat the uncooked fishes.

   Thai Basil is a different sort of food for an adventurous soul. With a plethora of foods in names unpronounceable to an English tongue, for those daring enough, ordering randomly provides a way to experience new foods in an authentic Thai restaurant.

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