Sweet Basil Thai( Sunday of the 7s) Continued.

Remarks on the Meal: Hands down, my two favorite dishes at this restaurant are the Pomelo Salad and the Pad Thai. They say many a times food and certain dishes are linked to nostalgic or pleasant memories from your past.

I would say Pad Thai is definitely one of those foods for me. For those from uiuc…. Golden Wok has cheered me up, provided perfect sustenance after an intense cardio workout at CRCE, to a favorite takeout meal when it was pouring or snowing excessively. Thus, when I eat Pad Thai, I am just a happy person and this particular one hits the spot pretty well.

The noodle sticks are neither too soft nor too hard which is often a hard balance to achieve in many pad thai establishments. Another difficult part in creating the perfect Pad Thai is the balance of fish sauce to the tangy tamarind sauce. I have frequented many thai places which either are TOO savory or TOO sweet. This one is a good median. Its not Golden Wok but then again… I should not expect that quality abroad.

My favorite appetizer and something that quells your hunger quite well as you are waiting for your main courses is the Pomelo Salad. Initially when I first tried this creation, I did not realize that there was any dressing at all. But as you slowly dissect the flavor and slowly absorb and separate each taste, you realize there is a light and subtle difference to regular pomelo. I assume the technique can be compared to [sprinkling salt on watermelon]. While my taste buds may not be particularly professional, I taste a subtle hint of limejuice and perhaps a hint of coconut water/milk. Very refreshing as an appetizer!

Sorry for the extremely long post… this meal had to feed 8 hence the extensive list of menu items. Also, the picture quality on these are lacking because I forgot my digicam at home, and many were shot quickly before my family dug in. anyways!

Cheers! and happy eating!

Sweet Basil Thai( Sunday of the 7s)

Hmm… writer’s block or pure laziness? Perhaps a good combination of both. Excuse the hiatus from blogging, this meal should have been written about BEFORE my vacation but …mmm ok no more excuses and onto the meal.

It’s a family tradition on my mom’s side to go out on dimsum excursions when my parents are in town. After my audit stint at an industrial park and essentially consuming gallons of oil for my lunch meals, I convinced my mom to pick another cuisine. This particular Sunday was the 7’s or a huge Rugby match that takes place in Hong Kong annually….aka traffic was horrendous all around the Causway Bay and most of Hong Kong Island. Maybe it’s the American in me, or just the idea of being fairly open to many ethnic cuisines, but I had to do a fairly persuasive job to convince my parents to stray away from the traditional conventions of dimsum. Finally! Thai cuisine was compromised.
The meal:

Pomelo Salad- Pomelo pulps picked out and placed on a bed of lettuce in a lime cream dressing w. dried mini fish

Yellow Chicken Curry- Tender Chicken slices mixed with carrots, red peppers, and onions in a light yellow coconut curry

Thai Fried Rice with crab meat- Standard Asian fried rice with scrambled egg, green onions, and shredded crabmeat.

Shrimp Pad Thai- tangy and savory dried noodle sticks with green onions, bean sprouts, scrambled egg,, and shrimp with crushed peanuts.

Fried fish fillets- Fried fish fillets on a bed of (Cun Xin Cai) and red chili

Pan-fried giant prawns- Pan-fried giant prawns in a salt and garlic batter topped with cilantro.

Tofu- Pudding Tofu lightly battered accompanied with shitake mushrooms, various other forms of mushrooms, baby corn, and green peppers.

(To Be Continued)