Thai food is a crucial building block in the food pyramid of most Pepperdiners so this week’s attempt at filling our bellies without completely emptying our pockets took us to Green Basil a modest Thai restaurant through the canyon which sported undecorated yellow walls and faux-granite tables.
Having brought along my two good friends I encouraged them also spend less than $10 and to let me sample their dinners (strictly for the purpose of writing this article of course).
My foodie companions and I took a seat near the kitchen and enjoyed the upbeat jazz music playing in the background as we observed our menus. We immediately realized our first mistake: coming for dinner instead of lunch. Green Basil boasts a $7 lunch special (served from noon to 3 p.m.) which includes rice salad a side of either pad thai or lo mein and choice of main entree. I made a mental note to return for said special in case our meal lived up to its Cholada and Thai Dishes competitors.
Instead of opting for the safe-but-almost-always-satisfying standby of pad thai I chose the Green Basil fried rice. My dining buddies went with the pad-see-ew and curry kai.
I would have very much enjoyed a Thai iced tea with lime on that warm Friday evening but with my $10 budget hanging over my head I sipped my ice water and anticipated the arrival of our entrees.
First to make its appearance at our table was the curry kai. The large steamy bowl of yellow curry made its accompanying cup of rice look fairy-sized in comparison. The curry included the standard potatoes onions and chicken and was sweet — very sweet.
Next to greet my taste buds were the sweet-spicy noodles of pad-see-ew. Since my comrade likes her food hot that’s exactly how she ordered it. There was probably enough heat on her plate to spark the next Malibu fire so I only braved a couple of bites. It was surprisingly good. The noodles were moist but not soupy and bursting with flavor. The broccoli and bean sprouts added a crunchy contrast to the soft wide rice-noodles.
Last to hit the table was my own heaping bowl. The house special fried rice was surprisingly spicy which started off well-enough but the more I ate the more I felt the heat. The chicken was delightfully tender and the fresh bell peppers and basil were nice garnishes.
Toward the middle of our meal my group noticed that our waitress had been changed to what appeared to be the manager. When we were done and asked for a few to-go boxes she even offered to store our food for us. Ah she must have spied my notebook which I (mistakenly) thought I had cleverly hidden on my lap under the table. However from this I learned that the easiest way to get outstanding service at any restaurant is to tote a small notepad and act like you’re reviewing. They can never resist the free advertisement.
At the end of our meal my friends and I walked out of Green Basil with full stomachs satisfied palates and best of all leftovers.