Thai Me Up

Now that I've exposed you to the funny side of Thai pop culture, let me expose you to the culinary side.

"Sawatdee Ka!"

This is how you should greet your thai waitress, if it's a male Thai waiter the greeting should be, "Sawatdee Krap!". I always apply this little piece of linguistic knowledge whenever I try out a new Thai restaurant. If they respond with a big smile and say, "Sawatdee Krap", then I know that they're authentic (or at least their servers are). Bonus points to them for actually recognizing me as a male. However, if they look at me with a vapid stare and mutter, "Um,Whatdawho, ma'am?", then I know they're fakers and I would turn, and walk away while saying, "Pad-See You Later!"

You won't have authenticity issues at Basil Canteen. Attention Vegetarians: Above, you see a picture of their fried chive cake kanom guay chai; Delightfully delicious, and this is just the start.

Basil Canteen is the sister to Thai Basil restaurant. They are both located on Howard Street, this posting is for Basil Canteen which is on the corner of 11th. There's a gazillion and one Thai restaurants in the city and if you don't watch your step, your bound to stumble into a mediocre one. Well, you won't have to fear anything when you walk into this place. They're the proverbial cat's pyjamas! Tangent Alert: I never understood that old time expression. Let's start a new one. How about saying, "They're the koala's onesies!"

My fave dish, seen above, is the kao soi neur. This dish is brilliant! It's egg noodles in a coconut curry sauce which has a mild citrus infusion. This bowl of yummy includes slices of flank steak and it's crowned with crispy noodles. The different textures and the savory coconut milk sauce makes for a completely unforgettable dining experience. I promise you, you will die - figuratively!

Click here to check out their menu.