Food Review: Basil Thai Kitchen – Provincial Thai Delights set in a Herb Garden Oasis

Even before stepping into Basil Thai Kitchen, the lush greenery of herb planters greeted me warmly from the outside.

Although this is their flagship outlet at Paragon, the first one was opened at Kallang Wave mall in 2014.

Besides serving the crowd-pleasing familiar Thai staples such as Phad Thai and Pineapple Fried Rice, Basil Thai Kitchen has an interesting menu with an array of lesser-known Thai delicacies from various provinces of Thailand.

Laab Gai, $8.90

Laab Gai, a North-Eastern specialty consists of stir-fried minced chicken tossed with fresh mint, basil and kaffir lime. It could do with a tad more dressing and was particularly fiery on the taste bud but that could just be due to my extremely low heat intolerant level.

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Tao Khua, $9.90

Tao Khua is an unassuming-looking Thai salad comprising of firm tofu, rice vermicelli, fried prawns, shredded chicken and chopped kangkong stems. The mildly sweet and spicy homemade sauce paired really well with the dish and made me want to keep eating it. That’s a good sign.

Poa Piah Boran, $9.90

Poa Pia Boran is Thai-style spring rolls filled with minced chicken, black fungus, bamboo shoot and glass noodles. I was told each ingredient is hand cut and stir fried separately. While I was wowed by the labor-intensive preparation, I thought the skin could be crispier and the filling could benefit with a little more seasoning.

Keang Khua Poo, $16.90

Keang Khua Poo, a southern Thai yellow curry is something we do not really get to try very often. Chunks of crab meat and generous amount of Thai basil leaves tipped the delicate flavor of the sweet coconut curry.

Massaman Chicken Curry with Crispy Roti, $13.90

This Persian-inspired dish consist of 13 ingredients which are ground into a spice blend. Served in a beautiful tagine and with thin slices of crispy roti prata, my dining companions all agreed steamed Jasmine rice would have been a better vehicle to soak up the heady flavors of the thick, sweet and spicy curry.

Fresh Prawn Omelette, $8.90

This very sinful omelette (deep fried in lots of smoking hot oil) features multiple soft inner layers with crispy edges. However, I failed to detect any slivers of prawn meat and gave up on this dish after a few tiny bites.

Red Ruby with Coconut Cream, $5.90

For dessert, I seeked comfort in this quintessential Thai dessert. The water chestnuts are homemade and soaked in rooibos root which gives the ‘rubies’ its distinctive color.

Homemade Lod Chong, $5.90

Similar to our local ‘chendol’, the green’ noodles is made in house with rice flour and pandan juice. If you enjoy super gao (thick) coconut dessert, then this lod chong will not disappoint you.

Getting to Paragon is a little more convenient than Kallang Wave mall and if you are a true blue Thai foodie (like me), be adventurous and give the lesser-known items a try.

*This is a collaborated post in partnership with Basil Thai Kitchen.

Basil Thai Kitchen
290 Orchard Road, B1-45/46, Paragon, Singapore 238859
Tel: +65 6836 8417| Website