restaurant review: the basil
Located at 22911 Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita between Philly’s Best and the Mini Mart sits a little 11-table restaurant called The Basil. Spouting Thai Fusion cuisine, this restaurant rivals some of my favorite San Fernando Valley favorites, Thai Temple and Thai Town.
The Basil offers a wide range of appetizers from traditional Satay (chicken or beef on a bamboo skewer), Shrimp Toast, Larb (minced meat cooked with chili, shallot, lime juice and mint leaves and Papaya Salad to the most amazing soups. My favorite is the Tom Kha or coconut lemon grass soup. One can order a bowl or the “hot pot” which comes in a hot steel bowl heated from a element below with a low flame keeping the soup warm at the table. This soup is made with Galanga root, lemon grass, mushrooms, cilantro, coconut milk, Kaffir lime leaves and other interesting ingredients. My kids love this soup as well.
The Basils’ ”specialties” include salmon Satay (delicious), grilled shrimp and crispy rice, orange shrimp, grilled salmon with Panang curry sauce, and stir fried sirloin steak or seafood with chili & garlic on a hot plate. When I go, I always get a curry dish. My favorite is the green curry with vegetables and tofu although the chicken is tasty too. As for the noodle and rice dishes, the pad thai tickles the taste buds with rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, peanuts and scallions.
The to go menu offers coupons for buy one get the second at 50% off for dining only, $5 off with minimum $30 purchase or free egg roll or fried won-ton with a $20 minimum purchase. Limit one to a customer per visit.
They offer a lunch menu with specials ranging from $6.96 to $10.95 and include egg roll, green salad, steamed rice and fruit.
The service is terrific and they packaged their food well so take out is worth it!
The Basil – Dinner
Cost – $$ ($9-$15 per person)
Overall Rating – 4 Stars
