Winter Sun in Old Street: Busaba Eathai

So count down has started for Christmas and New Year’s Eve is on its way. In other words less work more booze! If you couldn’t take that vacation to the other hemisphere for some winter sun and fresh sea food accompanied by exotic cocktails don’t panic! Rush yourself to the nearest Busaba eathai restaurant, heaven of wonderful Thai food and exotic ambiance that convinces you that you are on vacation in a deserted island and not on a lunch break in central London!

Luckily Busaba eathai restaurants in London are popping up like mushrooms in a stir-fry! The Old Street restaurant, one of the nine branches in London is very spacious and well prepared for hungry masses flocking in for Thai food! Upon entrance, you’re welcomed by a golden Buddha and a mixture of the smell of incense and spices. The big wooden square tables, which are ideal for eight people but can sit up to twelve, provide you with loads of space to fill up with as many small plates of starters as your stomach can handle. Benches instead of chairs create a casual seating plan in which you get to sit with total strangers, watch who is eating what and then order the same with that lady at the other end of the table.

So what is there to eat? Well, plenty, if you like spicy and exotic food. It’s Thai after all… We went for the good old Pad Thai and the Sen Chan Pad Thai noodles as for the main dish. Pad Thai was superb with its meaty prawns and crunchy peanut crumbles. Sen Chan Pad Thai was a little too fishy for my taste but it might be because I am not a big fan of the oyster sauce. As for starters, I suggest the Chicken Satay, for the peanut sauce if for nothing else. We have also tried the vegetable spring rolls aka Por-pia jay. 6 mini spring rolls, crisp and peppery, all in all delicious. Finally Goong tohd prawn with breadcrumbs and chilli lime sauce was divine – you just can’t have enough of the sauce!

The drinks menu is rich with various types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. You can go for wine or Singha beer or try hot, cold or sparkling sake for a change.

On the money side Busaba eathai is one of those restaurants which I would label as “great value for money”. Mains range between £7.40 and £12.40 and starters are between £3.90 and £6.60. The food is delicious, service is super fast and ambiance is wonderful if you don’t mind a little pushing from behind since it’s packed most of the time and the seating rows are quite close to one another in order to serve as many Thai food lovers as possible.

So you no longer have to worry about that vacation you’ve been planning on to Phuket as long as you can book a table in a Busaba eathai restaurant.

Address:
319 Old Street
London EC1V 9LE

T:020 7729 0808
For everything else: http://busaba.com/