Holy Basil, Canley Heights
31 October 2009
35 Comments
Having grown up in one of the Surrounding suburbs of Cabramatta, I’ve seen many restaurants come and go in the area. The locals are attracted to the cheap and cheerful restaurants, where you can walk in and out with a $10 note and still have change left.
When I saw Holy Basil open on Canley Vale Road, I wasn’t sure how well it would do. Here we have a fully decked out restaurant which wouldn’t look out-of-place on Crown St in Surry Hills. The decor is modern and moody with wood furnishings,warm lighting, shiny statues and an open kitchen. They even serve Toby’s Estate coffee which is unheard of in this neck of the woods. With such an authentic variety of Thai and Lao food in Fairfield,You’ve got to give them credit for having a crack at trying something different.
This evening I am dining with six good friends of mine, who’ve been around the traps in terms of trying Sydney food. Overall, we ordered just the right amount for six people and the bill came to about $30 per person with a drink each. It’s definitely on the more expensive side for the area, but you’d be hard pressed to find contemporary Thai anywhere else in the Fairfield/Liverpool/Cabramatta area.
Chicken feet salad - Yum Lab Meau Nan ($9.90)
To some people, chicken feet is an acquired taste. I think it is more to do with the mental images which are invoked when you have a foot staring at you, which has spent most its life walking around on dirt. I think I’ll stop there.
If you are a frequent yum cha eater, you would notice that chicken feet is usually served with the foot still intact. Thankfully in this salad, the bones are removed and you are left with just the lovely textures of the skin. Flavours were spot on with flashes of herbs and fish sauce, with the chicken feet skin being slightly chewy yet with a subtle crunch. If it wasn’t for the overload of spring onions, this dish would have been executed perfectly.
Lao papaya salad - Tam Mak Hoong ($9.90)
Waitress : ” How how would you like your chilli ? ”
Me : ” Hot please, no wait , wait … medium please ”
Our order comes and after my first bite, the different definitions of “medium” were apparent. Let’s just say I was burning in two places after I was finished with this dish. Despite the spicy kick the salad is great, and is predominately made with shaved papaya chili, garlic, fish sauce, crabs, tomato and shrimp paste to name a few. All these ingredients and possibly more are ground together in a pestle and mortar to create a refreshing salad which packs a mean punch in flavour and hotness. If you order this, no matter what restaurant it is, try it with some sticky rice.
Deep fried coral trout w/ tamarind & sweet basil sauce ($ market price)
The Coral trout is based on the market price of $36. The fish was fresh and falling off bone, a good sign on how well it is cooked. The bed of vegetables was incredibly generous as was the sauce, but I felt that the flavours lacked a bit of depth and it was quite tasteless. On the flip side, it allows you to appreciate the freshness of the fish, but only if it’s cooked right. There is a nice touch of fried basil, gives it a bit of texture and aroma.
Roast duck red curry ($14.90)
,
Very creamy and flavoursom but seriously lacked duck. The Duck was shredded, instead of whole pieces and sadly there was more skin than duck meat. I felt that along with the curry, the duck should have been the main ingredient of the dish. To their credit, the curry itself redeemed itself. A good balance of spices and coconut milk with hints kaffir lime and basil, the balance was just right. Each spoonful of curry will return an abundance of vegetables, I can recall bits of pumpkin, eggplant and green beans.
Deep fried Soft shell crab ($14.90)
Soft shell crab is one if those dishes which seems to be ordered off every menu when we go out. There is an aura that surrounds it, it’s like a poor mans foi gras or wagyu beef. The thing with me is, I can’t tell whether it is fresh or frozen, all tastes the same to me. If anyone has any tips, send them my way. As for the crab, it’s the usual soft shell crab you will find at any Japanese or fusion restaurant. The shredded carrots and radish on the side are disappointing, they are too soft and damp and spoils the crunchiness of the crab.
Ox tongue - Luoi Bo ($8.90)
One of my favourite dishes at any Thai/Lao restaurant is marinated grilled ox tongue. Here, it is cooked a bit more well done than most restaurants, resulting in a texture which is not as chewy and a taste which does not leave a dull “gamey” aftertaste. Once again, the shredded carrot and radish was a disappointment. I think it was shredded too finely, resulting in a bit of bruising which results in it not being crunchy and fresh by the time it makes it to the diner.
Thai pineapple fried rice - Khao Pad Sapparot ($12.90)
This is your classic Thai fried rice, which is a bit different to normal Chinese fried rice due to the type of rice used which I believe is Thai Jasmin. It has all the good aspects of restaurant fried rice, with an amalgamation of all types of ingredients, too many to list. My mate Jason said it tasted like “Chinese wedding fried rice”, very aromatic and tasting a bit “charcoaley”. One thing to note, don’t be fooled by the pineapple it is served in on the menu, it’s there for purely presentation purposes.
Judging by the crowds on a Tuesday night, the guys at Holy Basil might have carved their very own niche in a very competitive area of Sydney when it comes to Asian food. In terms of the food, it’s only early days so they might be fine tuning a few things. It was good, but not outstanding. But considering its locality, it’s a breath of fresh air for the locals who appreciate contemporary Thai food.
Canley Vale Road in Canley Heights (where the restaurant is situated on) is undergoing a bit of a make over too. Gloria Jeans is set to open soon and a Wood Fired Pizza restaurant is in the works. I got a feeling it’s going to be the new cool ‘hangout’ spot for Gen Y’s of the South West in the near future.
Holy Basil
233 Canley Vale Road
Canley Heights, 2166
ph : 02 9727 7585
web : www.holybasil.com.au
Karen
BoombaBoy || 
Howard
Arwen from Hoglet K
Great post.
Adrian @ Food Rehab
Marie || 
Maggie || 
Jason Tran
Suzanne Inthavong || 
DNguyen || 
Pete || 
Tee || 
lex
Linz || 
JMZ || 
Katie || 
coffeeaddict || 
Critical || 
Betty
Chrissy || 
diddy || 
hey where’s the grilled chicken?
and booo to no coffee and dessert.
maybe they’ll have it now after being opened for a little bit.