After our bellysplitting evening with Jon Stewart we needed food. Laughing that much is hard gorram work and besides, I hadn't eaten anything but a miniscule breakfast so far! Guided by Patrick we set our sights for a thai place he had been to before and been very happy with: Busaba Eathai. Weird name, great food.
Patrick said that mostly you have to queue up outside and wait a while for a table, but usually you get in and get your food pretty fast. On the upside, it's cheap. Paying peanuts for a great thai meal in Soho compensates for some waiting.
First thing I noticed as I walked through the door was the smell. If I was hungry before, I was starving now! A great spicy smell with promises of tongue tickling chili and genuine tastes of Thailand lingers in the main room which is full of tightly stacked square tables sitting four people along every side. Yes, it is tight, you share a table with several other randoms and you certainly feel that this is more of a Thai fast food joint then a restaurant. Even so, the colors, lighting and decoration in the venue is very relaxed and almost cosy.
Since it was so busy we had to wait a while to place our order, but we didn't mind much despite our roaring tummys since there were so many tasty alternatives on the menu.
I and Shane ordered one of the noodle dishes, with smoky chicken and prawns while Patrick opted for a similar dish but with scallops and bean sprouts.
Food arrived quickly, and we dug in, completely silenced for a while by our healthy appetite. When I had eaten enough to actually stop and think about the taste I realised that it was good. Very good. Definitely one of the better thai meals I have had in London, very fresh and tasty.
Patrick's drink deserves a special mentioning, I wish I had taken the name down. A freshly pressed fruit juice, based on oranges and something else, with a very strong aftertaste of chili (yes, there was pieces of red chili floating in the glass). So delicious, and certainly got all your tastebuds to pay serious attention!
We left as happy campers. Final verdict: good service, good looking and buzz filled environment, great food and very small hole in wallet. Top notch. Will be going there again, for sure.
URL: Busaba Eathai at Squaremeal
URL: Busaba Eathai at London Eating
