Wanting to see the Vivid Festival, my family decided to eat out in the city beforehands.
Holy Basil always has great food and close by to where I work so I headed off there right after I finished to meet the fambam!
It was my grandparents' first time eating Thai food and they requested nothing be too spicy so I definitely ordered on the mild side of the menu. And of course little pots of green tea for them!
 |
| Kai Yang (Laos charcoal BBQ chicken), $13.90 |
The first to come out was the grilled chicken which had a lovely marinade that had been grilled to little charcoal-y bits. Delicious on its own, but you could always dip it into the sweet chilli sauce or chilli sauce if you're after that kick. We didn't expect the bowls of rice we ordered o be quite that large - it could easily have served three people per bowl!
 |
| Pad see ew (with chicken), $12.90 |
After enjoying the pad see ew
last time, along with the fact that it's a favourite of my sister's, it definitely was a must order! The smoky flavour that permeates the noodles is what makes it so special and I really do like it, albeit the fact that it's just a tad too sweet for my tastebuds.
 |
| Gang masaman (beef masaman curry), $16.90 |
Massaman curry is a very mild curry that's quite creamy from the coconut milk in the recipe as well as the final drizzle on top. It's the best stirred through rice!
 |
| Som tam (green papaya salad), $10.90 |
I definitely wanted to introduce my family to the Thai papaya salad, requesting it to be very mild. I love how my grandma still found it extremely spicy haha! They were surprised that it was actually green papaya, as it's not something they've ever tried before.
 |
| Crispy fish (with green mango salad), $44.90 |
This was what I was looking forward to all night though! I could seriously have eaten it forever...They fillet the fish, cut it into individual pieces which are then crumbed and deep-fried. Nothing is wasted as the head and tail is given to you as well! The batter was very crunchy and extremely moreish as they definitely weren't shying away from the pepper :D It went very well with the green mango salad on top which was my preference over the papaya salad. I thought it was the perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty. I didn't get any hit of chilli, but that wasn't missed with any of my relatives! The family also enjoyed how refreshing this salad was. I think they just couldn't quite get used to the slight pungency of the crab paste used in the papaya salad!
I don't think any of us were particularly in the mood for any dessert so we passed on their house special deep-fried icecream. I should probably check out the rest of their dessert menu next time!
Holy Basil
Shark Hotel 127 Liverpool St
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.holybasil.com.au
Opening Hours
Daily
Lunch Hours: 12:00-3:00pm
Dinner: 5:00pm-12:00midnight
Ooh we just went to the Canley Vale one the other week and ordered the fish too! I loved the deep fried ice cream but they won't share the secret of that! ;)
ReplyDeleteHow yummy was the fish? :D My friend tells me they layer up the filo pastry with lots of condensed milk in between! They want to keep their special a secret :P
DeleteYOU MISSED THE FRIED ICECREAM?!?!? Hyped or not, it's still delicious. You should definitely go back!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry - I've had it before at my last visit to Holy Basil ;D It is overhyped, but still yum nonetheless!
Deletei love Holy Basil's masaman curry. definitely agree with you on having it mixed with rice. it tastes so good!
ReplyDeleteCurry and rice always go hand in hand :D
Deletegreat selection of dishes. It's always easier when there's more people. Sad to hear you think the fried icecream is over-rated. I think the execution is spot on, and no one has come up with a concept like it. I think it's definitely a highlight.
ReplyDeleteYes, more people means trying more things! I definitely enjoyed the fried icecream, but while I do like fried icecream in general, I never found it to be anything spectacular. Probably why I didn't find it as fantastic as it was because I do agree that it's a very out there concept and is definitely executed well :)
DeleteI think the last 5 visits to HB have just been for the fried ice cream...I really should go back for the actual Thai/Laos cuisine too! Been missing it recently...
ReplyDeleteBeen having a lot of dessert I see :P Thai/Laos cuisine is always good!
DeleteHave you tried the other curries at Holy Basil ? I think I'm heading there tonight so I'm not sure which curry to try !
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried other curries at holy basil per say, but I've tried thai red curries and they're good too! Just spicier than massaman :)
DeleteWhat a great range of food, and the mussamum curry does look so creamy and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy a good massaman curry! :D
DeleteLove the fried ice cream here!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is something special :)
DeleteDear Sherrie,
ReplyDeleteI never liked pad see ew pad thai for the very same reason that it's sweetish. Much prefer the savoury and smoky aromas of good old Malaysian style char kway teow.
That smoky flavour is what hits the spot every time!
DeleteTrue food with a true taste I like it so much.
ReplyDeletePanel Processing Machine
Authentic food is always the best tasting :)
DeleteI LOVE the crispy fish here - the food at Green Peppercorn is very similar (brothers I think?) and it was my fave dish at both restaurants!
ReplyDeleteI think they are indeed brother/sister restaurants! The crispy fish is amaaazing :D
Delete