Tuesday, Aug 10th - Green Basil - Thai Food with a Rice-free Noodle option

Thai Spring Roll with Lunch Special

I met up with my University friend J for Lunch.  We've both found ourselves working out in Burnaby again.  Well, she's changed to a new exciting job with the Housing Authority and I am leading a new portfolio with a team out here.  While she is lucky to be across the road from Metrotown, I am in a bit of a desert of culinary options nearer Collingwood. I only get to see J every few months.  She has two kids and a commensurate hectic schedule but we try. 

I have known her for ages back to our over indulgent Engineering school days.  Right after University though, J decided to visit an allergist on a hunch and family history.  I guess we can all identify with gaining he Freshman 15 but J thought it could be more than that.  She discovered she was allergic to Rice, Cheese and all things Fermented.  That meant she could no longer have Wine or Beer, Beer!  I mean we were in Engineering.  And with her partial Italian heritage, it was sad to have to bid adieu to Risotto.  It was a very brief grieving period when she lost well over the Freshman 15 after adjusting her diet.  Yay!

That is all well and good but we both love good food and particularly catching up over it.  That can be difficult in such multicultural city as Vancouver and Greater Vancouver to be restricted from consuming Rice.  Not many asian restaurants have the Egg Noodle option anymore.  Perhaps it's gone out of fashion.  Chinese restaurants are definitely easier for her with Egg and Wheat Noodle options.  Thai is virtually impossible.  All the Thai dishes, Curries or Noodle dishes are Rice based or accompanied.  Therefore, J was clearly thrilled when she followed her new boss into Green Basil to discover that she did not have to sheepishly order something 'safe' to be polite.  On the bottom of the menu, it read Egg Noodle option as well as Vegetarian. 

We both ordered the Jumbo Prawn Phad Thai.  I had the classic Rice Stick noodle and J ordered Egg Noodle.  The lunch specials all come with Soup and Cold Spring Rolls.  I don't eat Chicken and J is allergic so we both passed on the soup and they did not have an alternative.  The Spring Rolls were definitely Rice based and filled with Rice Vermicelli and Basil.  It had a very nice Peanut Dipping sauce and a little fresh vegetable pickle salad on the side.  It would have been nice to be offered a Salad alternative for dietary restrictions for the Soup at least.

Prawn Phad Thai with Rice Noodle or Egg Noodle in the back

The Phad Thai was a bit heavy on the Tamarind paste and therefore a bit too sweet.  Though, I would prefer that to the orangy-ketchup alternative you too too often see in  Thai restaurants that have either substituted Tamarind with the cheaper Ketchup alternative or have just adopted that recipe as a matter of preference.   For lunch, it was a decent portion.  I would have like more vegetables in the mix but there were at least a good number of prawn.  It is a very good Lunch deal and the service was quick enough that you could be back at the office (if you're nearby) in an hour.

Service: Quick
Ambiance: Pleasant, unassuming Thai accents
Lunch: Good list and variety of specials

Green Basil
4623 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H
(604) 439-1919
http://www.greenbasilthai.com/

Food

Lunch Service