Holy Basil
Upstairs inside Shark Hotel
127 Liverpool St
Sydney CBD
The ever-expanding Thai restaurant growth in and around Haymarket has been very evident lately - but Holy Basil has been here a while quietly getting on with business since 2009. It's a bit secluded - well a lot secluded - in that it's upstairs inside and at the back of The Shark Hotel. It's worth a visit though as the food is very good.
The - what do we start with - question was easily answered with a serving of spring rolls. They arrived quickly, piping hot, crisp and golden on the outside and tasty on the inside. It's hard to go horribly wrong ordering spring rolls and these certainly were good.
The roast duck curry was everything we wanted and more. This was such a tasty dish, loaded with heaps of tender juicy duck meat in a rich curry that had so much flavour. Every component of this dish worked so well together that we devoured it completely. What a winner.
A favourite of ours is pad see ew. It's also one of those standard dishes that sometimes helps differentiate restaurants from others. You know - a benchmark kind of dish. This one, with chicken, certainly didn't let the place down at all. The rich flavours shone through with a great combo of noodles and meat. A squeeze of lemon added a nice bit of tang too.
Throw in a serving of fluffy white rice - to soak up that tasty curry sauce from the duck dish - and it hits the spot just in the right space in the right way!
Holy Basil is hidden away a bit but worth the effort to find. The food is very good and the service prompt and efficient.