Busaba Eathai - Soho

A few weeks ago I went for dinner with my fellow account management babe Lucy. We went to a little Thai place on Wardour St, called Busaba Eathai. There are a few of them dotted around central London, they work on the same principle as Wagamama in that you share a large table with other diners (fun for people watching/cringing at people trying to eat noodle soup on a first date) and the food comes as and when it's ready.

Spring rolls

We met before 7, so it was easy enough to get a seat, but judging by the huge queue which had built up by the time we left it's best to arrive early. The menu is comprehensive and comprises a range of curries, stir fries, noodle soups, grilled meat and fried rice dishes. To start we shared Thai calamari and vegetable spring rolls. The squid was incredible, cooked in a sticky and sweet ginger and peppercorn sauce, I'd go back just for the calamari. The spring rolls were surprisingly good; I could actually taste the vegetables inside and they tasted as though they'd been freshly cooked. The light chilli sauce they were served with added a little spice, without overpowering the vegetable filling. They also have 'morning glory' on the menu, a dish which was a source of constant amusement when I went to Thailand, mature I know.

Thai calamari

There was plenty on the menu I wanted to try, the chicken with butternut squash and cashew nuts sounds especially delicious. Instead I opted for duck mussaman curry, which was really good. The nuts and coconut make it a very rich dish, so it works well with duck as it has a more robust flavour than other poultry. My favourite thing about mussaman curry is the potato which soaks up all the flavour from the sauce, yum. Luce went for the beef and ginger stir fry, which wasn't as nice as my curry. They also get top marks for serving brown rice, I actually prefer it to white rice, I just can't be bothered to wait hours for it to cook at home.

Duck mussaman

The service was snappy, although in turn this isn't the kind of place you can sit around and have an extra drink after you've finished your meal, and the food was very good for the price. If you're looking for a speedy dinner in Soho I'd definitely recommend it, but it's not ideal for a relaxing meal. 

Beef stir fry