Busaba - for now a small central London chain – seems to have ambitions of global domination but you can’t object to the high quality, fresh food it serves, or its casually convivial environment.

The Venue
Busaba Eathai is spread over a fairly large room almost entirely lined in a warm, dark shade of wood. The space is punctuated by large wooden pillars, setting square areas apart from one another. In each, there is a large square table sitting up to ten people, not all necessarily from your party, since Busaba Eathai is the type of informal restaurant where strangers share the same table. Above each table, large cylindrical lamps hang low interspersed with wide fans which evoke images of the tropical Far East.

Overall the space is minimal and simple, only vaguely reminiscent of the rigour you could expect in Buddhist temples, and yet the warm shade of wood and the yellow light create a sense of intimacy. Two sides of the room look out on the street through large windows; along these, there’s a long shelf with stools for those who are not keen on socialising.

The Atmosphere
Obviously, the fact that you share your table implies a certain lack of intimacy. Holding your girlfriend’s hand while whispering sweet words of admiration is to be avoided at all costs – unless you are trying to break up! The volume of the background chitchat is slightly too loud, anyway, so whispering won’t happen either. Busaba, in fact, is filled with the busy noise of chatter. This venue is unmistakably very popular and it attracts large crowds any day of the week. Queues are to be expected outside starting at 8pm, even on Mondays.

The service is fast and yet somewhat personal. Busaba works at a very high speed and it is impossible not to notice that this chain restaurant is organised at factory pace, but nobody seems to mind and everyone seems to be having a good time.

The Food
The food epitomises that combination of sweet, savoury, sour and spicy which is so typical of Thai cuisine. You can pick from salads (£4.50 - £6.20), noodle soups (£7.50 - £10.60), wok noodles (£6.90 - £8.80), stir-fries (£6.60 - £9.70), grilled dishes (£9.50 - £10.90), rice (£6.50 - £8.70), curries (£7.50 - £9.50) and sides (£1.90 - £6.50). Although Busaba aims to cater to those looking for one-dish meals, ordering a selection is definitely a good idea. The portions are not necessarily big and there are many different flavours to choose from.

The Thai roti makes for a good start. Ideal to dip in curry, they are round pancakes, fried but light. Carry on with a salad. The prawn pomelo consists of fresh nuggets of peanuts, prawn and a nice touch of shaved coconut giving the dish a texture that’s both soft and crispy. It’s served on top of fragrant betel leaves. The filling is really tangy and the fresh leaves have a very distinct taste, while the dish overall merges successfully sweet and lemony flavours. The grilled aubergine with Thai red shallot, white fungus, chilli and mint leaves is just as appetising. The mint is strong and refreshing, able to lift the delicate fungus and aubergine, and the fiery spices are ideal to unite the lot.

The tofu and spinach stir-fry with shallot, chilli and yellow bean, however, is not at all spicy. The yellow fermented beans are slightly smoky in flavour while the soft but nicely fried tofu combines well with the melting spinach. The aromatic butternut pumpkin curry with cucumber relish is basically perfect, despite the almost imperceptible undercooking of the squash cubes. Butternut squash isn’t native to Thailand and the original recipe would probably call for potatoes and beef, but this is a common dish found in British Thai restaurants and Busabai Eathai’s version has a fantastic combination of spices. The sweet and spicy cucumber relish is ideal to cool the spices down just a little and, served with coconut rice, this dish alone is worth recurring trips. The char-grilled swordfish is also cooked very well and it retains an excellent amount of moisture, avoiding the dry texture that grilling fish often implies. However, it is a bit too salty but thanks to the sweet lime and chilli sauce that accompanies it, you probably won’t notice. Finally, the wild mushroom stir-fry promises the flavour of exotic eryngii and shimeji mushroom mixed with the more common button variety and spring greens. In reality, this seems to be the most Westernised dish of all, its bland taste hardly distinguishable from common English mushrooms quickly cooked in a frying pan.

The Drink
Overall rather conventional, the drink list still has a few surprises. Wine – hardly a Thai specialty - is available featuring a dozen choices of whites, reds and rose (all £3.10 for a small glass, £4.20 for a large and £16.50 a bottle, aside from two more expensive bottles at £29.95). Surprisingly, they stock three bottles of sparkling wine, too (from £25.50 per bottle) including the red Cavallino Brachetto d’Acqui from Italy. You can see the influence of Asia in the sake selection (£4.70 - £9.80), the exotic Mehkong whiskey (£4.70 with ice, £5.20 with soda) and the imported bottled beers (£3.60), your pick between Singha, Chang and Beerlao.

Tropical ingredients are also featured heavily in the soft drink selection. The Nam Polamai (£3.20) sounds a bit ‘local’ with its freshly squeezed carrot, apple, celery, dandelion and nettle extract and the mango lassi includes natural yoghurt, rosewater, honey and cardamom, whilst the magnificently sweet Guava Collins mixes guava, passion fruit, lime and ginger. Finally, finish off your meal with lemongrass or pandan leaf tea (£2.70) served with cashew and coconut cookie. The pandan has a soft, light flavour but the smell may put you off at first. The lemongrass is ideal as a digestive drink; sip it slowly before walking out to the humdrum of Piccadilly Circus.

The Last Word
Busaba is not as atmospheric as family-owned restaurants but it has other advantages. Quick service, an airy space, elegantly simple decor and great tasting food are definitely all assets of Busaba Eathai.

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