For fast, fresh Thai food, you can't go past Spicy Basil on Kilburn High Road. You won't find vats of curry simmering away all day here – your meal is whipped up from scratch in a matter of minutes.

The Venue
Spicy Basil is a small canteen on a less than salubrious stretch of Kilburn High Road, about 10 minutes walk from Kilburn, Kilburn Park and West Hampstead tube stations. It's clean and well lit, but it's definitely the kind of place you go for a quick bite before a movie rather than an intimate dinner for two. The only decorations are a few stretched canvases of Thai scenes and ingredients and there are about ten small tables. A glass counter holds tubs of different fresh ingredients for your meal and there's a big fridge full of soft drinks, which makes the place feel more like a sandwich bar than a restaurant.

The Atmosphere
You don't go to Spicy Basil for the atmosphere, you go for the food. It feels like what it is, a casual canteen. That said, Spicy Basil is a cheerful, busy place. The staff are friendly and service is prompt. There's usually a stream of people coming in for takeaways and the diners, predominantly 20- and 30-something Kilburn locals, eat in twos or threes.

The Food
Spicy Basil has an expert team of Thai chefs who make authentic Thai food the way it's done in Thailand. One of the pleasures of eating there is watching them work together like a human conveyor belt to produce your meal at speed. Starters include the wonderfully moist chicken in Pandanus leaves (cubes of chicken in a sticky soy-based sauce) as well as satay skewers with a tangy, crunchy peanut sauce, a beautifully sour Tom Yum soup, juicy dumplings and crispy fresh spring rolls.

The green and red curries have the wonderful rich colour and authentic spicy flavour that comes from being made with fresh curry paste, as well as generous amounts of lemongrass, chilli and sweet basil. However, the signature dish is really the chicken in creamy red curry, which comes in a meltingly rich and creamy sauce that makes for a very satisfying meal.

The king prawn Pad Thai has just the right tang and slightly orange colour that tells you they haven't stinted on the tamarind. It's not greasy and it comes with plenty of fresh vegetables and bean sprouts. The portions at Spicy Basil are extremely generous. You can eat very well for £5, or to the point where you can barely walk for £10.

The Drink
Spicy Basil is not licensed, but you can bring in your own wine for a corkage fee of £2 per bottle. In the restaurant, your drinks options are limited to soft drinks, a selection of herbal and green teas and juices. They make fresh orange and carrot juices on the premises, which are worth trying.

The Last Word
Spicy Basil is Kilburn's best kept secret – where else can you get fast, freshly made Thai food for less than a fiver? In its price bracket, this is the best food in NW6.

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