Basil Leaf's survival seems to be in doubt, since DBKL earlier this year ordered restaurants on Jalan Damai to cease operations by the end of 2010. It's a worthwhile stop, featuring warm service, a calm setting and satisfactory food.
Vietnamese salmon parcels with "Hanoi chilli sauce." Nicely prepared, with chunks of succulent salmon encased in thin rice paper sheets.
Cambodian banana flower salad with shredded chicken. Very, very spicy!
Vietnamese yellow curry with pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots & cherry tomatoes. Our favorite dish that evening. Comfort food to soothe the soul.
Pha-neng roasted duck with lychee. Tender meat in flavor-packed gravy.
Grilled New Zealand lamb with spicy homemade Laotian sauce. Addictively aromatic, with none of the gaminess that often afflicts lamb.
Stir-fried tom yam paste tiger prawns with enoki & straw mushrooms. Forgettable; tasted more tomato-ish than tom yam-ish.
Southern Thai curry. Thick, tasty and thoroughly brimming with hearty slices of chicken & potatoes. Curries do seem to be their forte here.
Seafood curry in coconut. Prawns, squid & fish, all superbly fresh-tasting.
Steamed pineapple rice. Magnificently presented. Equally impressive, flavor-wise, with a fragrance and fluffiness that outshines other versions of this cliched recipe.
Vietnamese seafood fried rice. OK, but paled in comparison to the pineapple one.
Rhett Butler (bourbon whiskey, cranberry juice, sugar, fresh lime juice) & Sicilian Kiss (southern comfort, amaretto). Decent cocktails.
Palazzo dei Signori Pinot Grigio IGT 2007.
Basil Leaf,
Jalan Damai, Off Jalan Ampang.
