Mel has a festive Thai feast...

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been one to eat turkey throughout December. I like to leave that to the big day where we eat so much of it that come Boxing Day you’re 86% turkey.

This means that when selecting our ‘office work party’, I always make a bee line for alternative festive menus. The likes of Mexican, Japanese and Lebanese typically fall onto the shortlist however having been invited to try out Busaba’s Christmas menu, Thai has firmly made a mark on my Christmas list.

Although this restaurant has ceilings high enough to host giraffes and large windows overlooking Exchange Square, Busaba have managed to give off a very cosy feel. Think soft warming lights, well thought out layout and a mellow soundtrack. It was pretty heaving when we went on Wednesday night yet the staff managed to create our very own cocoon of Thai delight.

Busaba have lots of options for December dining depending on your budget or preferred format. You can opt for festive canapés and fizz for casuals, group banquets for ease or for smaller groups like us, the three course special menu for £19.90.

The South East Asia inspired feast starts things off with Thai prawn crackers, followed by starter and main with a side order of unlimited rice. They also have seasonal drinks available such as this Bangkok Christmas Sour. A fragrant number fuelled heavily by Amaretto and finishes with a bitter/sour edge. Ideal with our crackers and wok tossed cashews.



Settling in nicely, I found the aromas from the kitchen putting me at ease. Reminded me of Sundays as a child when I’d walk into the house and be hit by the comforting scent of roast lamb. I slumped in my seat and finished off my cocktail content with the setting.

Starters were prompt from our lovely waiting on staff. Not one person assigned specifically to us, but several popping over seamlessly. My duck starter was a picture to look at and appeared to be simple in delivery. Not so. The duck was silky and was a fine partner to the dotted gems of orange segments. This marriage was completed with slithers of crunchy cucumber that held onto the fish sauce heavy dressing with ease.



Equally devoured was the prawn and crab cocktail. Sadly I couldn’t taste any crab due to the vast amount of red chilli and sriracha mayo overpowering it, however the plentiful amount of prawns stood up to the spice and with plenty of coriander and lemon; it too was a hit.



As I finished my cocktail and starter, I found that I needed a glass of water. The strong flavoured drink with starters was magnificent but no way could my palate take that much umami going forward. I chose the Busaba Saison brewed exclusively by Wiltshire Brewery Hop Kettle; a beautiful drink that wasn’t too gassy and was clearly a perfect match for our mains.

First up was the whole bream with a red curry sauce. One of my favourite fish to eat and this was cooked perfectly. Sweet fish, spicy sauce, sour notes of pineapple and a neutral sticky rice side. This was an accomplished dish and one I long to have again. See turkey? We can have fun in December.



Secondly we ordered the Red Chilli Beef Fillet. WOW; this was a triumph. The meat was so good, that it didn’t matter what else it came with, however it came with the lovely juices from the wok with the classic combination of chilli and garlic. Fresh spring onion gave colour and more texture, and the Jasmine rice mopped up all remaining goodness. Blimey, that dish is excellent.



Just to be clear. That really was something you need to try.

I’m a big fan of sides so it was an easy choice to select the Phad Phak because not only a great thing to say, but a great thing to eat. This dish that consists of stir fried French beans, sprouted broccoli, courgette, baby corn, cashews and pine nuts could be eaten on its own and added colour and more texture to our mains. A must order.



Finally we ordered their black sesame macaroon dessert. This isn’t in the set price but if you’d like something to round off your meal, it’s a great pick. Not the sweetest macaroon I’ve had, but for a reason I think as the sesame flavours paired magically with the mango sauce. Not had that combination before, but will definitely be ordering again. Should be on the main menu in my opinion.



Interesting to see too that almost all of these dishes are gluten free, so perfect for a group who may have coeliacs or gluten intolerant issues.

So there we have it; an alternative suggestion to your Christmas meal out for the rest of 2016. What Busaba demonstrated to me was not only can they serve food in a very nice setting by lovely people, but the dishes is creative, beautiful and captures the right time of year for comforting and warming food.

Save the bird for Christmas Day and try one of Busaba's festive suggestions.

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Posted: Friday 11th November 2016
ID: 9155 - 1786