At Sweet Basil Thai, any Thai food lover can find beautifully plated food at a reasonable price.
The restaurant, located in an unassuming strip mall in Foster City, frequently boasts a large line out the door for dinner and especially lunch.
My friend and I chose to visit the restaurant at around 6 p.m. on a Friday night and did not have to wait. As we ate, the restaurant continued to fill with people and there was a long line by the time we left.
Sweet Basil was decorated in a modern yet evidently Thai style. The open bar and interesting light fixtures created a nice ambiance, although it was very noisy in the restaurant with so many people in such a small space.
For anyone who is vegan, vegetarian, or has a dietary restriction, Sweet Basil is very accommodating and can make substitutions to nearly every dish.
I ordered a pad thai, substituting fried tofu for meat, and my friend ordered chicken fried rice. Each dish cost about $11 but came with a huge amount of food.
The food came quickly and was decorated beautifully. I loved the attention to detail in each dish, from the interesting spiraled carrots and green onion to the rounded edges on the cucumber with the fried rice.
Pad thai is one of my favorite dishes, and Sweet Basil really gets it right. As I dug into the steaming plate of food, it instantly reminded me of the comfort of a good pad thai.
The flavors were perfectly balanced with sweet and sour, and the crunch from the shredded carrot added a unique change in texture. I tasted some of the chicken fried rice, which was full of vegetables and had a great garlicky flavor, similar to the rice most hibachi restaurants serve.
For $11, I had enough food for dinner and for lunch the next day. The portions and the variety of options also make the restaurant an optimal place for sharing plates family style.
The service was fast, and the waitress was careful to make sure that neither of us had any dietary restrictions or wanted to remove anything from our dishes.
Overall, the delicious food and cozy ambiance make Sweet Basil a must-visit Thai restaurant, and my choice for Thai food on the Peninsula.
[star rating = 5]
