Basil n' Spice 299 Shrewsbury St, June 24

Overall impression: Tasty food and a lovely atmosphere in this newly-opened Thai restaurant.

 http://www.basilnspice.com/

I love Thai food. Leaving the fabulous Thai restaurants of Berkeley behind when we came to Worcester was one of the most heartbreaking things of our move. Sure, there had been a couple of options (3, to be exact)  in Worcester and Shrewsbury. These are fine, but not stellar. So I am happy to report that our dinner at Basil n' Spice was great. The quality of the ingredients and freshness place them above other local places.

We went to Basil n' Spice on a Wednesday evening. It was a pre-Morrissey show dinner. (How exciting was it that we could see Morrissey at the Hanover, a 10 minute drive from our home?! If only the Hanover theater management would tell their ushers to lay off scolding people standing up. Its a rock show - people stand, people dance. But that is a rant for another time...) Our friend Jennifer was with us, so the vegetarians in our party of three outnumbered meat eaters. And the restaurant had plenty of veggie options. We started with spring rolls and Gui Chai. These are scallion-filled fried dumplings - amazing! I hadn't had them before and they will soon become my go-to appetizer. Eric and Jennifer had curry - Panang curry with chicken and mango curry with tofu, respectively. They both said that there could have been more sauce with the dishes, but that they tasted quite good. I had the drunken noodles with tofu. I should have chosen a less sweet dish, for my personal taste, but it was good. The vegetables were incredibly fresh and cooked perfectly. All the dishes had spice, as it should be. A little kick (little because we didn't ask for more) is perfect.

Jennifer wanted me to point out her straw wrapper was  folded into a paper flower - a nod to the details. The staff seem to be working hard to make sure all patrons enjoy themselves. The interior is beautifully done. Service was fast and attentive, and the proprietor stopped by to make sure everything was going well.  This restaurant tucked back from Shrewsbury street is definitely worth going to, I think I'll be back many times.