Warning- LONG REVIEW but food sooo good that i couldnt help it
Tuesday evening some friends and I went to Basa to celebrate my birthday and were blown away by the incredible food and excellent service. If you havent checked this place out, put it on the top of your list. No, seriously, at the top. THE TOP!!
We started out with the Basa Spring Rolls, which we good but overshadowed by the delicious Crispy Imperial Rolls. The Imperial Rolls came with a build-it-yourself set up of lettuce wraps and sprigs of mint, with a chili-garlic dipping sauce. Our server Matt instructed us on how to wrap the fried crispy roll inside the lettuce leaf, along with some mint leaves, then dip in the chili-garlic sauce. Yum! The mint offered an unexpected flavor that paired well with the mild heat of the sauce and the crispy texture of the roll.
The chef also sent out a special dish, which i believe was clams or mussels with a broth and grilled flat bread...i dont eat much seafood, but the rest of the table promptly gobbled them down.
As we meandered our way through our app course and a bottle of wine, server Matt was right on point giving us enough attention but also enough time and space to enjoy. Major kudos to Basa's whole service team, they were extremly professional and offered some of the best service ive had in town.
When we finally got around to ordering entrees, we pretty much hit every end of the spectrum. I had the Shaking beef which was tender and delicious and spotted by ripe cherry tomatoes and watercress. The sauce was garlicky and a tad sweet, basically a bullseye for my palate.
My friend Jackie, who can be credited with the idea of going to Basa (how can i ever repay you??) had the Salt and Pepper Prawns, which she highly praised and shared with the rest of the table. Everyone seemed to agree that they were great. My boyfriend ordered the Scallops which everyone equally enjoyed.. like i said, im not big on seafood, but maybe Jackie R will chime in and divulge the details.
The fourth entree at our table was the Pho Beef Noodle soup. It was huge. Okay, when i say huge, you're probably thinking like a big bowl. This was no normal soup bowl- this was a gigantic mixing bowl sized soup. It was full of noodles and beef and some kind of vietnamese sausage. I managed a spoonful before my friend sucked it all down, and it had a really complex flavor with noticeable mint and maybe some miso? Either way it was really good...
As our empty entree plates were being wisked away by silent and almost invisible busers, someone tipped server Matt off that it was my birthday.. He selected for dessert a lime tart with lemongrass meringue and mint gastrique. It had a shortbread type crust and was fabulously tart. We promptly devoured it, a perfectly sharp way to cap off an evening.
Basa made for a wonderful birthday evening and quickly jumped to the top of my destination-dining list. If you have not yet checked it out, you are missing some of the best in Louisville.