I'm sure I'm voicing an opinion that's seen the light of day on this forum many times before, but nevertheless, I need to share some joy. I went out to Basa last night with my lovely date, and we had a wonderful experience from beginning to end.
I have been to the Zen Garden several times, and I daresay I'm becoming a regular at the Zen Teahouse, so occasionally I've seen Chef Michael Ton at both of the premises, which has served as a reminder for months now that I needed to try his restaurant. Yesterday was a great opportunity, so I finally pounced on it.
We were immediately ushered to our table, where service was extremely prompt and polite. Our waiter was knowledgeable and a genuinely friendly guy. I almost wanted to ask him to sit down and join us for a beer, haha.
For the appetizer, my girlfriend and I shared the crispy imperial rolls, which ended up being a very generous portion. They were piping hot, and when eaten along with the fresh mint garnish, they had me wishing the plate was bigger still.
I ordered the Shaking Beef entree, which I knew would be right down my alley. The only extremely minor qualm I had was that for filet mignon, I thought it a bit overcooked. I've always considered the method of serving meat in cubed form my least favorite (see shish kabob, etc.) because it seems that overcooking is so easy to do. Otherwise, though, the taste was spectacular, and I was embarrassing my girlfriend by vocalizing my "mmm"s and "yummmm"s throughout the meal.
Her choice of the salt and pepper prawns with roasted garlic was really what took the visit to another level, though. I found myself desperately bartering anything I could from my plate to get just one more taste of that seafood. I meant to ask the waiter a little more about the sauce they used with that dish, but it slipped my mind as I was paying the bill. Regardless, I would recommend that entree to anyone without the slightest bit of reservation.
I'll forego my summary paragraph by saying that if you've been thinking about going to Basa, but like me, it somehow slipped your mind... please... do yourself a favor and head over to Frankfort Ave.