Busaba Eathai

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Restaurants and cafés

22 Store Street

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Time Out says

Wed Oct 17 2012

Busaba was an instant hit back in 1999 when restaurateur Alan Yau (also the creator of Wagamama, Hakkasan and Yauatcha) opened the original branch on Wardour Street. Yau’s no longer involved, but the chain retains its appeal. Size probably matters; compared to some corporate sharks, it’s a minnow (just nine London outlets) and the Store Street branch, in particular, feels more like a one-off than a cog in a machine. Brooding good-looks – dark teak furniture and walls, oversized lampshades, incense – help, and the communal tables are big enough to make sharing less irritating.

The modern Thai menu covers stir-fries, wok-cooked noodles, grilled meat and the ever-popular curries. Instead of starters, there are sides such as chicken wings or vegetable springs rolls. Green veg curry is always dependable, with a creamy intensity of flavour and plenty of sliced chillies; som tam (green papaya salad) had an eye-watering zinginess; chilli-inflected red lamb curry went wonderfully with fragrant lychees. Drinks include some inventive juices and smoothies, Thai beers and saké. Well-drilled staff keep things ticking over smoothly. Not everything works, though: the non-spicy dishes can be dull, we resent paying extra for rice, and prices keep climbing – Busaba is no longer a bargain.

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Address:
Busaba Eathai 22 Store Street
London
WC1E 7DF

Phone:
020 7299 7900
Website:
www.busaba.com
Opening hours:
Meals served noon-11pm Mon-Thur; noon-11.30pm Fri, Sat; noon-10pm Sun
Transport:
Tube: Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street tube
Price:
Main courses £7-£12.50
Map
1. Busaba Eathai
  - 22 Store Street
    London
    WC1E 7DF
  - 020 7299 7900
  - www.busaba.com
  - 51.519973,-0.130779

Categories:
Food and drink
Facilities:
Eating and drinking facilities. Restaurant. Restaurant and bar facilities. Take away. Dinner. Bookings not accepted. Accessible facilities. General facilities. Private rooms. Available for hire. Outdoor facilities. Tables outdoors
Occasions:
Going in a group. Hip factor. Late night. Eating out. Creative cooking. Unique. Unique London
Type of event:
Parties

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Comments & ratings

(9 ratings)

Great food, great value, will be back:)

Eirik Trenchard Tue Apr 17 2012
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too much adapt, not quite Thai :(

Gibb Sat Mar 10 2012
Rated as: 1/5
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I loved the food, but the place lacked any ambiance and we quick in & quick out. I suppose that's why the price was good.

Marie Thu Mar 1 2012
Rated as: 3/5
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I had my birthday party here and it was the perfect experience for a big group that wouldn't work in the main room. Recommend booking the private room if there's more than maybe ten people, there were 16 of us which was about right. Bill was very reasonable.

Laura Wed Feb 29 2012
Rated as: 5/5
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I don't quite understand TO hype - my experience was average. you get what you pay for - it's inexpensive and takeaway quality. staff were nice but we felt rushed. all in all mediocre.

Maja Thu Feb 23 2012
Rated as: 3/5
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Loved the place and found the food fantastic while remaining very affordable. I don't quite understand the negative comments...

Ben Mon Feb 6 2012
Rated as: 5/5
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There is a glut of Thai restaurants in London now, so any newcomers will have to be damn good to comptete with the established ones such as Addies, Thai Square, Blue Elephant etc. This newly opened branch on Kings Road, Chelsea left a lot to be desired. Three of the main courses came up cold (Pad Thai,Chicken and Beef) and only the duck curry (the one hot dish temperature wise) had any taste at all. The Pad Thai was far too small to share-as were the other dishes and was very bland. No deserts on offer and the wine we chose wasn't available. This massive barn of a place will not survive in this very competitive area of London if they don't pull their socks up pronto

mike martin Wed Dec 28 2011
Rated as: 2/5
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I generally have very good experiences at this branch and others, but recently things haven't been so great. I had a coconut-based dish which I hadn't tried before, which wasn't very well executed and the flavours were generally a bit weird. Then we had an incident in this branch where my small glass of wine was exactly the same as my fellow diner's large glass of wine. There was only one or two pounds difference between the two, but two members of staff just proceeded to tell us why we were mistaken and refused to accept any fault or concede in any way that maybe we were telling the truth. It wasn't worth arguing with them about, but I was rather saddened that we had to argue at all. So, usually great food (the calamari and the various versions of pad thai are my favourites) but unpredictable service.

Shalinee Fri Dec 23 2011
Rated as: 4/5
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How did this make the top 50? I went to the branch in Westfield and it was extremely average. Very very very average. The menu was quite limited and stereo typical. The traditional dishes like pad thai were bland. Still, better Time Out introduce these restaurants than actual good ones so they don't become too popular.

Romy Mon Nov 28 2011
Rated as: 2/5
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Amazing Calamari

Zoey Wed Feb 23 2011
Rated as: 4/5
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