Holy Basil Shark Hotel Sydney CBD

Deep fried ice cream that comes more like a wrapped parcel, accompanied by muesli, cashews and strawberries.

Sharing is always the best way to go with south-east Asian dishes, for not only does one get to sample each of the variety offered, but it also leads to a certain feeling of communion at the table.  When the restaurant occupies almost a third of the pub and bar floor, the camaraderie from the licensed bar area can easily translate to a better feeling of gathering at the dining section.

The Shark Hotel in downtown Sydney can be accessed from both Pitt Street and Liverpool Street.   This is ethnic Western Sydney transplanted for a rising population that reside in the city centre and so perhaps for a different demographic compared to its original base in Canley Heights.   Here in the city, your diners can be more discerning, may have more disposable income or can devote more time after working hours.  

I love this subtle but yummy dish - more of a Chinese styled roast duck, sitting in a concoction of soy, garlic and Thai sauces, garnished by aromatic herbs and Bok Choy.

The quality of cuisine continues to maintained at high standards after all these years at the Holy Basil upstairs at the Shark Hotel.   I recall this hotel used to be a hub of night life but these days I am not so sure.     



The Sydney scene for Thai food away from Bangkok has grown, with a more experienced and sophisticated audience looking for unusual dishes, perhaps with more roasts and grills, with less coconut milk and with a sense of adventure to try variations of Thai standards like spicy salads, curries and noodle creations.    Holy Basil was part of the interim movement away from what Aussies saw and understood as Thai food.  They now face challenges from street food offerings with more interplay of Thai sauces, herbs and other ingredients.

Mango strips are heaped as a kind of salad on top of a  deep fried whole Snapper.

I reckon that Holy Basil still commands a good niche role between the suburban Thai and the new fangled Thai which have arisen in response to competition and fusion trends.    If you just want a good feed with reliability, Holy Basil can still provide you that.   The crowd on a recent Sunday evening seemed to reverberate with regulars, tourists and families.     The spacious seating  at the Shark Hotel outlet allows you to scan the tables for any exciting or popular dishes.

    

Alas, there was no pork knuckle or roast shoulder pork like those found at The Green Peppercorn at the Civic Hotel behind World Square.    However, do try the marinated lamb cutlets and the roast pork belly cubes enhanced by garlic and chilli.   A highlight for our evening was dabbling into the Laotian styled pork sausages - they are not oily, are rather more tasty than they look and are served with their unique sauce.     Those who have eaten at the Green Peppercorn may recall the grilled ox tongue with a certain fondness  - and the question is which one is better done, there or at the Holy Basil?


There was a reduced availability of unique sauces when compared with what are found at the Tawandang.   There is no lack of dessert choices at the Holy Basil, although I was happy with the selections of fruit juices and smoothies.    



Music can be played loud at times, for there is really no wall or partition for the restaurant from the rest of Shark Hotel.   There is a lift for those who want to avoid the stairs but that evening when we were there, it was locked and we had to make a special request for usage, responded to professionally by the duty manager from the Shark Hotel.

Tom Yum Kung or with prawns  - this was well made, with enough kick in the thicker soup.

Head Chef Tony Inthavong runs a family run operation  at the Holy Basil here.


My other dish recommendations at the Holy Basil at the Shark Hotel are:


Pad Thai with jumbo prawns, bean sprouts,crushed peanuts, eggs, chives, Spanish onions and chives.

Crispy chicken wings served with two sauces and made with a special recipe batter.


Satay chicken skewers served with a different kind of peanuty sauce.


Salt and pepper soft shell crab.





Holy Basil at the Shark Hotel visited is located at 127 Liverpool Street, near the corner with Pitt Street in Sydney CBD.
Opening hours are from noon to 3pm every day and for dinner, from 5pm to 10pm from Sundays to Thursdays and from 5pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Contact + 61 2 9283 8284
There is also a takeaway menu.

Green Peppercorn Fairfield NSW - Revisited

I found this to be the best on my recent visit back to Fairfield's Green Peppercorn - the quality of the grill  was superb.  The satay sauce was different to what you find in Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia - perhaps a and too creamy for me.

Rival Holy Basil restaurant has the similar mix of Laotian and Northern Thai cuisine - I found their version of chicken feet skin salad better in Canley Heights.

A perennial reliable  - the Tom Yum Kung.  This northern Thai version is less fiery to me than its southern styles.

Nearby nuts galore in an Iraqi styled grocery in Fairfield.

Green Peppercorn is located at 1 Hamilton Road, Fairfield not he ground floor of the Fairfield Hotel.
Telephone: 612 9724 7842
Opening hours are everyday for lunch from 12 noon to 3pm and for dinner from 530pm till late.


Green Peppercorn has another outlet on the first floor of the Civic Hotel, corner of Pitt and Goulburn Streets, Sydney CBD at 388 Pitt Street.
Telephone: 612 80807043
Opening hours are everyday for lunch from 12 noon to 3pm and for dinner form 5pm till late.

Holy Basil Canley Heights - Revisited

The corner site of the original Holy Basil Restaurant continues to thrive in the western Sydney suburb of Canley Heights.  Saturday evening and the buzz can be felt throughout the main strip of the small suburb adding Cabramatta and St. John's Park.  Property values have increased in tandem with the height of business and economic activity in a suburb that has people milling around from morning till late evening.  Visitors to either Canley Heights and the nearby Canley Vale (towards the rail station on the same named Canley Vale Road) love to shop and eat.   There are new cafes and restaurants all within a comfortable walking distance from Holy Basil.  Yet getting table at the HB on a Saturday night is an act of faith, patience and excitement.  Even booking by phone means they get back to you by phone before your seats are confirmed.  Even week nights are perhaps not different?

On this latest sojourn, I can confirm that the green curry gives a kick - peppery, full of flavour, of the most pleasant creamy thickness and with a pleasant feel on the  palate no matter what you accompany the gravy with.  My group of seven persons were also impressed with the delivery of the crackling pork - good texture, tender bites of meat beneath the fat and providing an appetising experience.  I have always liked the Laotian styled Som Tum - this version of the papaya salad with anchovies  is less sweet than that from their Bangkok neighbours down south.   one of my fellow diners so loved the chicken feet salad.  This dish did have a chili hot after taste although it looked all innocence and falsely plain from its benign presentation.

My new discovery is the braised duck marinaded in plum sauce, with a wet concoction  that exodus the best of the clever use of spices to blend in with the otherwise potential gamey aroma of duck.  It went so well with steamed rice  that my table had almost four bowl servings of the carbohydrate.  Oh yes, the rice went well too worth the green curry.   To top up the evening, I was fascinated with the quality of the steamed glutinous red rice served under the name of Black Harbour, neither hard, neither soft but just hitting the right sweet spot.

The staff provided a singing birthday rendition for a young man seated just behind us.  The seating at Holy Basil is really tight, maybe too packed.  Perhaps I have grown fat but it was a challenge to squeeze on to the seats especially on the left and side of the restaurant.   Next door is really an ice cream parlour but I had always mistakenly thought it was part of Holy Basil.  On this latest busy Saturday night visit, we had an 830pm start for our reservation but it was still as busy and crowded even at this late hour.   The dishes ordered are normally quick to be served but this time I could see the kitchen staff so hard pressed in space, time and delivery. Once our first dishes came out, it was very fast with the rest.

I suggest the deep fried chicken wings as a good accompaniment to any cocktails or beer that you care to choose.   The ox tail cuts , which can be found at its nearest rival, the Green Peppercorn, are preferred by some here.  One under performing dish is the Tom Yum Kung; although with large and fresh prawns, the soup lacked something.   We were captivated by a huge snapper being served at another table, but perhaps barramundi would be better.  Vehicle parking was so challenging that evening but in the end the food made it so worthwhile.

Despite the intensity of the evening for the staff, they are mostly pleasant and smiled under the continuing pressure. Occasionally we had to remind the same staff for some small request but it was a really busy place.  One of the friends noticed the presence of many young women coming to dine at Holy Basil, even with different shift seatings.  The sky threatened with passing rain but in the end it was not too wet.   This parent site of Holy Basil may not compare with the modern settings of their branch at Liverpool Street in Sydney CBD upstairs at the Shark Hotel.  However, the food is equally as good, if not better.


The Holy Basil Restaurant is located at 233a Canley Vale Road at the corner with Derby Street, in Canley Heights, Western Sydney between the major hubs of Penrith and Parramatta.
Telephone: 612 9727 7585
Opening hours for lunch every day is from 12 noon to 230pm.
Dinners begin at 5pm every day but finish up at 11pm for Friday and Saturday nights; for tother nights, 10pm.

Green Peppercorn - Fairfield Hotel Sydney

The Tom Yum Kung, with a rich taste and good flavour.

Northern Thai and Laotian restaurants offer a cuisine which can be refreshingly different from Bangkok or southern Thai dishes.  There can be the conspicuous absence or less use of coconut milk and more emphasis on charcoal grilled meats.  What captivated me is also their rendition of deep fried battered ice cream, in this case at the Green Peppercorn, served with a garnish of coconut muesli, raisin and butterscotch sauce.  I reckon the batter they utilise is much better in texture and flavour than those from Singapore or Chinese restaurants. The Green Peppercorn in Fairfield opened in July 2012 - it is family run, can seat around 150 guests, has parking street side on  both sides of the hotel and avoids a capital city feel of congestion.

Chicken with dipping sauce and a rather outstanding bite below the skin

Green Peppercorn at the Fairfield Hotel is modern, brash and with a spacious outlook.  I love the bird cages hanging over one part of the dining room, albeit sans the singing birds.  Fairfield is a working class suburb with a huge IndoChinese and Arab demographic, but also thriving with dynamic small businesses that has a Council overlooking the nearby Cabramatta and Canley Heights areas.   The Fairfield Hotel is small and looks like they gave up the original Aussie pub space to this restaurant.  The Green Peppercorn does not accept reservation bookings unless you have larger number of diners in your group.  My group of four lunchers were served by a smiling Polynesian lady, although I could see the Thai boys and girls also working there.  At our neighbouring table, we had a most engaging infant of not more than 6 months old, Jerome, whose smiling manner and big eyes captivated everyone.  We had a causal chat with Jerome's parents and they had been to Georgetown Penang - they must be experienced travellers and the Mum mentioned char koay teow she sampled whilst they were in Penang!

Just before the crowds swarmed in for Saturday lunch!

The banana flower salad was unusual but I appreciated the cashew nuts mixed in the dish.  The deep fried snapper had a generous serving of yummy sliced mango salad accompanying the dish and this was good to eat.   My top choice for that that Saturday meal was the charcoal grilled belly pork cuts provided on a bed of wok stir fried kangkong - a wonderful  balance of both veg and meat on the same plate! The tom yam prawns stood out in flavourful intensity, although I found them a tad bit salty that day as well.  The charcoal grilled chicken was tender and moist under the skin, a most uneasy feat!   We noticed a table having glutinous rice steamed in traditional weave miniature baskets, exotic and eye catching.   We had steamed ordinary rice to accompany the dines of savoury and spicy tones.  We dropped out intentions over ordering the sausages - there are both different Northern Thai and Laotian ones - as we were already having a rather huge and diverse meal.

I loved the mango salad more than the fish.

The menu has many choices, ranging from standards like paw paw salads, marinated beef cuts, roast duck red curry, soft shell crab, stir fried noodles, Panang curries, fried rice variations and beef salads to rarer stuff like tom zap soup, cured pork, betel leaf (Miang Kum), charcoal barbecues ox tongue, raw salmon salads and marinated quails.  I already eyed the crab meat fried rice and the green chill and basil flavoured mussels for a future visit!  The Green Peppercorn is also keen on function gatherings and have banquet menus to cater for such occasions.  And for those who may wonder, yes there is connection between the Green Peppercorn and Holy Basil of Canley Heights - Tony!

What I highly recommend - charcoal grilled pork belly cuts sitting on a bed of kangkong veg.

The Green Peppercorn is located at the following places in greater Sydney:
Fairfield Hotel - south-west of Sydney CBD at No. 1 Hamilton Road, Fairfield

Civic Hotel - Sydney CBD at level One, 388 Pitt Street, Sydney City centre

Bookings are held for up to 20 minutes after stated reservation time.  Licensed and not BYO.


What impressed me - wide variety of menu, friendly service, dishes came out fast and ready change of plates.
What could be better - maybe too much salt in some dishes, or is it just me?
Tip - try to avoid popular rush hour, go for the exotic and anything charcoal grilled is a winner here.

Banana flower salad with deep fried chicken, cashew nuts and greens.