Wednesday, 29 May 2013

Busaba Eathai: Bicester Village, Bicester


Busaba Eathai

Date of Visit: 26th May 2013

Ambience
The interior of the restaurant was dimly lit but since the sun was out, we opted to sit in the terrace part which was enclosed on the sides but the roof was open.  I thought it was a clever design since the roof could be closed when necessary and there were heaters fitted all around which could be turned on if guests felt the breeze.

The wooden table and bench like seats were surrounded by yellow lamps which hung from the ceiling.  Overall, the décor was modern, yet simple but this suited the image of the restaurant chain.

Food
We opted for the Roti to start which we asked to be served with a Green Curry dip and for mains we had a Sen Chan Pad Thai and a Pad Kwetio. 

The roti was quite different to the Malaysian and Indian Rotis that I am used to – they are more crispy and oily but it certainly needed a dip, else it would be pretty tasteless.  The Pad Thai was very spicy, more so than an average pad thai but I found it to be full of flavour and quite tasty.  It didn’t help the fact that I had a ginger & honey tea which was also spicy but it was definitely easier to eat when I asked for a glass of water.  The Pad Kwetio was essentially ho fun noodles stir fried with prawns and veg in a sweet sauce which had a bit of a spicy kick. 



Service
The service was prompt and whilst the waiter didn’t seem overly pleased he had to be working on a nice sunny day, he was efficient and thumbs up for laughing at our joke of not ordering what we couldn’t pronounce.    We couldn’t fault the speed of the service throughout the meal, from being seated to ordering, to the food arriving on the table - it all went like clockwork.

Summary
Overall, the food was decent and the experience of dining al fresco without eating dust was great.  At around £30 for two people, it wasn’t bad value and I think the owners were smart to open up a Busaba Eathai in Bicester Village as they could make a killing with the limited choice around the shopping area.

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