Basil

With the desire to bring more authentic Thai flavor to northeast Louisiana, owner Kohn Keomaly established Basil Restaurant.

article by VANELIS RIVERA
and photography by ANDREW BAILEY

The culinary herb basil is usually associated with Italian flavors in the form of pesto, caprese salad, and a pizza topping. But that’s not the only basil leaf making tasty waves in regionally-centered dishes. Thai basil, distinguished by its small, narrow leaves and purple stems, has a taste described as a cross between anise and licorice. Slightly spicy, it’s a perfect pairing for Southeast Asian cuisine, especially for the dishes of Thailand. Though you may never venture into the thick northern Thai jungles and river raft in Chiang Mai, walk through intricate Buddhist temples in the nation’s capitol Bangkok, or scooter through the ocean-view hills of Phuket (though you should), Monroe’s very own Basil Thai & Sushi Bar provides their customers with the next best Thai experience the area has to offer.

With the intention of bringing “more authentic Thai flavor” to the Monroe community, owner Kohn Keomaly, affectionately known as Mr. K by some customers, opened Basil in April 2018. Hailing from Laos, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia hugged between Thailand in the west and Vietnam in the east, Keomaly is clearly well-versed in authentic Southeast Asian flavors. He also owns Café Rawz in West Monroe, a well-established and much loved Asian Fusion staple. Basil offers a diverse menu, brimming with authentic flavors from Thailand and Vietnam, sure to please a plethora of palates.

Concentrating on the three trademarks of Thai cuisine: spicy, sweet and sour tastes, Basil uses slightly altered recipes, making more use of Napa cabbage, celery, squash and zucchini and emphasizing the strong aromatic components and spicy edge that keep customers returning. Their Vietnamese selections are also a profusion of spices and coveted fragrances, that, unlike the Thai curry-based dishes, are more soup based noodle dishes. Of course, Thai dishes are most notable for their spice level, but one person’s spice may be another’s mild, which is why the restaurant encourages the customization of spice, serving a spice carousel with pepper oil, red pepper flakes, jalapeños and peanuts, as well as designating the degree of hotness in some fixed-spice dishes on the menu. Order tip: Ask your server about levels of spice or ask for the ‘no spice’ option.

A total of eleven pages make up the Basil menu, perhaps intimidating to novice diners, but the menu, categorized by type of dish, is easy to navigate. General Manager Sun Murphy has enjoyed every dish on the menu, a feat to be envied. She highly recommends diners to begin their Basil experience with the Salt & Pepper Squid or the Baked Mussels. Additionally, customers have a choice of twenty-six appetizers. The next category on the menu are the salads. Expand your veggie tendencies here and try the Papaya Salad. This salad, made from shredded unripe papaya, is tangy and hot. It can be an incredibly refreshing addition to your dining experience. Unless you are used to spice, you’ll want to order this salad mild or choose the ‘no spice’ option. Either way, it’s crisp, fresh taste warrants a try.

The next two categories of the menu are where you’ll want to order for the rest of our wayward Louisiana winter—curries and soups. The curry selections are mostly traditional Thai. Curry pastes tend to be a thick purée of fresh ingredients like lemongrass, ginger, chiles and/or herbs. These pastes are sizzled in oil, which brings out their aromatic qualities, then thinned with coconut milk. The Green Curry dish, hailing from central Thailand, is known as the hottest of the curries, but that heat gets soothed by the coconut milk and lime juice. Basil adds bamboo shoots, bell peppers, mixed vegetables, and tops this liquidy curry with basil leaves. Another fiery curry from central Thailand is their Red Curry. The color comes from copious amounts of red chilies in the paste. The Yellow Curry bowl is particularly rich, with added potatoes, carrots, onions and bell peppers. A BayouLife favorite is the Panang Curry bowl—coconut milk with bamboo shoots, bell peppers, mushrooms and Thai Panang sauce. Panang is a type of red curry but sweeter than other Thai curries. Murphy’s favorite curry is the Paratha Curry—coconut milk with potatoes and carrots in a yellow curry sauce. This particular curry is served with paratha bread, an Indian flatbread slightly thinner than the popular naan. No matter the designated hotness of your choice of curry, the bold flavors and the delectable vegetables and meat, paired with steamed rice, creates a warm, satisfying dish that’s sure to please your stomach and warm you up.

The soup options are traditional Vietnamese, and of all the three soups, the one that the doctor ordered is none other than the mighty Pho. This Vietnamese rice noodle soup is arguably medicinal. If you’re sick, all you need is some Sprite and some Pho! Beyond a dish, the manner it’s served is an experience. A large white porcelain bowl contains beef broth and thinly sliced beef (though customers can choose from chicken, beef, meatball or shrimp), red onions, green onions and your choice of either rice noodles or egg noodles. On a separate plate: basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, thin jalapeño slices and one slice of lime await your fingers. You can either add the herbs as presented or craftily piece them apart, drizzling them to your soup, as if you were preparing a home-cooked meal. You can also add hoisin and/or sriracha for a custom taste. The serving could feed two, so it’s a pho-nomenal date-night entree! Lastly, impress your server the next time you visit a Southeast Asian restaurant by pronouncing the dish correctly—“fuh.”

The Thai entrées and noodle dishes each take up a full page on the Basil menu. With your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, or seafood, entrées come with steamed rice or fried rice for an additional charge. Murphy’s favorite is the Mongolian Beef: carrots, bean sprouts, sesame seeds and black pepper. Regardless of your choice of protein, the Mongolian sauce is what Murphy claims to be the ‘end all’ of the dish—it’s simply delicious. Though a traditionally Chinese dish, the General Tso is a customer favorite. Also, one of the spiciest entrées is the Thai Spicy Basil: a saute of bamboo shoots, jalapeño, basil, mushroom, baby corn, white onion, bell peppers and garlic. The Thai noodle selections are also a collage of ingredients, a savory combustion of your next favorite meal. Next, enter the Pad Thai: rice noodles stir-fried with onions, egg, bean sprouts and peanuts.

The last couple of pages of the Basil menu boasts an impressive selection of about seventy-six sushi rolls. Seemingly endless combinations of finely rolled pieces of art will make it difficult for any sushi devotee to order just one roll. Most sushi-lovers have their go-to roll and go-to seafood—shrimp, tuna, crab, eel, yellow tail, salmon, crawfish, calamari—but at Basil, exploring the rolls is almost inevitable. Containing shrimp tempura and crab mix topped with avocados, the Green Dragon is a straight forward start for anyone that loves avocado. The Temptation is slightly more involved, with shrimp tempura, crab mix, cream cheese topped with crab sticks, served with sweet soy, spicy mayo, wasabi cream and BBQ sauce—unquestionably one for the pros. Another fresh avocado favorite is the Crunchy Shrimp: tempura crunch mixed with crab meat and shrimp and fresh avocado. Customer-favorite, Crazy Maki, contains tempura fried spicy tuna, crab mix, cream cheese and jalapeño, served with sweet soy and spicy mayo. It doesn’t matter which bite-size morsel you try, sit at Basil’s chic sushi bar and witness for yourself the craft of sushi-making.

It’s customary to begin a dining experience with the drink menu, but at Basil, you may want to end with it as well. You can start the night with any of their alcoholic beverages, including a variety of sakes, cocktails, beers and wine, but definitely end the night with any three of the following delightful beverages. The Thai Tea is a treat! Comparable to a creamsicle, it’s made from strong black or red tea, sweetened with condensed milk, and served over ice. Great dessert drinks are the boba or “bubble” teas. These Taiwanese tea-based drinks contain tea and flavors of milk (strawberry, taro, almond, mango, matcha, milk tea, avocado, peach, honeydew, papaya, jackfruit and banana). Traditionally, they are topped with chewy tapioca pearls, but if you opt out of the chewy fun, Basil can make your boba over ice or blended. The best treat you can give yourself is the Vietnamese style coffee, served either hot or cold. This international java-delight is served in a glass cup. An aromatic brew is poured over condensed milk, which you are meant to stir together, forming a rich coffee drink with a hint of hazelnut. It will be difficult for any coffee lover to have just one glass (BayouLife had two back-to-back).

Some say that a good restaurant isn’t measured by the menu, décor or restaurant prices, as much as the number of people inside. And though that quality indicator is apparent at Basil, their interior articulates an already stunning food experience. Simple vibrance is immediately visible in the restaurant’s spaciously elegant interior. Plenty of seating means comfortable and laid-back dining, which is enhanced by low hanging soft-light fixtures and a sleek dark wood banquette with bamboo lining. A semi-circle shaped, fully-stocked bar seats about ten guests. And, of course, the sushi bar forms its own island. Who wouldn’t want to get marooned there?

Fast service, quality food and great prices is the driving force of Basil Thai & Sushi Bar. Staking a claim on “authentic Thai” is clearly not their only exploit. A stand-alone background that spans three Southeast Asian countries makes this restaurant’s dishes another beloved multicultural addition to our thriving and diverse Northeast Louisiana community. Proof that, like most things in life, food is never just one thing. At Basil, it’s apparent that food represents the delicious sharing, engaging and communicating of cultures near and far.

Basil is located at 1118 Oliver Road, Monroe. They are open Monday through Thursday between 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday dinner is extended until 10 p.m.. Call them at (318) 605-2996 to order for pick-up and/or learn more about their menu. Give them a follow on Facebook!