Located at
2766 N.C. 68 at the Herron Village shopping center in High Point (with another
location in Winston-Salem), The Basil Leaf offers Thai and Japanese cuisine for
lunch (11-2:30 Tuesday through Friday and 12-3 Saturday and Sunday) and dinner
(4:30-9 Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and 4:30-9:30 Friday and Saturday).
Food specials change regularly, there’s a lunch menu on weekdays, and alcohol
is available.
High Point
is home to so many Thai restaurants that even a Thai/sushi combo isn’t unique
here. Amid such competition, it is hard to stand out though The Basil Leaf
certainly gives it a good try.
Though not
a large space, The Basil Leaf doesn’t lack for seating. The ambiance aims for
classy without being stuffy and largely succeeds. Service was attentive
throughout our meal.
The Basil
Leaf’s menu features a variety of Japanese (appetizers, sushi, and
teriyaki/hibachi entrees) and Thai (appetizers, soups, salads, curries,
noodles, and more) offerings. There were no unexpected finds, but if you know the
cuisine well enough to know what you want, you’ll likely find it here.
I had a
Pad Thai craving and, my wife and I ended up going with a chicken Pad Thai, a
beef pineapple fried rice, and a Crab Rangoon starter. The food was tasty (good
amount of sauce on the noodles and sweetness balanced with curry notes in the
fried rice), and The Basil Leaf will match your desired spice level. While the
plating aims for aesthetic sophistication (i.e. carrots cut into a flower shape),
serving the rice in a rectangular block was an odd touch. Both entrees were
generously portioned. At $15 and $17, neither broke the bank though the prices
are a bit higher than the nearest competitor.
All told,
The Basil Leaf isn’t likely to become my favorite Thai eatery, but it is one
that I would feel no qualms about coming back to.
