The Bite Magazine Issue 17

mixed with the beef curry which has a similar sweet taste albeit a bit spicy. Our side dish of Sweet Potato Fries was crispy and pleasant to eat. Just when we thought we had finished, Tang suggested we try their Pandan Chicken wrapped in banana leaf with dark soy and sesame sauce. Break- ing through the coconut leaf was like doing a jigsaw puzzle or a complicated crossword at first but the trick is to cut through the layers of coconut leaves del- icately rather than cutting straight into it. Once you have conquered this, you are met with delicious chicken waiting to be eaten. And usually we would have dessert but at the Eastcastle Street branch, they do not serve this as they provide a classic menu. To finish off our dining experience, we tried their Flower Tea flavoured with Hibiscus which was calming and a delicious end to the evening. Lunchtime is Busaba’s busiest time and being so close to Oxford Street, you could imagine the influx of people queuing outside the door waiting to taste their exquisite cuisine. As many of the lunchtime crowd are office workers and wish to finish their meal in around half an hour, Busaba do their best to accommodate but have had to turn away people due to the huge demand. They also offer a set Christmas menu with the seating arrangement different to what you may have experienced before and a group of people seated together like a family sharing the food from the menu. Busaba Oxford Circus is opened Monday to Thursday from 11.30am-11.00pm, Friday and Saturday from 12pm-11.30pm, and Sunday from 12pm-10.30pm. The restaurant also has several branches in Bloomsbury (Goodge Street), Chelsea, Covent Garden, Hoxton Square, O2 Greenwich, Leicester Square, Shored- itch, Soho, St. Christopher’s Place, Westfield London, and Westfield Strat- ford City in London, and in Liverpool, Kingston Riverside in Surrey, Manches- ter, and St. Albans. Busaba Oxford Circus, 52-53 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8ED 020 3873 2520 www.busaba.com bite cuisine Thai Calamari Chilli Beef Jasmine Rice