REVIEW: Kwai2, Great Binfields Road, Lychpit (From Basingstoke Gazette)

REVIEW: Kwai2, Great Binfields Road, Lychpit

1:00am Monday 5th December 2011 in Taste and Tell By Helen Morton

Kwai2

Great Binfields Road, Lychpit

RG24 8TF

01256 476828

Kwai2.com

I HAD heard great things about the restaurant, in Great Binfields Road, Lychpit and I wasn’t disappointed.

The food was tasty, the service speedy and the menu choices were generous and varied.

With only an hour to spare at Kwai 2 restaurant, I was grateful for the special two course business lunch at £8.50 on offer - perfect for a lunchtime bite.

I had spare ribs to start, which came served in lashings of Thai barbeque sauce. With just three small pieces of rib, the portion size was slightly smaller than I was expecting, but the meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious - tasty but not overpowering.

My companion raved about his spicy and sour soup with chicken soup and, after tasting a few spoonfuls myself I had to agree that the flavours were incredible.

But it was the main course, a beef panang curry, that was, for me, the real highlight.

Having spent many months in Thailand and many evenings in Thai restaurants in the UK, I didn’t expect to find the tastiest panang I’ve ever tasted eaten, right here in Lychpit.

It was faultless, with spot-on flavourings, perfectly cooked beef and fluffy steamed rice all beautifully presented.

My friend’s meal, duck with ginger and soya sauce, also got the thumbs up from him.

My only gripe would be the décor. It was very tasteful, but apart from a few cursory nods to Thailand in the shape of a few pictures and a Buddha, the interior looked exactly like what it used to be - an old English pub. But with a price tag of just £20.40 for two soft drinks, two starters and two mains, it seems petty to grumble about that.

With friendly service, reasonable prices and that incredible curry, this gem of a restaurant is well worth a visit.