Laksa is a new restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown district. They serve mostly Thai food, but there is also a second, smaller menu with some Malaysian dishes.

I scoped out the place while on vacation and I was not impressed at all. With a name like “Laksa”, you’d think they’d be able to provide a decent Laksa dish, but boy was I wrong. The flavor was bland and very uninspiring. The fish cake appetizers that I order looked like they came from a frozen package. And to top it off, the table next to me had all sorts of issues with there food, from hair in their noodles to mysterious objects in their pork.

Skip this place at all cost.

Having been greatly disappointed to find that a particular dim sum restaurant which I was searching for was closed, I came across this gem.

Thai Basil offers authentic Thai food in a very relaxing environment. The host is very friendly and the service is spectacular. I had the chicken pad Thai lunch special and it was super cheep. For $7.95 I got a salad, spring roll, and soup as my starter and the chicken pad Thai as my entree. The Thai ice tea is not bad either.

Beyond being a great value, the food just flat out taste good.