Spicy Basil, Kilburn High Road, is a bit of an oasis of food greatness in a desert of city dullness. The tube wasn’t working on the way into Kilburn, and our attempts to get the overground were scuppered by maniacal train coordinators, so we had to catch the bus in from Camden. I had a guitar and amp with me, so I was loaded up and knackered by the time we eventually rolled into Kilburn for a gig at The Luminaire.
I dumped my gear in the back and went out to meet someone out front. On the way back around, the rest of my band came out and took us off to a place they knew down the road from The Luminaire called Spicy Basil. I was ready for a serious amount of food when we walked into the canteen-like take away restaurant, but from a quick look around my expectations weren’t high.
However, despite this, Spicy Basil was really busy. So rammed in fact that we couldn’t get seats for all of us and we took the food to the back room in The Luminaire to eat amongst the washing machines and sweat towels. I had the green thai chicken curry and got to taste a lot of the Pad Thai too. As soon as I had my first mouth full, I understood exactly why the place had been so full. It was delicious and coupled with the fact that everything is prepared right in front of you and it’s all cheap cheap (5 quid) Spicy Basil is definitely class, despite its looks.
Spicy Basil, Kilburn High Road review: 3.9/5
