Basil Thai-Hot Pot & Thai — Restaurant in Austin

Pros: carryout order was ready on time. Food flavor was ok, not great but not bad, in general.

Cons: Spring rolls were pre-made and refrigerated, so the rice paper was hard and cold, not fresh, though at least it did have mint. They had so much lettuce and so little vermicelli that felt a bit fibrous.

However, the biggest disappointment was the tofu. We ordered spring rolls, Pad Thai, and Singapore Style Noodles all with tofu, which was the same price as versions with chicken or vegetables, only to be shocked and disappointed that all contained RAW tofu. It had not been cooked or even marinated in any way, simply cubed. Clearly, this imparts no flavor or texture at all to the finished dish! And at least chicken (and likely vegetables) has to be prepped, seasoned, and cooked in some way, so how can they charge the same amount for tofu when they didn't even do anything to it? It's not like tofu is more expensive than chicken or vegetables.

We wanted to give this little place a chance, and when I went to pick up our carryout order the place was completely packed with people and even some waiting to be seated. I thought the popularity boded well for the likely quality of the food. Sadly, too many things were great disappointments, and we will not...

There's a lot to unfold here. In nut shell, over rated.

Pro:

Menu is online, scan QR code, can place order with the website no need for a server.

Shrimp spring rolls 7/10 Tom Kah w/Noodle Soup 7/10

Cons:

All drinks including ice tea is served in a can or bottle, no free refills since they don't have a fountain dispenser.

We were served the soup with no spoons, which forced us to use the website to call the server. There was no area were we could type in what we needed, so they would have to come, ask and go back and get it.

One server ( Saturday) for the entire restaurant, they were busy. Getting additional items like, spoons, sugar, more peanut sauce ( spring rolls came with a small container of sauce, but needed more )

Dry meat lovers hot pot, although the presentation was great the food wasn't. Dry chicken, odd tasting "meatball"..flavors just didn't meld right.

Since it took awhile to get a server to come for the small things, they were quick to come cash out.

After paying with their tablet terminal we were presented a tip options starting at 18%. Although the lady was always pleasent, this system they have isnt very responsive.

Both my wife and I saw the video on tiktok and decided to try...

This place takes "Build your own bowl" to a whole other level.

Absolutely loved the level of customization you can do with your meal. Went there with a vegetarian buddy, and he was just as happy with his meal.

As a spice lover, I absolutely loved the schezwan soup base. Was much more in terms of flavor than it was raw heat. That and the choice of noodle and 4 sides, made it all that much better.

My buddy picked a Thai yellow curry, which he said he absolutely loved. (It's pretty mild... So if you're not a huge fan of spice, then that's a good option to go for.)

Portion wise, it's a lot of noodles and soup in a very deep soup bowl. And you can ask for chopsticks if you're a fan of that.

Attached a photo of the bill for how much you're likely to pay for noodle soup (the ones described above) for a party of 2. (Note that all meats cost $12.95, except for shrimp which is a dollar on top of that)

If you're not a huge fan of building your own bowl, you can pick one off their menu.

Between that, there's also a single person hotpot, and other options as well.

Will most certainly visit again if...