Basil Restaurant — Restaurant in New Haven

This Howe Street spot sports a "former ice cream parlor goes Asian fusion" aesthetic with all the charm of a dental office waiting room but don't let the utilitarian vibes fool you. The food arrives more quicker than a freshman's meal plan depletes, and the portions could feed the Yale men's football team.

That beef and broccoli ($11.25) comes loaded with enough fiber to make your nutritionist cry out with joy (8-10g), while the seaweed salad ($7) sports more sesame seeds than a bagel convention. The veggies snap with freshness, though the brown sauce plays it safer than a non tenured professor around them coeds.

The space, bathed in fluorescent glory and vintage turquoise walls, won't win any design awards, but it nails the clinical essentials: swift service, big big portions, and prices that remember what "reasonable" means. Plus, you're getting like 15-20g of fiber, practically a wellness influencer's fever dream.

Bottom line: Come for the surprisingly fresh veggies, stay for the efficient service, and embrace the charming lack of pretense. Just don't expect mood lighting to hide that mountain of brown rice or seal the deal on a third date. Not happening, lady.

Price: $ (Your wallet will send a thank-you note) Vibe: Functional meets flagrant fluorescent Best for: When substance triumphantly...

Big portions, low prices, everything else is a bit odd. Boyfriend and I went here for a cheap dinner. 3 apps, 2 entrees, two beverages for $36. Not disappointed, but not impressed either. I had chicken satay and roast pork buns, massaman curry and hot tea. Boyfriend had Shanghai mini buns (soup dumplings with pork), udon noodle soup with chicken teriyaki, and Thai iced tea.

All the sauces were good and delicious. Best items were pork buns & thai iced tea. All the chicken meat was weird, could be the marinade, or it was old or freezer burned. The apps and entrees all arrived at the same time.

Hot tea: good, hot, free. Thai iced tea: good, sweet, cheap.

Pork buns: big and fluffy and not too sweet.

Satay: one thick piece of satay was not cooked through, and marinade wasn't right, but the peanut sauce was really good.

Shanghai mini buns: hot and soupy, pork was okay, seemed like they were a bit dried up from being left out too long.

Massaman curry: weird vegetables in it (should be onions potatoes, carrots, bamboo shoots, peanuts- this had onions, peppers, pineapples, broccoli, mushrooms, peanuts), chicken tasted off, but again sauce was delicious.

Chicken teriyaki: good because the sauce is awesome, the chicken meat tasted off.

Udon noodle soup: big portion, a...

I highly recommend the vegetable curry noodle soup with tofu. Go with the rice noodles for that soup. The spring rolls (which are fried) are usually pretty good too, if at times greasy. This is a great location for good food at a reasonable price. Note however that drinks are bottles and cans, not fountain. The restaurant is not wheelchair accessible, is small, and is usually fairly crowded. Overall, it is better for a business lunch than a relaxing dinner. However, takeout is available, the food is prepared quickly, and the folks staffing the restaurant are attentive even if one of them is on the curt side. Find your favorite meal, make it part of your regular rotation of places to go, and enjoy your favorite every...