I’ve been hearing about Lime and Basil a lot, but have never actually tried it! During our impromptu trip to Tagaytay, I tried my luck to reserve a table as I was literally en route to Tagaytay. Well, my luck was out – they were fully booked until 2:30PM. Thankfully, Memory Lane had an availability (literally, we were the only ones there), so we ended up eating lunch there instead. Afterwards, we headed over to Lime and Basil to have a VERY EARLY dinner. LOL. The things I do to get to try the new “in” restaurants.

Verdict: Thai sauces were super legit, but felt letdown by the Pad Thai and chicken dishes

I don’t know if I just had super high expectations because I’ve heard so many people rave about it, or maybe it’s just been so long since I’ve eaten at a restaurant so I was expecting magic dust in my food, or perhaps I was just still full from our earlier lunch at Memory Lane… Regardless, I thought the food was good, but not THAT good. Before I go off – let me share with you what we ordered

 

Food I ordered:

• Fresh Spring Rolls
• Tom Yum Gai
• Pla Som Rod (Crispy Tilapia)
• Moo Grob (Crispy Pork Jowls)
• Kaeng Keiw Wan Gai (Chicken Green Curry)
• Pad Thai
• Kao Pad Saparod (Pineapple Fried Rice)

 

Food Review

Let’s start with the appetizer – Kropek – these super free and delicious prawn flavored crackers. In particular, I LOVED the sauce that came with it. It was sweet with a spicy kick, and that made ALL the difference. Or maybe the fact it was free made the difference… LOL Just kidding. It really was good. I think they sell the sauce too so you can actually take it home

Afterwards, the Fresh Spring Rolls came out. It was filled with rolled herbs, carrots, cabbage, tofu, noodles, and sweet chili relish. Wow, just wow. When I first read it on the menu, I felt rather skeptical as the ingredients all sound so random, no? But it came together and became this really fresh dish that’s sure to whet your appetites

Our Tom Yum Gai soup soon followed. Essentially hot and sour soup with chicken – but certainly very different from the Chinese variant we’re all familiar with. The soup itself was excellent taste-wise and consistency-wise – but the chicken was a miss for me, as it tasted rather bland to me. Perhaps I should’ve gotten the shrimp or beef variant instead.

The Pla Sam Rod – crispy tilapia, tamarind sauce, crispy shallots, Thai basil – came next. Mygosh, this was SO good. I love it. The tilapia was fried to crispy perfection, and the tamarind sauce had just the right amount of kick. Mmmm, if only I could recreate this at home. But let’s be honest, this is way beyond my cooking skill

Pad Thai came out next. This was the dish I was waiting for in anticipation… and it let me down. It was just alright. I thought the sauce was rather dry, and it wasn’t as flavorful as I would’ve wanted it to be. Gaah, I miss legit Thai Pad Thai, ESPECIALLY Thip Samai. I can’t believe I used to live in Thailand, and didn’t eat Pad Thai every single day! What a wasted opportunity…

Next up: Moo Grob, also known as Crispy Pork Jowls, Cucumber Relish and Pork Rind. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect but I just wanted a pork dish. Well, it’s kind of like chicharon. It’s interesting? But nothing amazing. I generally skipped this dish

Last main dish was the Kaeng Keiw Wan Gai (Chicken Green Curry). Again, the green curry sauce was simply lovely. The chicken wasn’t that great though. Hmm, maybe I should just NOT order their chicken dishes next time.

Finally, our Pineapple Rice (Kao Pad Saparod) came out. It came out too late. By this time, we were all ridiculously full. Still, we gamely tried the dish and was left… distinctly not satisfied. Meh. The rice was dry and really didn’t have much flavor! Makes for a beautiful presentation though

And, that completes my food review rundown. I took a photo of the menu in case you’re interested to see what else they have on offer

 

Ambiance Review

The restaurant itself is beautiful. Let’s start with parking slots – have no fear, they have parking slots up front, but also inside the gates. I was a bit worried about this, but parking was a cinch!

Entering the gates, you’re greeted by this really natural leafy view. Stunning isn’t it?

You can choose to sit inside or outside. I would’ve preferred to sit outside as it would’ve felt safer given the COVID concerns. Alas, only indoor seating was available at that time. Still, even the indoor seating was open air – no aircon, just electric fans and open windows / doors to allow the natural air to circulate. Unfortunately, there was NO natural air. Mygosh, it was soooo hot.

Once inside though, the ambiance and decor is just beautiful and very soothing. I’ll let my pictures speak for me.