If you eat out in London a lot, you may have heard of Busaba, a restaurant serving delicious Bangkok sharing plates, curries and colourful salads. Well, Busaba has now arrived in Oxford!

Busaba started back in 1999 with its first restaurant in Soho and has gone down a storm since, now with 11 locations. Read on to find out what we ate…

Fresh and classy were the first things I thought as I walked in.

They’ve done a great job with the interiors and the decor is clean and calming. It almost feels spa-like (I went quite early though so it might’ve just been because they weren’t as busy yet, but there was incense burning which I loved.)

The best thing to do at Busaba is to order a mixture of their sharing plates.

It’s definitely the best way to try a range of dishes and flavours. We ordered the calamari, the chicken satay, the sikhrong pork riblets, the crispy duck noodles and the mixed Asian greens. It all arrived together which was very banquet vibes.

None of it disappointed, but the calamari and the chicken satay were definitely the stars of the show. The calamari was up there with the best I’ve had. It was smoky yet sweet, with a slight crunch to the outside before you hit the soft internal umami flavour. Just SO good – you have to order it. ASAP.

The satay chicken had just the right kick to it and the sauce was the perfect consistency – not too thin but not too thick either. I wanted to drink it (not sure this is acceptable though.)

Did we have room for dessert? No. Did we have it anyway? Yes, obvs.

We shared the bang banana fritters, which were presented in a totally different way to what I’ve had before. Cute little spring roll style pastries filled with banana, served with ice-cream and warm toffee sauce drizzled all over. They were delicious and surprisingly light.

I’d definitely go back (need that calamari again already) and it’s also very well placed (George Street) for a pre or post-theatre meal, so keep it in mind next time you’re out!

Busaba
27-29 George St, Oxford OX1 2AY
www.busaba.com

We dined as guests of Busaba, all views remain our own.