The Battle of Pad Thai: Busaba Eathai v Rosa's

Is there a bigger crime against noodles than some of the dishes masquerading as pad Thai (ผัดไทย) in Britain? You'd think it'd be pretty hard to bugger up a dish of stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, beansprouts, with some protein, usually prawn, chicken or tofu, and a garnish of lime and crushed peanuts. Yet somehow this iconic dish, more often than not, ends up as a clumpy over-sweetened mess that bears little resemblance to the pad Thai found in the old country.

That said, there must be somewhere in London that can rustle up a decent pad Thai? For example, I was sure that the likes of 101 Thai Kitchen would do it well although that turns out not to be the case. In the end, I decided to check out the mainstream options – somewhere you might pop into whilst shopping or during a night out. So let battle commence between two of London's best-known Thai restaurants, Busaba Eathai and Rosa's.

Pad Thai with prawns @ Rosa's

Round 1 – Pad Thai
Rosa's started out in Spitalfields and has built up quite a reputation. Last year, a second branch opened in Soho and this is where I rolled up to try their pad Thai with prawns (£8.25). First impressions weren't great, as it was quite a small plate with just four prawns. Things didn't get any better when I tucked in; as you might've guessed, it was too sweet. Even the addition of a squeeze of lime and the ground red chilli on the side couldn't mask the sweetness. On the plus side, it wasn't clumpy.

Sen chan pad Thai @ Busaba Eathai

So the bar wasn't set too high for Busaba Eathai, and for this challenge I decided to check out their new Panton St branch, just off Leicester Square. I decided to spurn the standard pad Thai with prawns (£7.40), in favour of the sen chan pad Thai (£8.90), which is pimped up with a topping of green mango and crabmeat.

This was much better than Rosa's effort on all levels; the sweetness was cut through by salty and sour flavours, and it was a larger portion. Not all pad Thai is spicy, but this one was, and it benefitted from the extra kick. The prawn count was only five but I could forgive that, as there were some fried tofu bits, dried shrimps, as well as green mango and crabmeat. That said the latter two ingredients were a bit gimmicky and didn't add a great deal in my opinion.

Round 2 – Thai Calamari
Man can't live on pad Thai alone and besides, it isn't always about the noodles! I've always been very fond of Busaba's Thai calamari (£5.90), and this is a must-order. The lightly battered calamari is tossed with ginger and peppercorns with a light glaze (honey?) and is packed full of flavour. This more-ish dish was as good as I remembered.

Busaba's

Rosa's

Sadly, Rosa's version (£5.25) came a very poor second. Essentially, this dish was to all intents and purposes, Chinese salt & pepper or chiu yim squid except that it didn't have much chiu and was sadly lacking in yim. The accompanying plum sauce didn't give it much of a lift either, and overall this dish was pretty forgettable.

Round 3 – The Rest
This is the only round that Rosa's wins as it's décor and design was less corporate and more charming. In particular, its seating arrangement is more intimate than the giant communal tables and windowsill seating found at Busaba's. I have no complaints about service at either restaurant, although I ate off-peak when I went to both places.

In terms of value, Busaba edges it. Although slightly more expensive than Rosa's, you got more for your money in terms of quality, and in the case of the pad Thai, quantity too. Whilst neither restaurant is a wallet-buster, I couldn't help but feel how much better value, a plate of fried seafood noodles and some salt & pepper squid would've been in nearby Chinatown.

The Verdict
2-1 to Busaba Eathai but this was by no means a battle between two champions. Whilst the pad Thai at Busaba was decent enough, it wasn't world beating and isn't what I'd order if I went there again. The food at Rosa's was disappointing, in particular the Thai calamari, and I can only assume that its good reputation is based on other dishes.

If you like Thai food…
…then check out 101 Thai Kitchen, their pad Thai might be over-sweet but there's plenty on the menu to be getting on with. I've also previously reviewed Busaba's tom yum soup noodles, back in the day when I was a newbie blogger.

{Update March 2011 - following this visit, I was invited back to Rosa's. You can read the write-up of my visit by clicking here.}



Busaba Eathai, Panton St, London, SW1Y 4EA (Tel: 020-7930-0088)
Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square



Rosa's, 48 Dean Street, London, W1D 5BF (Tel: 020-7494-1638)
Nearest tubes: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road