Dining: Fu Lai Asian Cuisine
Thai basil chicken keeps me crazy for Fu Lai
By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: June 22, 2005
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Photos by Andrew Price/AA-S |
That's what I did, with a variation on the theme, after dining at Fu Lai, a small Asian restaurant in Oak Hill.
On that first visit, the chicken Thai basil ($6.95) captured my fancy. The chicken was stir-fried with broccoli, brown sauce and plenty of Thai basil, which added a spicy element and perfumed the dish wonderfully.
So I went back a week later to see if Fu Lai would replicate it, this time ordering the combo Thai basil ($7.95), which pulled together tender beef, shrimp and chicken in the same sauce and with the same other ingredients. It was equally delicious.
Beyond the Thai basil, there were several other things I enjoyed.
The Beijing chicken lettuce wrap ($4.25) combined bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, green onions and chicken in a mild brown sauce, all served over fried vermicelli with iceberg lettuce leaves for wrapping.
The Thai coconut shrimp ($4.25) were coated in a tasty crust and served with a peanut sauce (I believe a fruit sauce, such as a spicy orange, would work better, though). Another entree, the beef mimosa ($7.25) also was tempting, offering tender slices of beef in a spicy brown sauce flavored with bits of orange peel. All main dishes are served with a choice of white, brown or fried rice.
The fare at Fu Lai is reasonably priced and generously portioned -- two good reasons to dine there. But it's that Thai basil that already has me planning another dinner in Oak Hill.
Fu Lai Asian Cuisine.
6705 U.S. 290 W., Suite 606, 892-4656.
Rating: Forks up. Price: Cheap.
Top: The Thai basil chicken, foreground, and beef mimosa are both spicy and served with a choice of white, brown or fried rice.Above: Anna Y. Lee-Kwan and Tony Kwan own Fu Lai. Defensive driving instructor Jeannie Ferrier uses the restaurant for her classes. Kitchen assistant manager Henry Lee and front manager Raymond Yeo keep the food and service flowing.
drice@statesman.com; 445-3859
