Serving cheap and cheerful Vietnamese food on the chaotic seventh floor of CentralWorld doesn’t get you any points for originality. But Red Basket has enough going for it to make it one of our go-to places after a crazed shopping spree. First of all, even though it’s not an enclosed space, it’s deeply recessed enough to create a quiet little alcove. And the white furnishing and teal paint make for a French café-like, laid-back (if a touch boring) vibe. Except for the bizarre inclusion of a few Western selections, like soups (B70) and grilled meat entrees such as the pork chop (B200), the menu here is very predictable. But there are enough nice touches, plus fresh ingredients across the board, to make dining here a wholly pleasant experience—especially at these prices. Take, for instance, the dumplings with shrimp and pork (B90): the rice noodle wrapper is soft but not soggy, the meat ingredients moist and well-flavored and the dipping sauce satisfying without being too sweet. Or the special pho (with shrimps, pork and Vietnamese, B90), which is chock full of lovely ingredients and a mild, savory broth that comes alive with a squeeze of lime. Not everything is perfect, though, like the grilled pork in cha plu leaves (B80). We prefer the versions we’ve had elsewhere, as these ones are a bit too dense and dry (and small). Or the grilled salmon with black pepper with herbal fried rice (B180) which is overcooked, even though you can still tell that the fish is pretty fresh. We could also live without the enthusiastic smatterings of Vietnamese sausage on almost every dish, from the crunchy papaya salad with its delicately handled shrimp (B80) to the aforementioned dumplings with shrimp and pork. Still, we don’t mind much when the service is this smiling, and they even do a couple of cheap wines by the glass (B150), including a surprisingly decent and well-stored Sauvignon Blanc. So all in all, Red Basket certainly doesn’t break any molds in the largely homogenous Vietnamese dining scene. But it’s very comforting and affordable, and there are few other places at Heaven on Seven we’d gladly rest our weary bones at.
