Continuing a Hometown Tradition: Thai Basil
Seafood and vegetables are just the beginning of the variety of flavors and textures you’ll find at Thai Basil. COURTESY THAI BASIL
When Thai Basil opened, Nong and Peter filled a 15-year void in the Manchester food scene.
I was sitting at an outdoor table at Thai Basil in Manchester on a Sunday after chatting with Nong Compupong, the restaurant’s owner, when a man named John beckoned me to his table. He was halfway through a yellow curry dish, which the staff created for him with just the right amount of heat, and nearly done with his lychee martini. John told me he loves dining at Thai Basil because he knows he’ll be treated right.
Later, a diner named Jay, another regular, told me he comes from Londonderry often to eat at Thai Basil. He praised Nong and her husband, chef Varit “Peter” Yanyoo, for creating such a wonderful place to have authentic Thai food and to simply hang out, a place that fits the area’s vibe. As I was enjoying my meal—the Manchester Stir Fry served in a scooped-out half pineapple, a dish Nong’s father created and called Bangkok while he ran a restaurant of the same name in Boston—I recalled something that Nong said to me: “People in Vermont are very nice and welcoming. That’s why we are here.” Clearly, it works both ways.
Finding Home Miles from Home
Nong and Peter were born in Thailand and bounced around this country before they met and before they ended up in Vermont and eventually Manchester, a place they praise for being small, safe, and green as far as you can see, a place—if you substitute pines, maples, and grassland for rice fields—that reminds Nong and Peter of home.
When Thai Basil opened, Nong and Peter filled a 15-year void in the Manchester food scene. “They had a Thai restaurant before,” Nong says, “then they didn’t, but now they do.” Nong and Peter strive to serve authentic Thai food to their customers and the community, but Nong says, “We adapted to the people of Manchester who like healthy food.”
Apart from being known for its authentic Thai food, Thai Basil is also known for its delicious and colorful martinis
“They want vegetables, some local produce, gluten-free, and less oil,” Peter adds, noting that Thai Basil is more than willing to give customers what they want. Even the spiciness can be adjusted, from not hot for undaring diners to very hot and then Thai hot for the bravest souls.
Thai Basil’s extensive menu features dishes you’ve heard of and possibly eaten, such as crispy vegetable rolls and Pad Thai, and items that may be new to you, such as crab angel (wontons stuffed with crab and cheese) and any of Peter’s exquisite chef ’s creations featuring duck, red snapper, and New Zealand mussels in complex, yet approachable, combinations. Trying everything Thai Basil offers would be a long but gratifying experience. And that says nothing of the Martini Bar. Those two words stenciled on the windows framing the restaurant’s doors tell you it’s a draw to patrons.
Thai Basil’s martinis use fresh ingredients, such as house-made sour mix, and combine them with unexpected ingredients. The Bangkok Flower, for example, uses muddled Thai basil for its flavor. And if martinis are not your thing, Darryl, the man behind the bar, can help you figure out what is.
Thai Basil is more than willing to give customers what they want. Even the spiciness can be adjusted, from not hot for undaring diners to very hot and then Thai hot for the bravest souls.
Continuing a Hometown Tradition and Making a New Home
The spot on Main Street that houses Thai Basil has a long history as an eatery, stretching back more than 100 years. Nong says, “Sometimes customers come to me and they say, ‘My grandfather worked here.’” Others recall their uncle working behind the bar or how they’ve come to this spot, not necessarily this restaurant, for years and years. And when Nong sees families with young kids in the restaurant, she thinks the nostalgia will continue when these children bring their children to this restaurant in Manchester that served authentic Thai food and was run by two restaurateurs who made the place feel like home.
Although Nong knows how to make delectable Thai dishes, she also has the skill to make other Asian fare. That’s why she’s opened Nong’s Kitchen, a short drive south on Route 7A from Thai Basil. In this cheery building with its cheery sign, Nong will spread her culinary wings and provide Manchester with a wider variety of cuisine. She says with a smile that one customer has already requested Moo Shu Pork. It’s coming, Nong assures me, but first, she plans to focus on what she wants to cook, knowing that folks in town will welcome this new venture like they welcomed Thai Basil, Nong, and Peter 15 years ago.
