Tag: Duck Choo Chee

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Duck Choo Chee from Basil n’ Spice

Duck Choo Chee from Basil n' Spice on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Duck Choo Chee from Basil n' Spice on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Worcester Foodies’ October pick was Basil n’ Spice, a Thai restaurant tucked behind Funky Murphy’s on Shrewsbury Street. The atmosphere is welcoming, bright, and clean with a trendy Asian-inspired décor.

I ordered a Mai Tai to start the beverage train rolling. I thought it was better than average. It was definitely good enough to order a second one.

I chose the Thai wings for my appetizer. In a word, boring. Deep fried. Over cooked. No flavor.

For my entrée, I went with my Thai standby: Duck Choo Chee. Many times this entrée is not be on the menu, but Thai restaurants usually have duck and several types of curry-based Choo Chee sauces so they can always put it together.

My duck was a little on the dry side, however, the Choo Chee curry was the best I’ve had around Worcester. I once read that a good Choo Chee curry should have a very prominent coconut smell with some red coconut oil on top. Well, this had both, along with a nice flavorful spice, which made up for the dry duck.

The menu is reasonably priced. Our service was excellent. Two waitstaff along with the owner tended to our group of hungry foodies with coordinated and thorough attention. I will give Basil n’ Spice another try, but on this round I was moderately impressed.

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Duck Choo Chee

Duck Choo Chee from Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Duck Choo Chee from Thai Time on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

I had the privilege of choosing this month’s Worcester Foodies location. My choice, based on one excellent experience prior to, was the recently opened Thai Time on the corner of Highland Street and Denny Street. Some of you may remember this location formerly as Tortilla Sam’s, and even earlier days as The Mexican Acapulco (80’s flashback). The layout has not changed and neither has its BYOB policy. Parking is difficult, as with any spot within that area, but manageable.

I began my experience with the Pork Dumplings appetizer and chose steamed over fried. Six somewhat small sized dumplings arrived on the plate with a side of light soy sauce. They were fresh, not frozen and full of flavor. If I had to point out anything, I would only say, make them bigger! Otherwise, a great appetizer.

For my entrée’ I went for one of my go to’s when dining Thai, Duck Choo Chee. Traditionally, Choo Chee is served over fish. I was introduce to the Duck Choo Chee dish a few years back at a Thai restaurant and fell in love with it. You can find it at most Tai restaurants however; Thai Time did not have it on the menu. They had Choo Chee dishes, and they had duck–three different prepared styles actually–but not them combined. Which leads me to exemplify how great this place is; they created it from scratch, and it was fantastic! I’m always overly impressed when restaurants can get off the beaten path to accommodate.

A great addition to the Highland Street area and to Worcester’s growing list of great dining choices. A reasonably priced menu, excellent service and fantastic food, Thai Time is a winner. Highly recommended!