Is it wrong to base an opinion of a place on the attractiveness of the waitresses? I hope not, because The Basin in Loughborough has (or at least did have) some truly gorgeous staff under its employ and has probably gained a star because of it. Does this make me a creep? Probably. Would I go again for this reason? Most likely. It has however been considerable time since I last visited (there's a theme with these reviews....) and staff have most likely changed, which is more than can be said about my underwear. To tell you the truth I'm not even sure if The Basin still exists. I can't remember a lot about it which does kind of mark this whole exercise down as one of futility so I'll keep it brief.
The first time I went it was amazing, the last time not so; skin on the pork katsu curry and sweet pork dough balls so hot and so microwaved they were almost inedible. Dry, tasteless and processed, the quality of the food declined so rapidly I haven't been back since. Was the restaurant merely having a bad day, as we're all prone to? I don't know, but to tell the truth the standards started slipping long before then. With each visit it became more and more obvious that it was the microwave and not the hob that was the 'go to guy' and perhaps as a result the restaurant gradually started to empty of its clientele. It's a massive shame since the idea of The Basin was wonderful, an attempt to fuse the vibrant mixtures of Chinese, Japanese and Thai food, which meant everything from Thai Green Curry to Sashimi; Dim Sum to Udon.
I have no explanation as to why the quality of The Basin had, in my experience, declined so rapidly, nor do I attempt to provide one. All I can say is that I hope this was a one off because the first few times I went I was impressed; the food, the service and the decor were all excellent. As has been said however this was a long time ago (pushing 3 years?) and it may have changed considerably, and it may be that this is now the best restaurant in Loughborough. I simply don't know if it has or hasn't; if it is or isn't. Which only serves to highlight how absolutely fruitless and futile this review has actually been.
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