Topsu

It's been a couple of years since I last stepped in this place.

The atmosphere was a bit lacklustre and the decor tired. It just felt worn out, like it needs a total refit. I shudder to think what the kitchen equipment is like.

As someone else said, the menu doesn't seem to have changed for years.

The "music" was terrible (if you've ever heard youths drive by with a huge subwoofer in the boot, with throbbing bass, then you have some idea what it was like to spend an hour in Amarillo).

The food (we both had Rockerfeller Ribs) was certainly edible, but I couldn't praise it more than that. They no longer give foil-wrapped clean-up tissues with the ribs dish.

With so many other options in the Grain Village, this was probably my last trip to Amarillo.

It's certainly not gourmet, but compared to similar restaurants, it is excellent! The booths are very cosy to eat in and the food is good 95% of the time. Only grumble would be one slimy waiter, who tells porkie-pies, but if he's working we just go eat somewhere else.

We actually hadn't planned to visit Base Camp, we ended up there by accident. It turned out to be one of life's pleasant accidents.
We had first chosen Memphis, just across the road. We went in, was told to choose our own table, then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. After 10-15 minutes, nobody had even managed to take a drinks order. When that happens, it's a fair signal that it's going to be a dissappointing experience, so we left...

...and wandered across the road.

At first we thought Base Camp was closed, the windows seemed dark. Once we finally managed to find the door, we went in, and were immediately greeted by a polite waiter who showed us to our table. 5 minutes later, drinks and poppodoms had arrived and we made our food order.

The food was fresh-tasting and the portions adequate.Main dishes come together with a small pot of dal soup. Rice and nan bread is included with the main courses. Toilets were very clean (always a good indication of what the kitchen might look like!).

Very good food. But what sticks in my mind the most, is the contrast in service level between Memphis and Base Camp. Maybe the Memphis manager should take his waitresses across the road for some staff training. Good customer service and giving the customer a pleasant eating experience takes more than simply asking, "Maistuuko?" before clearing the empty plates away!

Well done Base Camp!

For a restaurant in this price bracket, I found it quite shocking to be offered a small piece of bread from a small bread basket, and then for the waitress to immediately walk away, complete with bread basket, we never saw it again. :-/
When we ordered our drinks, we also asked for water, expecting the usual jug of water to be delivered to the table, as is the norm in other restaurants. The waitress did turn up with a glass jug of water, filled our glasses, and then walked off, taking the water jug with her. We were only a couple, sitting at a table for four, so there was plenty of space! Surely water isn't on ration? This was especially comical, as we were sitting at the top of a water tower!
Starters were good, freshly prepared and well presented. My main course was lamb cutlets, and they were terrible. What is normally a succulent "eye" of tasty meat at the end of a bone turned out to be tough and chewy, full of gristle. It was so bad that I had to remove many pieces from my mouth, naturally using my napkin to mask this unpleasant necessity. :)

My wife had refused to visit this place for a long time, following a dreadful experience some years earlier. I can safely say that we won't be returning in a hurry. Not whilst Figaro is still open. Actually, maybe even MacDonalds would have to close before we would choose VesiLinna again :)

Food wasn't anything to shout about, expensive for what it was. But the worst thing was to see kids with dirty hands, happily dipping them into the contents of the salad bar. Quite disgusting. More like a päiväkoti than a restaurant.

Finally got to try this place. It's fairly cosy and the prices are keen. Food is the usual "meat floating in a watery sauce" that passes for Chinese cuisine in Finland. That's not to say it's bad, it's not. It would just be nice to see a bit more flair from the chef. Maybe some crispy deep-fried options, some duck pancakes, some five-spiced ribs, crispy seaweed, sesame prawn toast, maybe even blackbean sauces? There's a huge variety of dishes on offer in Chinese restaurants throughout Europe, I just don't know why they don't appear on the menus here :(
In summary, recommended restaurant, but oyu might get bored with the menu quite quickly.

Excellent value, you cannot go wrong herre. The food is very tasty, and I mean "very"! Portions are not huge, but that helps us keep slim! Food arrives on a metal tray with multiple pockets in it, the sort of thing you might expect in a prison. However the food is excellent!

After standing waiting for 15 minutes in the vain hope that the waiting staff would notice us, and escort us to one of the free tables, we finally gave up and went somewhere else. I hear the food is great, but the staff need some training.

Food and value ratings given as "Good and Fair" so they don't affect the scores too much.

Good food, polite staff. Menu seems to cover all the dished you would expect from a Thai restaurant, and many of them are plenty spicy enough! Only complaint would be that the chairs and tables don't match. If you have two adult males sitting side by side at a table for four, they both need to sit with a table leg between their thighs. Something isn't right, try it and see for yourself :)

Often overlooked, but worth a visit.