Isaan Thai Cafe

Isaan Thai Cafe is a joyous discovery. It’s a tiny little restaurant with only a few tables but the food is big and bold with super-fresh ingredients making the dishes really stand out.

This is a long way from Michelin finesse, situated slap bang on the A6, but the down-to-earth street food dishes and friendly welcome more than make up for the lack of frills and furbelows.

It’s a real taste of Bangkok not one filtered through Western taste buds. The crisp, straight-out-of-the-fryer sweetcorn cakes are a revelation and the rich umami flavours of the phad see ew with its thick noodles and yielding beef are spot on.

A word of warning; the crispy pork belly with chilli and holy basil is hot but the restaurant itself is a little on the cold side. Be prepared for a cool Thai dining experience in more ways than one.