With its minimalist white walls, curvy-mid-century pale-wood chairs, and indigo bar and floors, this hopping Commercial Drive newcomer doesn't look like your average Thai joint. But the tautly edited menu crafted by young executive chef and Bangkok native Tang Phoonchai is as authentic as it is fresh. And best of all, it's served with local craft beers—Brassneck, 33 Acres, Four Winds, Powell Street, Strange Fellows, and more. (If you simply must have a Singha to relive that Chiang Mai night-market experience, it's here too.) Think street food or home-style cooking served up beautifully, but unpretentiously, on handmade ceramics.

The rotating menu might include melt-in-your-mouth red-curry duck, lemongrass-spiked steak salad, tasty minced-chicken kra pao, or tangy deep-fried sour-cured pork ribs. Also look here for one-plate lunches and a surprising assortment of soups and other specialties for Sunday brunch. But, really, the draw is the room—laid-back, minimalist Vancouver overlaid with all those Thai scents and tastes.