Those of the opinion traditions shouldn’t be messed have long loved SalaThai, a Vancouver institution where you won’t find newfangled fusion cocktails like a Phil Khallins or Spicy Siam. Owners Joy and Sam Kongsilp were among the first to bring the classic dishes from the Land of Smiles to Lotusland, the couple opening the first 65-seat incarnation of their restaurant on Cambie in the mid ’80s. Ask your folks about the first time they had authentic pad Thai and tom yum soup, and—assuming they weren’t backpacking in Asia during the hair-metal and/or grunge years—chances are good it was at SalaThai. A move from Cambie to a Burrard space nearly three times the size of the original restaurant has meant the days of waiting in line for a table are over. What’s remained the same is a commitment to presenting dishes like Yum Nua (marinated-beef salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and cilantro) and Gaeng Dang (chicken, beef, or pork in red curry with bamboo shoots and basil) in a way that the Thai royal family would appreciate.