Café Isan

The people who work here are rather fantastic and very passionate about what they do. It’s a small place in JLT, quite quaint, with room for about 50 diners (it delivers, too), and the cooking is done in front of you. It’s clearly a labour of love for the owners.

You can feel the care and excitement that they have for their venture, which is extremely refreshing. Isan is in North Eastern Thailand, and the food there is lighter than you’ll usually find in more typical Thai restaurants.

Curries and soups are clear, rather than coconut-based, and it is all a touch more spicy. Spring rolls have plenty of vegetables and come with a lovely chilli sauce, crispy beef has a great chew and is accompanied by an excellent spicy sauce, while juicy stir-fried prawns with green beans, red onion and garlic-soy sauce are excellent, as is the sticky rice.

Tastes are clean and fresh, and spicy in that way that only South East Asian cuisines manage – simultaneously as hot as the sun and yet as refreshing as a glass of young coconut water.

The prices are keen, the service superb, and the food delicious.