Ayatana

Given the number of chefs getting chichi with kimchi, faddy with pho and otherwise riffing on eastern cuisines, it is only logical that more traditional Asian restaurants make some hipster cross-cultural moves, too. Ayatana is a two-year-old Thai restaurant in hungry Windsor, next door to Mr Miyagi, a Japanese izakaya, and not far from mod-Viet Saigon Sally, both of which play fast, loose and tasty with venerable cuisines.

Ayatana’s culture mashes are relatively gentle and restrained. Fish cake brioche sliders are built around classic firm seafood patties stacked with sweet mayo, iceberg lettuce and vinegary peanut dressing. The bun squished to nothing as I went, but the dish was tasty to the last finger-licking morsel. Spicy pulled beef tacos were pretty good, although the tortillas themselves were nothing special, leading to a "why?" moment as I licked gravy off my wrist.

The massaman curry was outstanding. The sauce displayed head-of-a-pin balance and the lamb shank poking out of the liquid seemed both dramatic and generous. The spice flavours were beguiling, and the addition of toasty cashews and sweet potato brought textural variation. I love the way sweet potato transmits curry flavours, sopping them up then sending them on their way with a syrupy, starchy caress.

Also terrific was a mounded green salad with puffed brown rice, crunchy noodles, apple and garlicky tamarind dressing, making for exhilarating interplay of acid, spice, salt and sweetness. Less successful was a red curry duck: the soupy curry was fine, but the breast meat was tough and the skin flabby.

A dessert of black rice with candied coconut was rich and redeeming.

Ayatana’s petite dining room is smart and modern and the welcome is endearingly warm. The thoughtful wine list is attuned to the food, adding to the appeal for diners ready to call Thai-m on daggy suburban Thai and the excruciating puns that often go with it.

Rating: Three stars (out of five)