Chonsiam

It feels like a secretive Thai club; half the menu’s not on the menu, and the mainly Thai clientele orders off the cuff. Most often the order is for $4.50 boat noodles: a sour, spicy soup turbo-flavoured with star anise, cinnamon and pig’s blood. Follow the club members and add sugar, chilli and vinegar to customise the soup to suit, and order pork crackling to go on top. More daring options include guay jub, pig intestine soup, and yen ta fo, an almost candy-like pink soup made with preserved beans. Slurp to the sound of Thai pop echoing off the aged purple walls.