Kinn Thai

Kinn Thai is doing a roaring trade on a chilly Sunday night - it's a vast open room with banquettes lining one long wall and ranks of tables filling the rest of the floor, packed with people sitting down to an easy weekend dinner. And yes, we're among them, organising a catch-up with an old friend who has just returned from overseas. In fact, scanning the crowded tables, we really hope he's managed to duck into the restaurant ahead of us, because it's very full.

The waitress asks if we want a table for two just as our friend messages us to say that he has a table. "I'm in the VIP area," he says, jokingly. And indeed he is in a sort of stylised caged-off area at the back of the restaurant, good for semi private dining or maybe wrangling children.

Kinn isn't an original - it's the Canberra chapter of a series of Kinn Thai restaurants that are already established in Sydney and Brisbane with more to come in Melbourne. The floor is busy - lots of waiters, plenty of attention - and the menu is pretty pared down, with plenty of pictures. Service is friendly and easy-going.

A tray of betel leaf appetisers ($4 each) is a good start, each leaf topped with a juicy prawn, coriander, slivers of chilli and a scattering of toasted, shredded coconut. They're fresh little mouthfuls with that inimitable peppery, herby betel leaf flavour wrapped around the prawn and a jazzy dab of sauce.

"Golden tofu" ($6) is a tumble of little deep fried tofu cubes with dipping sauce. The tofu is soft inside and crisp outside but the sauce is a very ordinary sweet one and it could do with a kick of chilli or herbs.

The massaman lamb shank ($19.50) is served, rather unusually, with a scoop of mashed potato and a rolled-up roti canai perched in the middle of the creamy curry. The meat is meltingly good off the bone, though, and there is a rush for it among the three of us. While the presentation isn't orthodox, the curry is - creamy, and slightly sweet, with lamb that you can eat with a spoon. The mashed potato is a little bland but there's plenty of curry sauce to soak it up.

Chilli-jam soft-shell crab ($23.50) is a towering pile of deep-fried crab, all golden brown ridges and crust, drizzled in what looks like coconut milk and surrounded by more creamy curry. Despite the name, the chilli jam doesn't come through.

A plate of stir-fried Asian vegetables ($16) adds crunch and greenery to the meal and a coconut and chicken salad ($21) is light, gentle and tangy - coriander, coconut milk and sweet red onions scattered over the translucent poached prawn and chicken.

The wine list is compact and there is a cocktail page that speaks of the beach and breezy resorts, though a mason jar glass of sweet Thai iced tea or strong coffee is the most traditional complement.

By this time the little table is crowded with cutlery, drinks, bowls of rice and serving plates. There's just not enough space for more than three dishes, which would be awkward if you were a party of four.

Still, it's all very pleasant, big dishes that are easy to dig into while trading tales, and Kinn is another competent, if fairly traditional, new addition to the central business district.