Senyai

Senyai looks like an upmarket Bangkok alleyway restaurant. There are Thai knick-knacks hanging around like Christmas-party mistletoe and the walls are speckled by kitsch pictures of pop stars and the Thai king. Chef Nu may have chiselled his chops working at Bathers Pavilion and Cafe Sydney, but there isn’t much western influence here. Get the duck or beef soups with thin, rich broths and eggy noodles or a sweet and beefy massaman curry packed with cardamom. Also try the papaya salad with Sydney’s crispest serving of soft-shell crab. If you like it hot, inform the staff; the policy here is to keep it tame for non-Thais.