Thirst

Jeff Piper has brought a very personal vision to Canberra, and in doing so has lit up the local Thai food scene with originality and more than a little fire. Piper ran the mod-Oz Anise, before throwing out the tablecloths and the formality and indulging his passion for Thai street food. The menu is built around chilli, coriander, garlic, his red curry paste, and fish sauce. A dish as simple as corn cakes comes alive with a little spice treatment; ditto a house-made sausage with galangal and coriander. Softshell crab salad comes as two chunks of crab atop mango, piles of fresh coriander, chilli, shredded green papaya and red onion. It's not exactly subtle, but it is definitely delicious. Red curry of chicken and banana is intense, dark and oily, with slices of bamboo, sweet rounds of banana and chicken. For dessert, spiced coconut cake is irresistible, warm and pudding-like with sticky syrup and fresh coconut on top.