Thai Corner Café

TCC has everything one looks for in a local restaurant: it’s lively, cheap and cosy, and it serves fantastic food. Naturally, it’s always packed – not that hard, admittedly, with a space the size of an average living room. The menu abounds with fresh, lip-tingling chilli sensations, from the dipping sauces for the usual range of starters to the fragrant pad cha and more forgiving green curry. Even the chicken satay has an excitingly spicy aftertaste, though everything can be prepared with the chilli taken out (useful if you’re with kids). The desserts (oranges and coconuts filled with ice-cream) are bought in, but they’re not the reason anyone eats here. Bring your own booze, and some cash – they don’t take credit cards. Note: there are two sittings at dinner.