SIGNATURE DISHES

Assorted Thai appetisers Chicken satay in peanut sauce Papaya salad, sticky rice and jerk pork King river prawns with mango sauce

SETTING: Set in a renovated century-old house filled with Thai ceramics, collectibles and art, Naj is a charming place to entertain.

FOOD: Naj's menu, with spicing tempered for foreign tastes, is a good introduction to Thai cuisine. Two can tuck into the generous Naj appetiser set: tung tong, crispy mee krob and khao tang na tang, slightly piquant kratheung tang, and grilled chicken and beef satay with peanut sauce. Som tam set is a sweet, not spicy, papaya salad with fragrant grilled chicken and sticky rice. Pomelo salad and stir-fried crispy broccoli with scallops and black mushrooms in oyster sauce are popular dishes. Poo nam pad prik tai dam, soft-shell crab with black pepper, offers big chunks of crab tossed with whole peppercorns, yellow and green peppers, scallions and onions and is a must-try, as is goong chuchee, several generous-size slightly underdone blue river prawns in pepper and lemongrass. Hearty appetites can top off with the classic massamun curry.

WINE: A good list of over 50 wines stored in a converted WWII bomb shelter.

SERVICE: Bilingual staff is friendly, attentive and happy to make recommendations.

PRICE: Two can have a meal for about 2,000 baht, minus wine.