Supawan Thai, London:

Supawan, 38 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DT (020 7278 2888). Small plates £9 to £11.50, entrees £15.50 to £24.50, desserts £5.50 to £9.50, wines from £26.50 At first he was an actor, part of Anthony Quayle's original company in Stratford, the forerunner of the RSC. He also worked on the first-ever Hancock's Half Hour television series. He was a gifted artist who was exhibited in all the right places and he was blessed with the sharpest commercial brains. He was an elegant dresser. But boy, was he a lousy cook. The ingredients begged to be taken to safety as he approached. The vegetables would begin to pray audibly. I don't think it's a lack of capacity. He just wasn't interested. If he was left to feed us the kids, his default dish - I'm using the term loosely - was worsht and eggs: a bouncy, dry omelet pudding alongside slices of dull kosher beef salami and salty, dyed an ominous shade of red, which tinged everything it touched pink, including, I imagine, the small intestine. It was the taste of parental abandonment, at least as far as dinner time was concerned.

Chef Wichet Khongphoon of Supawan, King's Cross in London, was blessed differently. Because in the middle of his menu called "Southern Thai Food", is a dish called Dad's Beef Curry. I really wouldn't have traded my old man for anyone, but maybe I could be forgiven for fantasizing about a lighthearted little welcome by Khongphoon's father, if that meant I would have been treated occasionally with this long-braised meat stew in a thick coconut sauce the color of freshly processed London clay. He soothes and slaps playfully. There's heat, underlined by sharp slices of fresh red chili, but it's all tempered by sweet caramel tones. There is the depth and fragrance of roasted spices. It's all kinds of fabulous. I can see why the recipe, a loving reminder to the servant, made the cut. -type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-173mewl">

Supawan's interior is a bright, candy-colored space, its walls adorned with cheerful slabs of contemporary art. There's no ornate Thai wood carving decor here. They let the kitchen tell you where you are. From the outside, however, it's an unassuming place; the kind an innocent traveler might stumble into freshly got off the train, looking for something to eat, only to get mouth banged on the trip of a lifetime. It was recommended to me by a reader. They said it served Thai food which they didn't had never met before and that I might like him. With train strikes making travel out of London difficult, I decided to take the advice of my drive. My reader was wise. They often are.

We have a bowl of sweet and sticky cashews crusted with chilli and black pepper and served still warm, to choose from while we study the relatively short menu. Yes, it includes a familiar pad thai and green curry. Instead, order the things you h...