Khua Kling Pak Sod (Thonglor)

Khua Kling Pak Sod is a family-run southern Thai restaurant whose recipes come from the founders' grandmother, who grew up in Tha Sae district in Chumphon. The cooking is led by their mother and aunt, and the menu sticks to the home dishes the family grew up eating.

The name says it all: khua kling, a dry-fried minced meat curry heavy with southern chilli paste, served with plates of fresh raw vegetables to cool the burn. The Thonglor branch sits on a small soi off Sukhumvit 53 and has been featured in earlier editions of the Michelin Guide Thailand.

What to order

• Khua kling moo: dry-fried minced pork with southern curry paste and fresh herbs
• Gaeng luang yod maprao pla: sour turmeric curry with coconut shoots and fish
• Crab meat stir-fried with yellow curry powder: richer and milder than the curries
• Bai liang pad kai: liang leaves stir-fried with egg, a southern staple
• Goong pad kapi: prawns stir-fried with shrimp paste

Good to know

• Heat levels are high; ask for a milder version if you are not used to southern chilli.
• Book ahead through Chope at busy dinner times.
• The soi can be hard for taxi drivers to find, so share the map pin rather than the address.