Absorn Thai Bistro

If Jay Fai's line has beaten you or Thipsamai is shut, walk on to Mahachai Road and eat here instead. This is straightforward Old City Thai cooking, done with care and priced like a neighborhood place rather than a landmark, with pad krapow going for as little as 59 baht.

The dishes people come back for are the green curry fried rice, the crab omelet, the cashew stir fry with prawns, deep fried shrimp and the spring rolls. Order the coconut ice cream if you can still manage it. Staff have a habit of flagging when something is properly spicy before it lands, which I appreciate more than I can say, and complimentary banana chips, small side dishes and hot water tend to turn up without being asked for. The room is calm rather than showy, and the service is the warm, attentive kind.

Kitchen runs 09:30 to 23:30 every day, so it covers a late breakfast, a proper dinner, or a plate of something after a long afternoon around the temples.