The buzz: Owned by the familiar faces from Blue Velvet, Extra Virgin and Surface, Café Chili Zaap might remind you of Café Chili in Siam Paragon, but they promise this place will not make the same compromise on fiery flavors for the hi-so crowd.

The décor: With a grey palette, an illustrated monochrome wall and modern furniture, this Café Chilli is a far cry from the jungly vibe of the Paragon branch. It’s almost like they were going for a Greyhound look then threw in the textured walls, wicker lamps and rivets lining the furniture to remind us of their upcountry menu.

The food: A range of classics like gaeng lao hed tob (earth star mushroom in Northeastern soup, B150) and tam sua (papaya salad mixed with rice vermicelli and bean sprouts, B95) is complemented by some Isaan-style fusion like the soup noh mai (spicy bamboo shoot salad, B180) topped with grilled salmon or the recommended spaghetti with Isaan style sausage (B150).

The drinks: Herbal drinks like roselle juice (B75) and lemongrass juice (B75). But if you’re ready for booze in a mall, they also have classic cocktails (B140-B180). Beers are Heineken (B110) and Singha (95).

The crowd: It’s in a mall, so mostly Thai families and couples.