Owned by a fancy Thai restaurant, Naj, The Local (32-32/1 Sukhumvit Soi 23, 02-664-0665) lifts its menu from Mae Krua Hua Pa, Thailand’s first ever cookbook. The focus is on dishes like pla pak num (seafood in red curry paste), gang run juan (spicy soup with beef) and tod mun bai leb krut gung (spicy shrimp cake Southern style). The dining area is lavishly decorated with Southern shadow puppets, traditional fish coops and basketwork.