Next time you take a day trip out to sleepy, arty Ratchaburi, find your way to Mali Cafe & Cuisine (www.fb.com/malicafeandcuisine).

Amid arched windows, neutral-pastel tones and Thai motifs, the shelves are stocked with packaged sweet things while the all-day menu boasts an array of Thai and fusion dishes.

Favorites include the colorful khanom jeen (fermented rice noodles, B130) made from seven different herbs and served with green curry, and the dark brown kai pa lo (a five-spice, palm sugar, egg and tofu soup, B89).

On the fusion end, the fermented Thai sausage spaghetti with crispy tuna (B120) packs an umami punch. You can’t go wrong with the dessert of lot chong (pandan-colored, rice-flour droplets in coconut milk, B55) topped with flower-shaped purple sweet potato and coconut ice-cream. 

Ratchaburi is about two hours' drive west of Bangkok, and is known for its burgeoning art scene and natural attractions. 

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