Thairoom College Downtown

Green curry

Rich coconut-milk base with a fragrant, herbaceous backbone — the benchmark dish to order when assessing any Thai kitchen

Pad Thai

The baseline test for any Thai spot — expect a properly tamarind-sour, not ketchup-sweet, version with good wok char

Tom Kha soup

Galangal and lemongrass-forward coconut broth — a good measure of whether the kitchen respects the aromatic foundation

Papaya salad

Sharp, funky, and fiery — the kind of som tam that clears the palate and sets the tone for the meal

Mango sticky rice

Classic Thai dessert — sweetened glutinous rice with fresh mango and coconut cream, worth finishing on if it's in season