Thai chefs prepare Thai and Vietnamese specialities in this Melville mainstay. And the waiting staff is brilliant. They have to be, as they're expected to add finishing touches to some dishes at the table, getting the four-flavour balance right: a bit of soy or fish sauce (salty), palm sugar (sweet), lime juice or tamarind (sour) and chilli, garlic and ginger (spicy).

Vietnamese food is generally more flavourful and less hot than Thai food, but both are delicious, served in this elegant eatery. One of the best dishes is meang khum, a Vietnamese do-it-yourself starter of spinach leaves filled with raw vegetables and dipped into palm sugar.

There are curries and phad Thai entries of all sorts, the very hot, very Thai angry duck, quite a lot of choices for vegetarians, and wonderful desserts. Soi was a People's Choice winner on the Eat Out magazine's website.

Starters cost from R22 (for meang khum) to R29 and soups from R21 to R32; main dishes begin at R42 (for some curries, phad Thai and beef in oyster sauce) up to R75 for a range of prawn dishes, including prawns in tamarind sauce. The angry duck is R63. Desserts are in the early R20s.

Corner Seventh Street and Third Avenue, Melville
Telephone: 011 726 5775
Hours: Open seven days a week. Lunch 12-2.15pm; dinner 6-10pm