The essence of Thai cuisine is its many nuances, from sweet, sour, spicy and salty to texture. Ingredients such as garlic, Thai basil, lemongrass, ginger, lime juice, tamarind, and, best of all, coriander, add delightful freshness and contribute to the wonderful flavours that characterise Thai cuisine. Chillies, palm sugar, prawn paste, fish sauce and coconut then help build the many taste layers - variations in the style of the north and the south, subtle. THE AMBIENCE Diners arrive through a covered garden entrance, past a raised wooden rotunda to the left and a small water feature beyond which there is outdoor seating, particularly enjoyable on warm spring and summer evenings. Two huge wooden elephants flank the front doorway and inside there is a bar to the right and a service desk to the left. Inside, as out, there is seating for 80, wooden carvings, figurines, artefacts and pictures of the respected Thai royal family; a large glass display cabinet packed with artefacts and golden reindeer - divides the room. There are octagonal windows, loads of silk flowers, elephant candleholders, red and gold painted walls and a royal purple ceiling along with a high atrium sporting a Thai flag and hanging silks.