Latest attempt to revive doomed premises brings Thai food to Canton

There are several levels of bravery. At base level: taking the number 18 all the way to Ely, and eating a full meal at the Noble House Chinese. Above that comes lion taming, Arctic expeditions, and watching the entire run of I'm a Celebrity. And at the top, opening a new restaurant in Cowbridge Road. 207 Cowbridge Road in particular. In recent months at least 3 attempts have been made to run a restaurant here, two of them by the same valiant (or perhaps lunatic) owner. Which surely means the owners of the Bangkok Cafe were at the front of the balls queue on the day of creation.

The good news is that this time there's some experience behind the outfit. The owner's father-in-law is something of a Cardiff institution thanks to his Thai Island emporium. You may like the place, in which case I apologise now, but I've always found myself drowning in the formality of it, and always parting with slightly more cash than I'd planned. It clearly makes money though, and for that we must offer respect to the great man.

Bangkok Cafe is clearly designed as the antidote to all that oriental pageantry down the road. They've done a cracking job of the design for a start, with cute diner-style booths down one side, a very natty colour scheme and even a sexy logo. Although whether they should have gone as far as buying plates which look like they are trying to create some kind of optical illusion is something you can discuss during any dull moments of the evening though. But each to his own.

Not that you should bargain on too much downtime. The food is kept simple, fresh and colourful, everything that Thai food should be in fact. Try the Tord Mun for starters, crab and cod patties with a great lemon kick. And the duck red curry is similarly punchy and cleanly presented. Not one to spill on your shirt though. Incidentally, if you're over the age of about seven, do take your reading specs to help with the microscopic print on the menu.

One word of warning: the (otherwise utterly charming) waitresses do have a habit of pouring your beer all the time and then inviting you to order more. Then again, if I owned the cursed restaurant at no.207 I'd be doing everything to bring the cash in too.