Nightmarket

You'll smell the lemongrass and chilli before you even step through the door on this busy stretch of Ranelagh. The cramped tables and constant queue out the door tell you everything - this is proper Thai food that's worth the wait. The kitchen doesn't mess about with watered-down versions for Irish palates; the som tam arrives properly sour and spicy, the curries have that deep coconut richness you'd find in Bangkok, and the stir-fries come out searingly hot from the wok. The atmosphere is pure controlled chaos - servers weaving between tightly packed tables, the open kitchen sending out clouds of aromatic steam, and punters happily cramming in for what many reckon is the best Thai in south Dublin. It's not fancy, but it's exactly what Ranelagh needed.