Asia Villa - Angel

You'll find Asia Villa tucked away on St John Street in Angel, where the neighbourhood's mix of young professionals and long-time locals spill out of pubs at weekends. This is the kind of place that doesn't need to shout about itself—the queue round the corner tells you everything. Walk in and you're hit with proper wok smoke and the smell of lemongrass and fish sauce, which honestly means they're doing something right. The menu reads like a love letter to Thailand, Vietnam and beyond, with dishes that taste like someone's actually cooked them rather than assembled them from a binder.