Rosa's Thai Angel, Islington

You're on Theberton Street in Angel, a quiet residential stretch that's punching well above its weight for food right now. Walk in and you'll immediately clock that Rosa's isn't trying to be fancy — it's just competent, unfussy Thai done properly. The menu reads like a greatest hits of what actually matters: pad thai that doesn't taste like sweet ketchup, green curry that has proper heat, and som tam that'll make your eyes water in the best way. Prices sit comfortably in the mid-range (mains around £10-14), so you're getting proper flavour without the Angel markup. It's the kind of place locals actually return to repeatedly, not just tourists ticking boxes.