Open since 1988 and still a contender for the title of best Thai in town, Chao Phraya has a panache that sets it a few notches above most of its rivals, which means that every table is filled on the weekends. Named for a river in Thailand, Chao Phraya brightens its corner of the increasingly fashionable Laurier Avenue with white table linens and sprays of orchids on each table. The host provides suggestions about the menu's most popular items: dumplings in peanut sauce as an appetizer, and a mixed seafood dish composed of squid, scallops, shrimp, crab claws, mussels, or red snapper as a main course. The food is tangy; menu items are given one to three hot-pepper symbols grading hotness (two peppers are about right for most people). A cooling cucumber salad helps, and you'll want a side of sticky rice, too. There is a good selection of vegetarian options, as well. Everything comes in attractive bowls and platters, and the atmosphere is warm and cozy. All 12 pages of the menu are posted online.
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