Thai Vien

Like all of Paris' idiosyncratic quartiers, the area around Avenue de Choisy in the 13th arrondissement offers one the chance to indulge their curiosities. It is defined very much by its Asiatique identity and with that comes an enormous variety of cuisine. Readers may recall my early visit to Pho Bhan Cuon 14 and the Boeuf Special in the same area.

With few tourists venturing south of Place d'Italie, the streets couldn't seem further removed from the camera-wielding masses of Notre Damme or the now pseudo-bohemian chaos of Monmartre. Here, people from such places as China, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan interact in a patchwork of diversity. It is one of the many wonderful things about a metropolitan city.

Rather than gambling on instinct, I was lucky enough to receive a recommendation from two friends of a friend - one a Cambodian and the other from Vietnam. The latter insisting that it was the choice of all her family whenever they went out.

It remains a constant source of frustration and simultaneous sense of delight that these places are the least suspecting looking venues on a street of hundreds of restaurants. Visually, Thai Vien is very basic and seats no more than 30 guests - there are the customary paintings of elephants wearing crowns in fantasy landscapes and the table cloths are made from paper.

It is perhaps why when you are then given such wonderfully satisfying food so quickly for next to nothing that you are both staggered and so quickly enamoured by the understated nature of the place. Add to that the friendliest and most charming service I am yet to receive in Paris and there is little wonder why I would be forgiven for giving it a regular place on my culinary calendar.

I'd been advised to order the trademark Phad Thai. It didn't take long for me to realise why. Sticky noodles, chopped peanuts, beansprouts, king prawns, tofu (shhh) and spring onions formed a delightful medley of flavours - a lovely balance of sweet and savoury - triumphant in its deliverance of umami.

Together with that my friend and I shared a red duck curry which was full of chilli, lemongrass and coconut milk. Everything was seasoned so accurately. Needless to say, I didn't talk very much and only drew resentful tuts from my friend who felt I was taking more than my share of the Phad Thai.

We shared a bowl of rice and washed it down with a couple of bottles of Singah beer and with service handed over less than 15€ each. It is marvellous value and an ever-present, quickly-changing Thai and Vietnamese clientele serve only to confirm what you realise yourself: that on an avenue of choice, this is the place to be.