Little Clove Kitchen

Located in a parade of shops in Liverpool's Aigburth suburb, this Thai café lacks nothing in local support – even midweek evenings are reliably rammed. With a Buddhist fantasy mural on one wall, and staff who are full of smiles and advice, it's a winning formula. Nor does the menu stick rigidly to tried-and-tested Thai classics. Vigorously seasoned dishes built from many ingredients keep the taste buds tingling, with stir-fries of cashews, sweet orange, shallots and chilli jam adding lustre to grilled prawns or fatty pork belly in stinky shrimp paste with asparagus, chillies, garlic and dill. The approach to chilli, often hot as Hades in Thai cooking, is at the subtler end of the spectrum here, but dishes are nonetheless impeccably balanced. A side of stir-fried greens with edamame and chunks of garlic nicely boosts the plain jasmine rice. A short drinks list includes a lime-fragrant off-dry Rhine Riesling, the perfect complement if Singha or Chang beers aren't your thing....