Tang Jai Yuu

"Teochew cuisine is much like Cantonese but it has a reputation for being considered 'peasant' food," says McDang. "More family style, wholesome food ... we in Thailand are more exposed than most countries because there so many Teochew families here.”

Tang Jai Yuu's Teochew cuisine hits that wholesome mark. Every night of the week the place is packed full with Thai-Chinese families and the after-work crowd.

Tables for two are in short supply. Large groups sit around circular tables crammed full with Teochew-inspired dishes like baked goose's feet in hot clay pots, barbecued suckling pig, goat skin with ham jelly, oysters, mantis prawns and a wide range of imported fresh fish. There are also a few Thai dishes like tom yum soup and the usual fried rice options.

Tang Jai Yuu looks small from the outside, but it actually features two large dining rooms, heavy on the Chinese decor but far from fancy. A TV hangs in one corner blasting the evening soap operas, giving the big-haired grannies a distraction after dinner as the men sip their Johnny Walker Black Label and soda and chat.