Wayla

Down a steep flight of stairs on Forsyth Street, Wayla opens into two narrow, dim dining rooms, a bar with an antique mirror and, out back, a patio full of rubber plants and wicker chairs. Chef Tom Naumsuwan — who came from Spicy Shallot in Elmhurst — and Erika Chou built the menu on the street vendors and night markets of Bangkok.

Moo sarong is the dish people talk about afterward: pork meatballs wrapped in fine noodles and fried until crisp. Sai oua, crab fried rice and a pounded som tum fill out the table, and the sweet-sour lobster noodles are the splurge. The menu has been refreshed since it opened, so ask what's new.