Years ago, when you ate at the original Sonie’s on Soi Sawasdee, you felt like you were part of a special club. The cramped, two-story shophouse was always packed with happy diners, whose faces you learned to recognize, and often there would be a queue outside on the sidewalk for tables. From just about every table in the joint, you could see “Sonie” himself cooking behind the counter, with barely more than a grill and a toaster oven. You didn’t mind enduring long waits for your food, because after all one man (with a couple of helpers) can only do so much, and his unique and trendsetting fusion dishes were like nothing else in town. The food wasn’t always perfect, but it was all freshly made, fun and cheap—more “yummy” than “oishii.” And the menu was varied enough to appeal to families and ideal for first dates, because it gave nervous couples plenty to talk about. With the inevitable move to bigger digs on Sukhumvit 39 and the addition of a second branch in Playground, it’s much easier to get a table these days. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the prices are higher while the quality of food isn’t always to the same standards set by the original. If you’re unfamiliar with Sonie’s, the first thing you should know is: While there is sushi on the menu and the owner is Japanese, Sonie’s is not a Japanese restaurant. In fact, you’re better off avoiding the traditional Japanese items and sticking to the fusion fare. On a recent visit, for example, we knew from previous experience to skip the sashimi, but we were foolish enough to try the mixed tempura, which was heavy and soggy with oil that had obviously not been heated to the proper temperature. In general you can’t go wrong with one of the signature rolls, but also disappointing was a spider roll (soft-shell crab) that was too dried-out to have been made to order. Fortunately, an old favorite, the Oh My God! (spicy tuna) roll was up to standard, and of course no visit to Sonie’s is complete without a plate of the somewhat overrated sushi pizza, a guilty pleasure packed with fat from bits of tempura batter and the mayonnaise binding it to the rice and seaweed “crust.” Sonie’s has made a mint off this dish, which has always tasted like kid food to us, but then we were in a childish mood, being in Playground and all. If you’re hungry for meat, Sonie’s does a respectable beef stew as well as pork chop in bacon and mustard cream sauce. But by far the highlights of this meal were the pastas, as they always are at (the new) Sonie’s. Both the black ink and squid pasta and the “tarako” spaghetti (with salted cod fish roe and lime butter) were perfect in terms of both taste and texture. Thankfully, some things never change.