In a neighborhood desperately devoid of decent restaurants, T.S. cuisine is a convenient (it couldn’t be any closer to BTS Ratchatewi without being on the platform) and tasty lifesaver. Its Thai name, Krua Thaksin, means Southern kitchen, as you might have guessed from the baskets on each table, overflowing with no fewer than eight different vegetables. These greens are clean, crisp and fresh—just like the rest of the food, here. One Southern favorite, the sataw beans fried with chili paste and pork, comes with a more Bangkokian presentation (less paste), but both beans and paste are full of pungent flavors nonetheless. Another distinctive dish is the pak koot pat kapi, with its strong herbal and salty (the kapi) kick. These dishes come recommended but not all the restaurant’s specialties are as good. The T.S Kung, despite being plump, perfectly cooked and seasoned with a generous portion of pepper, would be better off without the coating of greasy butter (wash it off in the seafood sauce). The accompanying diced vegetables in mayonnaise are best left untouched. T.S. also does well with dishes that are a long way from the South. From liang leaves fried with eggs to pork ribs stewed with bamboo skins, mushrooms and Chinese herbs—this Thaksin kitchen is surprisingly versatile and competent outside out of its home turf. Service is impeccable—patient, with thorough knowledge of the menu and fast—but the décor is rather depressing: yellow walls, plastic chairs, fake vegetation climbing up the pillars and a TV tuned to Channel 7’s soaps. T.S. Cuisine isn’t one for fireworks, but we guarantee its consistently good food and expert servers will slowly grow on you. No corkage charge.