Having recently moved to Vancouver I was, from previous visits, already familiar with this city's more famous Thai restos: Montris, Salathai, Sawasadee. All of them good in their way and all of them with regrettable short-comings. Salad shrimp and ketchup in the Pad Thai at Montris, the vicious MSG rush from lunch at Sawasadee, the pasty, over-cooked rice and noodles of inferior quality from the once-great Salathai.

Situated on the unfortunate no-man's land between 12th and 16th on Cambie, Arroy-D Thai is a different kettle of fish. It offers the classic red, green and yellow curries, the traditional noodle and rice dishes but look to the details and you become aware of the difference between the food here and that of most other Thai eateries. The rice and noodles are cooked to perfection retaining a toothsome resistance when bitten, Pad Thai is made with tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar (the way it is traditionally made) and not ketchup, and when I ask about why the curries seem so fresh and vibrant I'm told that the kitchen grind their own herbs and spices to create the curry pastes. Nothing but coconut milk out of a can here.

For the quality on offer, the prices are ridiculously reasonable with mains priced on average between $9.00 and $11.00. Try their soups and you are invited to make immediate comparisons between their richly-extracted MSG-free Tom Yum and Tom Gha and anything else that you've experienced in Vancouver. What other Thai restaurant will offer you the wild desserts of Sweet poached warm Tapioca root with coconut milk, Black Sticky Rice, and the mysterious and intriguing appetizing salty-sweet warm Taro Root Custard? This is traditional Thai eating with Chefs care to be found in every bite.

Arroy-D will offer up surprises that you will be eager to re-visit.