Having a meal at Tho Khao is like eating at a friend’s house: even though there are some misfires and you may have to head for more food at a khao tom stall afterwards...given the genial hospitality, you can’t complain much. Sitting on a bustling road, this two-story house is a bit out of place among the skyscrapers. Tho Khao won’t win any prize for its no-frills décor. With a TV set, fish tank, rack of magazines and grandpa clock, inside is as stylish as our living room, only with more tables. Tho Khao has a mix of Thai and farang customers, but it’s never that crowded. The dining room is always calm with soft 90s hits filling the air. Climb up the stairs and you’ll find an open-air rooftop overlooking the bustling streets. There’s also a low-rise table tucked in the backyard. Like the surroundings, the service is laidback yet effective. The staff doesn’t hover at a table, but they know what they are serving and always show up when you need them. A waiter even checks with us every time before he opens a new bottle of water. The extensive menu covers standard Thai food from A to Z, as you can expect from any Thai restaurant in town. There are some homey surprises that are good enough to keep you happy. The ever-popular tom yum goong (B180) is toned down a bit to suit foreign palettes but still hot enough for local tongues. The kitchen does a good job with beef: suea rong hai (grilled beef served with jaew sauce, B100) is tender and well-flavored with a zing of chili, black pepper and khao khua (ground roasted rice). Another winner is the yum nuea ma-kheua phraw (grilled beef and Thai eggplant salad, B140), with its nice blend of contrasting textures. However, other dishes we regret ordering, such as Tho Khao’s sweeter-than-sugar chuu chee (in red curry sauce) prawn meatballs (B150) and the recommended yet bland and boring tord mun set thee (deep-fried cakes made of fish, shrimp, crab meat and seaweed, B180). But our main complaint with Tho Khao is what you’re being asked to pay for relatively small portions. Starting from B100 for ordinary appetizers to B200-plus for seafood dishes, the prices are neither kind like the service nor humble like the setting.