The harbour at Ramsgate boasts a flotilla of small boats washed and tickled by the waters of the North Sea. The ferries don't come quite so frequently now to Ramsgate and it shows in the huddle of streets around the harbour, where amusement parks and casinos shout out from the pock-mark of greasy spoons hustling for dying business.

The sweep of proud Georgian terraces overlooking the harbour are threatened by the imminent arrival of blocks of flats and there is an air of fatalism in the eyes of the residents who look enviously over their shoulder at the upward lurch of near neighbours Margate and, further afar, Whitstable. A simple stone's throw from the harbour is a street of restaurants still alive, lively and ambitious. Nearer the harbour than most on the street is Surin, a Thai restaurant with Laotian and Cambodian specialities. Surin is bedecked with awards, recommendations and supportive reviews from Time Out and the Observer, among many others and it was this that drew me inside.

There's a confidence that creeps over you whenever you are confronted with greatness and, by holy goodness, Surin is superb. A simple lunch menu (£5.95) boasted a trio of potential starters and a good half dozen main courses. I had spring rolls - hot and as fresh as hell - and a main of pork, basil and chilli with a mountain of rice. Everything felt crispy and fresh, peppers and onions galore and utterly adorable. Service friendly and polite without being cloying, Surin is worth every piece of acclaim it attracts. Top. M