Competition makes Gouger Street a notoriously difficult place in which to stand out – but Nu Thai manages to do just that.

Chef Thomas Ng has built quite a reputation, with his Asian-fusion menu incorporating South Australia’s best ingredients into dishes of robust and clean flavours.

In a small but bustling café-style setting next to the favourite late-night haunt East Taste Cafe, Nu Thai is turning away patrons on the mid-week night on which I visit, and this is a common occurrence.

The hardwood floor and low ceilings can make acoustics difficult when the restaurant is full – conversations do get louder.

Manager Wilson runs a tight ship: service is sharp, unobtrusive and, for a Gougar Street restaurant, plentiful.

Nu Thai also offers an extensive and impressive wine list covering all bases with a heavy emphasis on South Australian wineries. There is even a selection of more than six sparkling wines.

A blackboard contains various food specials, although they haven’t changed dramatically for a while.

The stars of the show at Nu Thai are definitely the starters.

Pan-fried chive dumplings are silky and salty and work well with beer. Nu duck rolls, containing delicious slivers of duck meat and, served with a smoky soy dipping sauce, are a rich man’s spring roll.

The Thai dumplings of minced prawn and chicken in a green curry sauce are nearly as good as the Star of Siam’s signature sea stars.

The golden cups, a kind of Asian-style taco of minced chicken, baby corn and coriander, are a real highlight (although difficult to eat).

The main courses are a mixed bunch in both price and variety, but there is the traditionally pleasing selection of meat or seafood, stir-fried with vegetables and fresh herbs with the familiar sweet, spicy or sour sauce.

There are also some classic curry dishes such as a massaman beef and potato curry, which, true to form, is spicy but with a sweet, creamy finish.

The whole baby South Australian barramundi is true to tradition and lightly fried – it’s difficult to separate from the bone, but the flesh is sweet and has just the right amount of tamarind, shallot and chilli.

The menu features one outstanding, although far from Thai, dish: a roulade (yes, roulade) of roast duck in minced prawn which is finished with a coffee dressing – perhaps a play on the more traditional tea-smoked duck. It is a delicious combination of rich meat with moisture from the prawn, sweet coffee sauce and the crunch of sesame.

Dessert is available but rarely ordered, as is the way with Asian restaurants.

The food at Nu Thai is not essentially Thai – more a modern Australian take on Asian food. While the traditional elements are there, they have been nuanced with care and a touch of flair to take dishes that are potentially monotonous to another level.

Nu Thai is not your standard cheap Chinatown meal. It is food is worthy of the awards that decorate its walls, and the crowds it turns away are testament to its standing.

3.5 out of 5

Nu Thai

117 Gouger St, Adelaide

(08) 8410 2288

Cuisine: Modern Asian