We mentioned in the introduction that Thai food seems to have a bit of a disadvantage in getting on to this list. That’s not because we lack excellent Thai restaurants in this city (there are heaps!), but because the nature of the food — the ingredients it often requires and the communal portions it tends to be served in — means that it can be difficult to craft dishes properly and also serve them for a sub-$25 price without making a loss. Perhaps owing to its slightly out-of-the-way location, Thai Licious is a place where you can get superlative Thai beneath the monetary ceiling of this list. Much of the menu resembles the repertoire you’ll be familiar with from typical local Thai restaurants: instantly gratifying plates of noodles cooked on the wok; rich, herbal, coconutty curries and soups; deep-fried entrees which glow enticingly from the plate. But, as is becoming ever more common, there are also some dishes which are a little less ubiquitous. There’s yen ta fo — the funky, pink-tinged noodle soup; tender, savoury-sweet morsels of grilled pork called moo ping; and som tum which you can order as vividly spicy as you can handle. The desserts are very sweet, both to look at and to eat.