Thai Thai at the Crazy Bear

The Crazy Bear's maverick attitude extends to its Thai restaurant: the building is a 16th-century country inn in Oxfordshire, but not as we know it. As for the décor, forget the usual pot-bellied buddhas, rattan, silk and teak: this Thai comes dressed up like a velvet-sheathed Bedouin boudoir with beaten brass and copper tables and a mirror-panelled ceiling. In balmy weather, the alfresco option is to bag a table in the garden and dine to the music of birdsong and running water. The food is an accessible mix of pukka Thai dishes and some western classics given a Thai twist. Expect steamed red snapper subjected to the perfumed arsenal of Thai flavours - kaffir lime leaves, garlic, coriander, chilli, galangal and lemongrass, or pot-roasted ox cheek with braised lettuce, shiitake mushrooms, spring onions and roasted garlic. See entry above for the English dining option at the Crazy Bear.