he name of this downtown Toronto mainstay is quite appropriate - The Queen Mother Café is certainly the ‘grande dame’ of the trendy Queen West neighborhood it has called home since 1978.

If it's traditional British fare you seek, er, you’ve come to the wrong place. A tantalizing menu of Lao-Thai and pan-Asian cuisine makes for many a licked-clean plate. Start your meal with steamed Edamame beans, served hot and fresh with a succulent chili soy dipping sauce. A little sprinkle of salt is all you need to complete the ensemble.

The unofficial house specialty (if you ask me, anyways) is the Ping Gai – boneless chicken marinated with garlic, coriander and black peppercorns. According to the menu, the chicken should be ‘grilled crispy’ but I am pleasantly surprised by what arrives – something beyond scientific or culinary explanation. The chicken is moist and juicy in the middle while its crispy skin has been bathed in a delicious medley of spices. A recipe this good, I'm convinced, must be a closely guarded secret. Combined with a spicy lime and coriander dipping sauce, salad and steamed rice, the result is a frenzy of flavors that, rather than fight for the spotlight, dance in unison on the tongue.

The Pad Thai is also wonderfully flavored, equal parts sweet and tangy, served with chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, scallions, egg and chopped peanuts. Many of the dishes are available with a little extra heat should you wish to turn it up a notch. The restaurant boasts a decent wine list as well and a glass display case reveals the specialty dessert to all.