Thai tacos? Butterfly pea flower dumplings? The new 140-seat Thai restaurant on the first level of the 1928-built heritage-listed Embassy Hotel on the corner of Elizabeth and Edward streets aims to move to the next level with quality produce and an inventive menu.

Starters include purple pea flower-coloured dumplings stuffed with sand crab, five-spice duck spring rolls and betel leaf parcels of smoked trout and salted coconut caramel sauce.

Then it’s on to salads, grilled king prawns, free-range chicken and Cape Grim beef to curries to stir-fries, noodle and rice dishes.

Service is personable and knowledgeable and the attractive, light-filled dining room is filled with imported Thai furniture and artwork.

House-made rice flour tacos, with their crisp shells stuffed with pulled pork, shredded coconut, cucumber, red onion and chilli are worth trying and the southern Thai yellow curry is filled with a vast quantity of sand crab, Angus beef cheeks are teamed with green curry sauce and traditional massaman is tweaked with lamb shanks and sweet potato.

The drinks repertoire is extensive, with a large number of cocktails, a hefty range of beer including the Bangkok-brewed Chao Siam Pale Ale and a wine list with more than 75 varietals with a white focus.

Exceptional dish: Rice flour tacos with pulled pork