In an unassuming 20-seat restaurant in Etobicoke, a colleague and I recently discovered tasty bowls of tom yum soup and spicy basil fried rice.

The cooking was unbridled, with pronounced fragrance and flavors reminiscent of what you'd find in southern Thailand.

"There's a lot of chili in this," my colleague commented.

Thai red chili is an important ingredient for Nina Chaiwisescharoen and Rida Kongkaew, the owners of Khao Gaeng on Lake Shore Boulevard West who have known each other since childhood.

Watch what goes into these classic Thai dishes:

If you want to get a real sense of Khao Gaeng's dishes, go for something fiery, says Metro Morning food guide Suresh Doss. 1:19

"Growing up in Bangkok meant that you were constantly surrounded by amazing street food, and the spiciness is what you remember the most," Kongkaew told me.

When the two moved to Canada to get some international work experience, "quickly we realized we missed the food of back home," Chaiwisescharoen said.

The duo's restaurant is one of the gems tucked into Lakeshore West's strip malls, where you can also find Polish Pączki, Trini doubles and Jamaican jerk pork.

Friends Nina Chaiwisescharoen, left, and Rida Kongkaew, right, are the restaurant's owners. (Suresh Doss/CBC)

I refer to strip malls a lot in this column, and for good reason — the low rise, single-zoned buildings throughout the GTA are home to some of the best family-run restaurants.

To get to most of these spots you have to drive to Mississauga, Scarborough or Markham, but this stretch of Lake Shore (quickly becoming my latest addiction) is just across the Humber River.

Khao Gaeng's owners say it's the perfect spot for their restaurant.

"We want it to look like a homely spot, a roadside stall, a small restaurant all in one," Kongkaew said.

Massamun curry is a classic dish at this Etobicoke spot. (Suresh Doss/CBC)

After stumbling upon Khao Gaeng during a food crawl, I returned a few months later. This time I was dining alone, so I could devote my full attention to dishes like the massamun curry.

The classic dish has a Muslim influence, with chunks of potato and beef slow cooked with a variety of spices — cumin, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. It's intensely fragrant from the spices when it arrives at the table, with creamy undertones from the abundance of coconut milk.

The cooking at this small restaurant is unfiltered, and reminded me of my travels through Thailand two years ago.

The 20-seat restaurant is tucked away inside a Lake Shore Boulevard strip mall. (Suresh Doss/CBC)

While the massamun curry is muted in spicing, the rest of the menu presents the sharp and bold flavours of Thai cooking is best known for. The tom yum soup, for example, dials up everything from the chili and lemongrass to the sour aftertaste.

If you want to get a real sense of Khao Gaeng, go for something fiery. Try the Pad Gra Prao Gai Kai Dao — Kongkaew's favourite dish on the menu and one you'll find everywhere from road side stalls to school cafeterias.

It's a quick wok fry of minced meat, vegetables and chilies served over rice with a fried egg on top. Simple, flavourful and spicy, the dish is adored in Thailand, and it's been a hit in Etobicoke as well.

These fresh ingredients are used to make Pad Gra Prao Gai Kai Dao. (Suresh Doss/CBC)

"When we first opened this restaurant our goal was to see if this neighbourhood is able to understand these traditional flavours, and we were very surprised when people responded," Kongkaew said.

"They like it hot here."