So, each dish will usually contain lime juice, sugar, chili pepper and fish sauce as basic ingredients, to which coconut milk, lemon grass and all kinds of herbs and spices can be added. This makes the cuisine quite healthy.

Yet, visitors to Thailand can actually find a much wider range of dishes to sample. Some of them are quite surprising - and some appear quite unpleasant. Still, everything is worth trying once.

1. Deep Fried Insects:

   
   
   
   
   A delicacy from the northeast of the country, different kinds of insects are deep fried and flavored with garlic and chili. Crunchy and good with beer.

2. Ant Egg Soup:

   
   
   Ants themselves can be eaten but a real delicacy is to find their eggs, which range up to the size of large peas, and adding them to tamarind-flavored soup. Healthy, delicious.

3. Flowers:

   
   
   In the north around Chiang Mai, some flowers can be eaten raw with noodle soup, while elsewhere flowers are deep-fried in batter to give a delicate and colorful feast

4. Duck Beaks:

   
   
   Waste not, want not - fry up the duck beaks and enjoy the chewy meat that sticks to them. Good texture.

5. Stir-fried Shark:

   
   
   Shark meat is sautéed with peppercorns, onions and chilies, along with some other spicy ingredients.

6. Larb and Sticky Rice:

   
   
   Larb is minced meat (pork or duck are most common) mixed with dry-roasted rice, chilies and other spices and eaten with small balls of sticky rice and fresh vegetables and herbs. Very healthy.

7. Frogs:

   
   
   Frogs are a delicacy in the central parts of the country where seafood is not available but the little hoppers are. They are best stir fried with vegetables and spicy sauce.

8. Pork Floss and Pork Scratchings:

   
   
   
   
   Pork skin is dried and sliced into tiny fluffy pieces (floss) or else long strips are fried (scratchings). Not terribly healthy but the Thai diet generally contains so little fat that it is possible to get away with the occasional treat. Scratchings are eaten with highly spiced chili sauce and floss on sandwiches or as a topping for rice.

9. Blood Noodles:

   
   
   Add some body, so to speak, to a soup of rice noodles by adding pig's blood. The color becomes rich and enticing and the taste much more hearty.

10. Chili Paste and Condiments:

    
    
    Pound with a mortar and pestle numerous strong chili peppers with garlic, salt, lime juice, palm sugar and other ingredients to make a lump and spicy paste. Dip raw vegetables and herbs, strips of plan omelet or steamed fresh water fish into the paste and enjoy throughout the day.

Visit Amazing Thailand and look out for some of these unusual treats or ask your local Thai restaurant if they can give you a taste of something a little bit out of the ordinary.

Thai Square is a contemporary Thai restaurant located in the award-winning Putney Bridge Building. Take in the breathtaking view of the Thames while sipping a Woo Woo on their relaxing full-length balcony.

The Putney Building has been received various design awards for its distinctly nautical construction. One of the most unique buildings in London, it resembles a ship with metal beams, long glass windows, and rope-threaded timber panels.

Special care has been taken to ensure that it preserves an authentic Thai ambiance. Eight statues of Buddha are dispersed throughout the restaurant and as tradition dictates, they are fed and watered daily.

Thai Square is divided into three distinct areas. The main restaurant features Thai cuisine prepared by Prawat Ngam-Arom, a distinguished Thai chef from Bangkok. The menu offers nearly 100 items ranging from a multitude of starters, soups, noodle dishes, Thai salads, curries, rice dishes and Thai specialities.

After dinner, saunter over to the bar to sample one of their many sinful cocktails or to indulge in a glass of champagne. Meander towards the back of the restaurant to the Cigar Lounge which features DJs spinning house music and funky tunes on the weekends. This sultry lounge is stunning in its modern simplicity coupled with rich jewel-toned velvet couches and elaborate etched glass walls. If you don’t want to share the opulence with the masses, reserve this intimate space for a private party with your trendiest entourage.

On the weekends, arrive early to secure your space on the throbbing dance floor and be prepared to wait longer than usual for a cocktail as this is one of the hottest spots in town. This is undoubtedly a fantastic venue if you are seeking somewhere classy yet relaxed enough to lose your inhibitions and shake your stuff on the dance floor.