The Wave must be doing something right, after all, they managed to celebrate their first anniversary despite a far-flung location on the Thonburi side of the city. Not only are they surviving, they’re thriving, and are packed almost every night. There’s a lot of blue light going on here, hence the name, but that’s about all the design this former warehouse can muster. As for the banks of the Chaopraya River, you’d be lucky to snag the seats near the River of Kings, given the place’s popularity. Instead, expect to sit in an ocean of blue neon, under the giant fans whirring high above you. So block out your surroundings and get ready to tuck in. The menu is heavy on the seafood, and there’s little to complain about on that front. Produce is fresh and the kitchen has a pretty sure hand when it comes to balancing the basic tastes of many a Thai dish: sweet, sour and salty. The recommended tubtim (tilaplia fish) topped with herbs (B270) is one such decent offering, with the dressing striking a pleasant contrast in flavors—tangy lime, crunchy cashew nuts, bitter lime leaf, that ably support the fish’s tender flesh. The Yam The Wave (spicy salad with fried prawns and squid, B160) and tom yam talay (seafood tom yam B180) are similarly well balanced, although not particularly noteworthy in any other way. Yet, balanced sauces and dressings are not to say you won’t encounter some of the typical failings of Thai restaurants, particularly when it comes to taking shortcuts and saving a few baht. The kung rad sauce makam (fried prawns with tamarind sauce, B200) has traded sugar for the promised tamarind, resulting in something more akin to a sweet & sour sauce, and without the faintest hint of fragrant, fruity tamarind. The Wave offers a fairly standard experience but sometimes that’s all you need: the riverside location comes with a breeze, the prices have remained fairly reasonable and the food is comfortingly familiar.