Just Open: Son in Law, Collingwood

Perhaps summer is coming sooner than we think, with sprightly mod-Thai eatery Son in Law landing with a colourful splash on Johnston Street.

Brought to you by Tony and Oh Rungpradit, the husband and wife team of now-shuttered Chapel Street mod-Thai wine bar Ayatana, the name is a play on the relationship between a Thai mother and her son-in-law, a famously delicate arrangement where mother makes the rules (and the son-in-law finds creative ways to break them).

Taking over the space previously occupied by Middle Eastern restaurant Bayte​ the site has undergone a moderate refurbishment. The brick walls are now painted with bright splashes of colour, and the split-level dining room runs on minimalist lines and the appropriate amount of neon.

The pair has borrowed more than a few ideas from their mothers' kitchens, creating jazzed-up takes on classic Thai dishes such as the namesake son-in-law eggs, a rich massaman​ curry with falling-apart beef and sweet potato (carried over from Ayatana) and crisp squares of fried tofu in sesame and sweet tamarind.

There are a few dishes that cross into fusion territory, a not-very-Thai roast duck and hoisin bao for example. While these make for a great bar snack (preferably while holding a frosty Singha) it's for the Thai dishes we recommend you leave room.

There's real care taken in the kitchen and the service is brimming with that famous Thai charm; mother would be proud.

Open Tue-Fri 5.30-11.30pm; Sat-Sun 11.30am-11.30pm.

56 Johnston Street, Collingwood, soninlaw.com.au