Thai cuisine has been a notoriously difficult nut to crack in our gray city. In pre-lemongrass and lime leaf Beijing, Thai food was maligned to mediocre Chinese food sprinkled with curry powder and rice vinegar, a la “Banana Leaf.” Rapidly, the market got savvy, quality produce poured in and that kind of shit simply didn't cut it anymore. Enter new, authentic-ish Thai options that make real efforts, like Pak Pak. The interior For those not near far-flung Wangjing, Pak Pak's second, far more central incarnation joins several other dining options on the ground floor of the Guanghua International building. Unlike owner Amy Li's “secret not secret” signage-free Susu in Qianliang hutong, this place shares retail space with a branch of Annie's and Blue Frog. The interior does that whole fancy business lunch vibe suiting it's location, with very attractive Thai pressed glass and modern bamboo décor. It's also ace for dinner dates with it's attentive service, floral arrangements, no smoking & tealight candle lighting. So, starting with drinkies. They've got a smart, tight lil' cocktail menu with plenty of vodka and rum based infusions. Contractually, every Thai place with cocktails must have a “Ladyboy,” ingredients varied. Pak Pak's version (50rmb) is shaken with rum, vanilla liquor, coconut milk, coriander, mint, and Thai basil. Sweet, but with grassy complexity due to all those herbal additions. Also had a "Tamarind Sour" (50rmb) -- basically a standard bourbon sour with tamarind as the souring agent. Decent, but a dash of bitters would have set it off nicely. “pomelo salad” Now food. The current soft opening menu is pleasantly expansive and ambitious, organized neatly. The "pomelo salad" (38rmb) incorporates sliced red onion, chili, and fish sauce to gorgeously play off that natural fruity sweetness. “Northeastern-style sour sausages” A real revelation was had with the "Northeastern-style sour sausage" (58rmb), which delivers you directly to a food stall in Chiangmai sitting on a hot pink stool, inelegantly digging into a plastic bag with a bamboo stick for more pork fat morsels. Piled high sheets of white cabbage, whole peanuts, tart homemade pickles, and other goodies join the awkwardly presented sliced sausage for wrapping, but they'd be just as effective solo. Also, the grilled pork neck (68rmb) is expertly prepared with a wood fire taste, with a smoky, fermented tamarind sauce on the side. More pickles on the side would be nice, but no complaints here. “stir-fried seafood with basil” Not as successful was the "stir-fried seafood with Thai basil" (78rmb), which bared similarities to a 1am goopy sauce dish served on Guijie with a basil after thought, albeit with better ingredients. The Panang curry with beef brisket (58rmb) was rich and caramel sweet with slightly overcooked, stringy meat that hunted for every available space between your teeth. “Pandan and coconut sweet” Pretty serious dessert menu with a chocolate chili mousse and the like. Opted for the layered pandan and coconut sweet (38rmb) which is a very authentic Thai market style layered glutinous rice candy. Like a lightly flavored, naturally sweetened gummy bear, it's not everyone's thing, but, like Pak Pak itself, it's deeply refreshing. *** Pak Pak is at the ground floor of the Guanghua International building open for lunch and dinner daily