Emboldened by our tolerance of heat on our previous visit, we tell the waitress, a young woman who speaks little English, to make the dishes really hot. Unless you have recently emigrated from Thailand or have an asbestos palate, I would recommend you not repeat this mistake. I like my food pretty damn hot, but I still find this heat level a tad too high. The blond across the table gets wide-eyed and starts mopping her nose after two or three bites. The shrimp soup is thin and unremarkable, but the larb is a winner.
Thai peppers supply the heat.
Fermented fish sauce, soy sauce and salted peanuts are the sources of the salty flavor. The sourness comes from a wide variety of ingredients such as limes, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and tamarind. But you can't do that. It wouldn't be Thai. Food stands that substitute lime juice and sugar for the more expensive tamarind are held in lower esteem.