Three chef talking points from lunch at Smoking Goat Chicken Shop, Shoreditch

Let's waste no time here: Smoking Goat's Thai-style fried chicken was something else.

Available in three portion sizes (£9, £18 and £36 - the latter being effectively a bucket's worth); the fried chicken recipe is said to be "an amalgamation of styles" from across southern Thailand, with the batter purposely thin to spotlight crispy bits of chicken skin poking through.

The batter itself contains "many, many variations of starch", with a little of it finding its way into the fish sauce marinade for "satisfyingly squidgy pockets" after being twice cooked.

And the spice blend, driven by coriander root and garlic, blew our socks off. Each ravenous, sloppy bite of the crispy-meets-succulent chicken delivered complex, altogether aromatic, slightly sweet and spicy flavours - a powerful, memorable creation.

Imagine trying something so fundamentally brilliant on a team trip abroad that it persuades you to so sharply change your output in order to house it for a whole month! This was it, and the place was packed out with punters happily covered in fried batter bits. Smoking Goat, we salute you!

Arriving hand-in-hand with the limited-edition fried chicken (albeit for an extra £1.50 each) were four fantastic Thai dipping sauces.

We practically lost count of how many brilliantly complex dipping sauces we had during our week's food safari around Vietnam, and it's fair to say we've only really scratched the surface in terms of Southeast Asian condiment opportunities for the UK market. Pioneers such as Smoking Goat continue to blaze a trail, with their Chicken Shop's dip line-up comprising Nahm Prik Lemongrass, Jaew Tamarind & Smoked Chilli, Nahm Jim Green Chilli, and the ambiguously named Hot Sauce.

Pictured is the Nahm Prik Lemongrass, which delivered a floral, tangy spin on the Thai chilli sauce made of fermented shrimp paste, chillies, garlic, and lime juice. And the Jaew Tamarind option - a wicked smoky/spicy Nam Jim Jaew powered by fish sauce, tamarind paste and Thai chilli flakes.

You're absolutely right: the Insights Lab is edging towards a proper deep dive of new wave Asian condiments, dips and sauces. Watch this space.

During their trip to the Thai capital, the Smoking Goat team also tackled a "legendary" Bangkok street food, Kuaytiaw Khua, at Suan Mali Chicken Noodle, found at Rong Phayaban Klang Junction.

Kuaytiaw Khua is, at its core, a fried rice noodle, chicken and egg dish cooked with lard over hot coals, with the Suan Mali version also made with pickled squid and fresh 'sen yai' noodles. Described by the team as crispy, smokey, gooey, char and pillowy; Smoking Goat made its own Kuaytiaw Khua for the 'essentials' section of the new menu, producing an Insta-worthy Kuaytiaw Khua omelette with a gooey centre of rice noodles cooked in lardo, sporting a perfect egg yolk centre.

We all agree that it very nearly stole the whole show. Mixed with crisp lettuce, flying with chopped chillies and spring onion on its crisp, wok-charred outer layer; this was pure comfort and decadence on a pink plate, with moreish flavours reminiscent of the similarly Chinese-influenced, Southeast Asian street food powerhouse, Char Kway Teow.