Phuket may not have a finer example of a friendly neighbourhood restaurant than Ban Saiyuan's the Breakfast Hut. Set among a cluster of small businesses along Kata-Sai Yuan Road, the restaurant sits in a building that's a little more than a hut--but not much more.

As I pull my motorbike into the small dirt-patch of parking outside, I immediately feel at home. The surfer ghetto in my home region of Santa Cruz County, California is dotted with many such neighbourhood eateries all serving straightforward breakfast and lunch fare (often heavy on the carbohydrates) at modest prices. They're populated with locals on their way to work or to the surf break if a killer swell happens to be running that day. The scene at the Breakfast Hut is no different, and just as in Santa Cruz, the proprietor of the Breakfast Hut issues a warm "good morning" when we walk up to take a seat.

The primary appeal of a neighbourhood restaurant is a feeling that you're among friends eating a casual meal in someone's home. As we ordered and ate, locals came and went, all greeted and sent on their way with a few friendly words from owner John Brown, a big Scotsman who has run the restaurant with his wife for the past 18 months.

Regulars have their favourites delivered promptly. Between dashes into the kitchen to help with food prep, Brown asks after their health or chats quietly at a central table where he can view the whole place, the small patio sections outdoors and the few unpopulated tables inside.

For our breakfast, I started with a cappuccino (60 baht) followed by a Thai veggie omelette (100 baht), which was Thai more in the well-grilled appearance than in the lightly spiced taste. My companion opted for an early lunch, ordering a blue cheese and bacon sandwich (100 baht) served open-faced with salad toppings on the side. Both had workmanlike appeal and were satisfying without striving to be anything more than smartly prepared fuel for the day.

Feeling extravagant among friends, we opted for an ice cream sundae (60 baht) as a finisher. Brown immediately popped into the kitchen upon hearing our order, and a couple of minutes later his exotic creation arrived at our table. This was a right neighbourly dessert, with extra helpings of everything--vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream splashed with caramel topping, sprinkled with cubes of strawberry and pineapple and garnished with spears of banana.

"That's an ice cream Saturday," Brown told us proudly. "It's my own concoction."

Whatever the name, we left feeling glad that Brown and the Breakfast Hut are in the neighbourhood.