Coconut Paradise is a restaurant already familiar to many. But because we like to re-visit old favorites we went back for a second look. In fact, we’ve had several looks at this place over the years, and, it seems, so has everyone else. Coconut Paradise is invariably busy, which means more than just substantial paychecks for the owners. Brisk business breeds a buzzy confidence that makes waiters enjoy their jobs, chefs cook with more pride, and eases everyone into opening up their wallets. It’s a positive feedback loop, and Coconut Paradise is currently enjoying an extended run.

In truth, the dishes here are not always excellent (as excellent as the constant hubbub might suggest) but they’re often very good. A papaya salad was all high-note spice underscored by pronounced fish sauce; a white fungus salad – one of many Chinese concessions on the menu – was even more fiery and aromatic. But a vegetarian green curry lacked imagination (or generosity), with a piece of baby corn the only indulgence in an assembly otherwise populated solely by leaves; a red chicken curry meanwhile lacked the trenchant heat associated with the dish.

Still, earlier gripes over service seem largely remedied, and the garden still offers a pleasant and improbable sanctuary from nearby Yan’an Lu. It’s as seductive a place as ever, and the dishes they do well (shrimp with asparagus beans, for one) justify its success.