Sumalee Thai at the Bank Hotel, Newtown

There's something very relaxed and casual about the outdoor courtyard at Newtown's Bank Hotel. I think its the abundance of wood; large picnic tables, bench seating, a raised wooden deck and timber columns that surround the courtyard. All this is offset by hanging pot plants, burgeoning palms and big terracotta pots filled with water and floating flowers.It wasn't always like this. It's taken a