Or Tor Kor Market

Or Tor Kor is the market where Bangkok's serious home cooks shop, and it shows. While Chatuchak next door is chaos and bargains, Or Tor Kor is immaculate displays of the finest produce in Thailand — fruit arranged like jewellery, seafood still twitching on ice, curry pastes ground fresh that morning. CNN once named it one of the top ten fresh markets in the world, and for once the ranking was deserved.

The fruit section alone is worth the trip. Thailand grows some of the best tropical fruit on the planet, and Or Tor Kor gets first pick. Mangosteen with shells that crack to reveal translucent white segments. Durian — the smell will hit you from twenty metres, but the custard-like flesh converts most sceptics. Rambutan, pomelo, dragon fruit, jackfruit — all at peak ripeness, which is something you almost never see outside Southeast Asia because they don't survive the shipping.

The food court at the back is where market workers eat, which is always the best endorsement. The pad thai here is leagues beyond the tourist version — thinner noodles, more wok char, better shrimp. The isaan-style som tum (green papaya salad) comes with a spice level that locals find normal and tourists find religious. Come hungry, come early, and don't make the mistake of filling up at Chatuchak first — save your appetite for the market that actually deserves it.