Smaller and more cramped, but more eclectic than nearby Bangkok Noi market, Thonburi’s Phran Nok wet market is worth a trip if you’re serious about exploring Thai food ingredients in a very local atmosphere. Be warned that a visit to Phran Nok may induce weeping (from the chilli flakes in the air), holding the nose shut (due to the pungent mix of scents), and possibly mild cases of shock (from seeing foods you never dreamed existed).

The real deal.

Fronting this busy market you’ll find a wealth of veggies and spices being sold by vendors who will be surprised to see a foreigner’s face in their midst. Like most people we’ve encountered in the far less touristy Thonburi side of Bangkok (west of the Chao Phraya river), most of the vendors here are extremely friendly in their relaxed Thonburi kind of way. Go ahead, forget all worries about the scammers and sketchers across the river and ask to sniff a slice of galangal or a torn pandan leaf, or if you’re really adventurous, a tiny dollop of pla raa (fermented fish sauce). If you can successfully taste the latter without dying, or at least throwing a teary temper tantrum like a spoiled child on the spot, don’t be surprised if the vendor buys you lunch.

A heaping bucket of pla raa — doesn’t it just look good enough to drink?

Next, move out to the footpath and let the spice man show you around his display of dried sardines, garlic, onions, shallots, ginger and almost a dozen different types of chillies. If you’re not finished impressing the locals, tell him you want to try a phrik kee nuu (a tiny but explosively spicy green chilli), pop it in your mouth, and see if you can stomach it without jumping into the Bangkok Noi canal.

Spicy and cool at the same time.

With tongue sufficiently on fire, head over to the fruit vendors and ask for a taste of cheap and memorable tropical varieties like sala, durian and mangosteen.

Or a jackfruit that will take up your entire fridge.

Finally, take a walk into the inner reaches of the market to catch some intense whiffs of fresh fish and meat being chopped to order. If that’s a bit much, look for the photogenic (and delicious) displays of grilled fish, which come in all shapes and sizes.

This school of fish likes to stick together.

Although Phran Nok is almost entirely a wet market, just across the street you’ll find a clutch of outstanding hole-in-the-wall restaurants and kap khao shops with massive bowls of fiery curries and stir-fries overflowing onto the street. A cheerful elderly woman also sells some outstanding khanom pat jang here, and an unassuming shop puts out some perfectly balanced northeastern Thai salads and soups.

No shortage of flavour or colour here.

To get here, take the Chao Phraya Express Boat to Wang Long (aka Phran Nok) pier, and walk straight onto Phran Nok road from the pier. You might stop here to check out some cheap vintage attire or sample the wealth of prepared finger foods available along the footpaths. Continue for about a kilometre, take a left onto Itsaraphap Road, and the market immediately extends inwards from the footpath on the left side of the street. After smelling your share of fresh fish, you might take a side trip to Baan Bu bronzesmith village, Baan Luk Chup Cafe, Soi Drok Mathum, or even a bit further on to Wat Arun and its funky surrounds.

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Tags: markets, Thonburi