Neighbourhood watch
Talat Noi
Go
Sandwiched between Chinatown and the Chao Phraya River, Talat Noi is a time capsule of Old Bangkok brimming with new ideas and energy.
Eat
The alleyways off the main Charoenkrung Road are full of treasures, such as Harmonique (22, Soi 34, Charoenkrung Road; +66 2 237 8175), a century-old building anchored by an ancient banyan tree. Guests enter through a curtain of tree roots and sit at marble-topped courtyard tables to eat Thai and Western dishes. Baan Rim Naam (378 Soi Vanit 2; +66 85 904 6996) is a bohemian café/bar/gallery with mismatched furnishings and installation art in a 200-year-old warehouse lapped by the river. Expect traditional Thai cooking and basic beers and wines.
Drink
Jua (juabkk.com) occupies a three-storey shophouse that was once an illegal gambling den. Charcoal-grilled meat and vegetable skewers complement the izakaya’s selection of craft beers, cocktails, sakes and small-batch spirits. FooJohn Building (831, Soi 31, Charoenkrung Road; +66 2 297 0106) is a multi-level shophouse with a bar and French bistro downstairs, cocktail and jazz bar above and a barbecue deck on the roof.
Do
Discover the city’s “creative district” at San Chao Rong Kueak alley, home to vibrant street art. At P. Tendercool (ptendercool.com), Belgians Pieter Compernol and Stephanie Grusenmeyer make unique, beautiful furniture from antique and reclaimed timber. Nearby, the top two floors of River City mall (rivercitybangkok.com) house quality art galleries and antique dealers. The true pleasure of Talat Noi is wandering the picturesque side streets and alleyways of a timeworn neighbourhood. Look out for the elegantly faded Sol Heng Tai mansion, now oddly home to a dive school.