TALAD NOI & CHAROENKRUNG COCKTAIL BARS

Modernity meets tradition in this up-andcoming riverside district, where Bangkok’s oldest paved road tapers off into a jumble of narrow alleys harbouring modern coffee shops and decades-old street-food institutions.

Start at Sarnies, a perennially packed brunch spot set in a 19th-century former boat repair workshop. The menu ranges from eggs benedict with tom yum hollandaise to fry-ups with hash browns and Northern Thai sai oua sausage, while the house-roasted coffee is widely regarded as among Bangkok’s best. Continue up Charoen Krung Road to

Central: The Original Store, a space hosting art exhibitions, a design library and sunflooded Siwilai Café. There are more galleries a few blocks away, at the Second World War-era Warehouse 30 complex, where you’ll also find

Woot Woot Store, a great place to buy local handicrafts (tote bags, sorghum brooms, etc).

Come lunchtime, try Samlor for reimagined street food classics by young chef-patron Napol Jantraget. His charcoal-roasted pork jowl with miso gravy is a firm favourite, but leave room for a dessert of fish sauce-caramel ice cream.

From here, it’s a short walk to the heart of

Talad Noi, Bangkok’s original Chinatown, lined with oil-slicked car repair shops and kaleidoscopic Chinese temples. Down a maze of graffiti-clad alleys, So Heng Tai Mansion is one of the last remaining courtyard houses in the city and now functions as a small cafe and — surprisingly — a diving school.

Just opposite, the pillow-strewn terrace of

Baan Rim Naam is a great spot for riverside sundowners and miang kham: traditional betel leaf-wrapped hors d’oeuvres. For dinner, grab a table at Charmgang, a buzzy, neon-lit spot that dishes out contemporary spins on oft-forgotten curries from across Thailand.

Tax

Created by the team behind envelope-pushing Bangkok gin bar Teens of Thailand, this snug bar (above) on the edge of Chinatown uses house-made shrubs (drinking vinegars), created using riesling and stout, as the main ingredient for its cocktails. The unusual flavour profiles are further enhanced with the addition of left-field ingredients such as pepper-infused vermouth. fb.com/taxbarbkk

Opium Bar

Mixing New York glam with jewel-toned, Chinatown chic, Opium Bar occupies a former — you guessed it — opium den in a century-old shophouse, just off Chinatown’s main drag. Its 17-page drink menu includes playful riffs on global classics and herbinfused bottled cocktails big enough for three to share. opiumbarbangkok.com

Bamboo Bar

This 70-year-old jazz institution at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok hotel has raked in countless awards, and for good reason. Backdropped by sepia-toned photographs of famous patrons — Mick Jagger and Audrey Hepburn, among them — the bartenders shake up excellent drinks using imaginative techniques and ingredients. The tom yum-inspired hawker with coconut fat-washed tequila and kaffir lime is a must. mandarinoriental.com

Previous pages: Rod Fai Market, also known as Train Night Market, combines antiques with food and drink Clockwise from top: Woot Woot Store specialises in locally made goods; dishes including fried rice with salted egg and grilled prawns at Rongros; sunset over Wat Arun and the Chao Phraya River