On Nut is hot, and specifically the funky market of On Nut Square (right by the BTS) which is already abuzz with cheap but cute fashions. However, not all the stalls of this little square serve up skirts and shoes; you’ll also find some simple but delicious dishes.

SWEET TREATS

The small pink bus in the center of the square is fast becoming a local landmark. Love Milk (On Nut Square, 08-1632-1320. Open daily 3:30-11pm. www.thelovemilk.net) is a small chain, with franchises scattered around the city, that serves up refreshments and sweet breads for tired shoppers, office workers and young hipsters. It’s B15 a slice with a variety of toppings from butter and sugar to chocolate, strawberry, blueberry and sangkhaya. For spice lovers, opt for their phrik pao and muyong spread. Besides the bread, their choice of refreshments, cocoa, tea and, of course, milk are served hot (B20), cold (B25) or blended (B30-35). You just have to try the trademark pink milk. Get it cold—the perfect balance of milk and red syrup makes for a sweet delight.

Another sweet treat not to miss is just a few steps away. Ice Cream Kati Sod Ma Praw Awn (On Nut Square, 08-1696-2145. Open Sat-Sun 2-9pm) rolls out its coconut ice cream in a young coconut shell with the meat scraped away from the shell and mixed in with the ice cream. The result is fresh and tasty and comes topped with condensed milk, making it extra creamy. It’s a family-run business and they also serve up their coconut treats around Rama 2 and 3.

Khanom Krok Worakorn (Sukhumvit 81, right in front of the 7-11, 08-0608-2365. Open daily 3-9:30pm) is also a good spot for the sweet-toothed. A box of four pairs of this classic dessert comes to B20 with a choice of flavors including plain, with corn, spring onions, taro and pumpkin. While many khanom krok vendors con you with canned coconut milk, these guys make it old school style, using fresh, non-processed kati. The texture is soft and silky and melts in your mouth, perfectly complementing the thin sugary, salted, crispy outer layer.

A SNACKER'S FEAST

At last Greyhound’s popular soy sauce marinated crispy chicken has a rival with this little vendor named after the owner’s son, BM Rakalongsong (On Nut Square, 08-5344-9865. Open daily 10am-10pm). Instead of setting up shop later in the day like the other vendors here, the auntie manning the hot stove puts in a full day’s work frying up these perfect pieces of chicken. The white meat is juicy, and is fried to a golden hue with a super crispy exterior. Once you pop, you can’t stop, so stock up. 100g of the fried fresh chicken is B30. The sign hanging on the stall, politely asking you to “please cue” is a clear indication of this stall’s popularity.

A few steps away from the chicken shop is the moo ping stall, Mai Hawm (On Nut Square, 08-1846-8272. Open daily 11am-10pm). They aren’t lying, their sticks are hawm. Here, they sell pork and beef, for B7 a pop or B20 for three. We say get the juicy pork with sticky rice (add B5). Some places ladle their moo ping with sweet sauce, but here the pork is juicy enough, so they don’t need to go overboard with the gravy.

MAIN DELIGHTS

They say good things come to those who wait, and this definitely applies at this famous phad thai vendor, with no official name. When we asked the matriarch what her stall was called, she laughed that the running joke among her loyal customers is that it’s known as “Phad Thai Jai Yen” (between On Nut Square and 7-11, 08-9185-8294. Open daily 5:30-10:30pm). It’s run by a family of women, but with only one cook manning the hot wok, there is a long line and you will have to take a number and be patient. On our recent visit, that meant very patient as we had to hang around well into the hour for our phad thai (B30, B10 extra for fresh shrimp) to arrive! It was definitely worth the wait though as it came juicy and flavorful. They also offer hoy thawd (fried mussels in crispy batter with egg and bean sprouts, B30) and auw suan (oyster omelet, B50), but both delicacies run out fast.

Judge your duck noodle stalls by the noodles they use, the filling in the wontons and the size of the duck slices. At Klong Fon Baa Mee Ped Yang Saka 8 (Sukhumvit 81, in front of 7-11, 08-6382-8222. Open daily 4pm-12:30am), you can find kwang toong-style (Cantonese) noodles—slightly flat noodles, with filling wontons and thickly sliced duck. For rice eaters, the khao moo krawb (crispy pork with rice, B35) is a sinful yummy choice. Just don’t go expecting long-grain jasmine rice because you’re not going to get any. The sauce is slightly sweet, but a few teaspoons of the black sauce with red chili should balance things out.