B linded by the current K Village frenzy, you may have overlooked the myriad stalls between it and Carrefour. So get off your high horse and pop into these street-side gems.

Across Bangjak Gas Station (entrance of Sukhumvit Soi 26 from Sukhumvit Rd.) is a stall (089-040-2487. Open Tue-Sun 6am-4pm) that does a range of (A) Isaan food from kai yang (B40) to kor moo yang (B50), laab (B40) and nam tok (B40)—and, of course, somtam (B30). Try their popular tam sua Thai pu (B30), which comes with salted crab and khanom jeen (vermicelli noodles) for the same cheap price. It’s not as fishy as it sounds, though the flavors of the salted crab and chili do stand out very strongly.

A few steps up the street on the corner of a small soi is a non air-conditioned noodle restaurant, (B) Rung Rueng (10/1-2 Sukhumvit Soi 26, 02-258-6744. Open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm), which is a family-run business. They offer only one dish: noodles with pork and fish (B40-50). Their pork broth is rich and flavorful, as are the fixings of liver, intestine, look chin pla (fish balls), minced pork and chicken. (If you’re fresh off the boat, the owner’s daughter speaks English.) Just be warned this place gets packed on weekends. Always the sign of a good retaurant.

After a long trek up the street, past reputable venues like Indus and Bo. Lan, you’ll eventually reach K Village. Right after the soi running between it and Carrefour, the narrow sidewalk becomes crowded with small stalls. One easy way to spot this (C) somtam and kaeng om stall (089-521-8378. Open daily 9:30am-6pm) is to look down: instead of plastic chairs and tables, they provide the customers with mats. Get ready for true street-level dining, watching wheels and heels passing by. Not exactly romantic but definitely different and tasty. They serve barbequed chicken, beef, pork, and fish on a stick (B10-20), hor mok (B20), somtam (B20) and laab (B30). And don’t forget to try their namesake kaeng om (B30), an Isaan soup with a lot of vegetables and meats of your choice.

If you head into the soi between the mall and the hypermarket, you will see another chain of food stalls. Don’t stop until you reach
a busy stall (084-525-8851. Open everyday 7am-3pm) that is directly facing the entrance of K Village Gate A. The stall’s (D) bitter gourd chili paste chicken noodle or kway teo kai mara prik pao (B25-30) is well-known in the area. It is usually surrounded with people and closes by 3pm. If you can get your hands on a bowl, you will know why. It’s a protein rich bowl of chicken: breast, leg, and liver with a very clean flavor and, to spice things up, their signature chili paste. You can also choose to have either boiled or fresh, crunchy mara (bitter gourd) for even more flavor.

Another stall that is a hit with the locals is the (E) Khao Man Kai stall (088-365-4964. Open everyday 6am-3pm) with blue tables, just a few stalls down from the bitter gourd. Like other khao man kai stores, they offer a choice of steamed chicken (B25-30), fried chicken (B30) or both (B30-40) on rice. The moist steamed chicken is so soft and tender that you hardly even have to chew. On the other hand, the fried chicken brings are crispy and crunchy, without being greasy. Both make for a perfect combination, and will leave you with plenty of energy to tackle a shopping spree at K Village with all that money you just saved by eating on a dime.