Though available all year round, during November the female crabs are filled with precious eggs. This sweet, oozing roe makes a good thing even better. 

 

If you don’t mind your shellfish raw, check out Lay Lao (65-67 Phahon Yothin Soi 7, 02-023-4521). The black crab somtam (B385) features marinated whole crabs specifically chosen for their roe.

Oysters spawn when water is at its warmest, resulting in fat, watery, soft and less-flavorful flesh. The opposite is true at the moment: as the temperature in the Andaman Sea begins to drop, our native oysters become sweeter, firmer and more intense.

 

Osha (99 Witthayu [Wireless] Rd., 02-256-6555) serves Surat Thani oysters in a theatrical fashion. Though heftily priced at B250 apiece, the sweet and succulent poached Andaman oyster goes excellently with kaffir lime leaf foam, mha-noi leaf jelly, kratin, crispy onion and a dash of seafood dip. 

Available all year round in Thailand, we still recommend you to eat these humble roots right now, when the cooler climate results in a greater density of flavor.

 

Chef Blair Mathieson at Quince (Sukhumvit Soi 45, 02-662-4478) slow-cooks his beets to allow the natural sweetness to come through. The beetroot salad with blueberries, soft feta, pistachio and rocket (B270) is a real treat. 

The fungal fruits of Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Nakorn Ratchasima are only available at this time of year. Come December, you can enjoy these sweet, earthy flavors at their finest.

 

Le Du’s (399/3 Silom Soi 7, 092-919-9969) seasonal wild mushroom dish (B400) reinterprets traditional Isaan gaeng oom, giving it a real punch with the addition of free-range egg confit, acacia pennata, pickled oyster mushroom, bottle gourd, chili, bacon and—all importantly—pla ra (Thai fermented fish). Eaten with the accompanying grilled baguette, it’s stunning.

 

Although harvested before the winter months in US and China, local sweet corn is at its peak during Thailand’s cool season. 

 

Aston Dining Room & Bar (68 Sukhumvit Soi 31, 084-551-5559). The chef loves Thai corn at this time of year, and has gone overboard with a dessert (part of the B2,800 degustation menu) in which corn is prepared in four different ways—in ice cream, in sweet udon noodles, grilled and then topped with popcorn—served with blueberry purée, wild sorrel and burnt butter powder. 

Thailand’s farmed strawberries can be way too sharp, but there is actually a strain of local wild strawberry that is truly delicious. Problem is, the seasonal window is tiny and they only grow in small batches. 

 

Hard to say right now. Batches are seriously limited and the season’s not quite started. It’ll be first come first serve, so keep an eye on foraged food regulars like Seven Spoons (24 Chakkaphatdi Phong Rd., 02-629-9214) and Le Du.