Tucked away behind a major highway, St Louis 3 gives a visitors a cultural snapshot of real Thai life

By Mick Shippen Translation by Hsiaofeng Pang

Winding its way down to Chan Road, st Louis 3 – also known as sathorn 11 – is a vibrant and colourful street teeming with old-style merchant’s shophouses, restaurants and coffee shops. in the early morning, a bustling fresh produce market fills a side street. By night the pavements are lined with street stalls serving up a bewildering choice of local cuisine. The food available is both Thai and Chinese; evidence of the strong Chinese immigrant population that established itself in the area a century ago. You’ll see very few tourists down st Louis and it’s a fascinating place to discover the beating heart of Bangkok.

JIAB KAFE BORAN

This small shop sells old-style Thai coffee know as kafe boran. It’s filtered through a cotton bag into a glass and served with sweet condensed milk. The shop also sells a range of other drinks such as thirst-quenching lime juice and snacks like sweet toast.

68 -70 St Louis 3

JE YOK SOMTAM

If anything can be called the national dish of Thailand, it’s somtam. The spicy raw papaya salad was introduced to Bangkok by north-eastern Thai (Issan) labourers who moved en masse to Bangkok in the late 80s. Je Yok Somtam also specialises in other Issan dishes.

220/10-11 St Louis 3

SATHORN 11 THAI MASSAGE

Thailand is renowned for its traditional massage and spa treatments. Vigorous in nature, Thai massage reaches deep into the muscle tissue, relieving tension and tightness. At the hands of an expert, there is no better way to unwind. Sathorn 11 Thai Massage is a lovely salon popular with local women and offers a range of treatments. Open 9 am–9pm.

117 St Louis 3
08 1403 6203

BAAN KANOM WI LI

Open from 7am until midnight, this shop has been making traditional Thai sweets, or kanom, for two decades. Most are made using simple ingredients such as rice flour, palm sugar and coconut cream but the variety on offer is huge. Baan Kanom Wi Li is an excellent place to discover the world of Thai desserts.

95/41 St Louis 3

MANGORN

Mangorn, meaning ‘dragon’ in Thai, is an excellent little restaurant typical of the sort of place locals flock to. There’s no menu as such – just a spread of fresh ingredients outside the shop and a talented cook who can knock up any Thai dish you order. It’s a superb place to eat in the evening, either inside the open-fronted shop house or at the tables that line the pavement.

232/9 St Louis 3
02 6760 7378

CYCLO

A trendy little coffee shop that’s hard to miss thanks to the bright yellow motorised cyclo on the pavement outside the shop. The distinctive prop acts as the shop’s coffee bar where a range of coffees, teas and soft drinks are mixed up for takeaway or to enjoy in the air-conditioned interior. A range of snacks and light meals are also available.

232/3 St Louis 3

FRESH PRODUCE MARKET

Every morning, a long narrow side street on St Louis is filled with stalls selling fresh vegetables, fish, meat and cooked food. It’s a vibrant mix of noise, colours and aromas, and draws in the local community every morning. The market is particularly good on a Sunday when many other stalls also line the main road.

Side street opposite Soi 18/7 Yaek 9

LEE GALLERY

This small gallery and framing shop at the Chan Road end of St Louis clearly shows the Thais’ reverence for their king. The pictures in the shop are predominantly of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest serving monarch. Other pictures in the shop are of highly respected Buddhist monks.

10/8 St Louis 3
08 1838 7510