Delicious expedition: Bangkok's street food

Luciano Pavarotti, perhaps as well known for his appetite as for his tenor voice, once said: "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

Perhaps we are more open to new experiences when we travel and more willing to experiment with the unfamiliar, which gives us the sense of adventure necessary to try new flavours and take our taste buds for a test drive.

You won't find many national cuisines more varied, zesty, fruity and spicy than Thailand's. There can't be many cities around the world which do not boast a Thai restaurant, but as is often the case, the dishes are likely to have been modified to suit the local palate.

So what better excuse is there for visiting the Land of Smiles than the desire to taste Thai cuisine?

Thai food is street food. Every street, lane and alleyway in Bangkok has a food vendor of some sort. Smoke from frying pans billows up wherever you walk, from the crowded markets of Chinatown to the streets outside the skyscraping offices and shopping malls.

Knowing where to start in my food safari was somewhat bewildering. Starting with an inexpensive ride on a taxi boat up the slow, wide Chao Phraya river, I headed for Chinatown, wondering why I had forgotten to bring a hat, sunscreen or any kind of protection from the heat.

Thailand has two seasons: hot, and hot and wet. Today was hot. Very hot. At Ratchawongse Pier (stop N5 on the river taxi route), I was pretty much melting, so the sight of a barrow loaded with fresh, cold pomegranate juice appeared like a welcome oasis. Let me be unequivocal about this: fresh pomegranate juice is the most refreshing, most delicious and most thirst-quenching thing I have ever tasted. It was worth getting hot so that I could fully appreciate the sweet, syrupy, fruity goodness of that drink, made from the reddest pomegranates I have ever seen.

Refreshed in body and mind, I headed towards Yaowarat Road where I would find a variety of tempting stalls. First stop was a choice of rice or noodles at the neighbouring stalls Nai Jui and Xie Shark Fin (yes, shark fin can still be bought in Asia - but, happily, it's not as popular as it once was).

Nai Jui offers rice topped with crispy pork, while Xie tempts diners with fried noodles in a fish soup. Most Thai dishes are based around a starchy staple of rice or noodles, with meat and vegetables added. The rice looked fluffy, and Nai Jui's sizzling pork is barbecued, creating a smoky aroma. But, inspired by the desire to try something new, I took a seat on one of the chairs at Xie's noodle stall.

The majority of Thai street food stalls are basic, to say the least. Tables are foldaway, and seats are plastic. Each table comes with a set of condiments, usually comprised of cups of dried chilli flakes, chillies in spicy sauce, sugar, and soy or fish sauce. I had been concerned about the possibility of playing "tummy roulette" by eating street food, but a quick bit of research reassured me.

Street food vendors don't have much room for storage, so ingredients are usually purchased fresh every day.

Dishes are prepared in red-hot woks or pans, and most stalls provide diners with chopsticks in hygienically sealed plastic.

Many street food stalls in Bangkok are decorated with visual menus, showing photographs of the dishes on offer.

So for the linguistically challenged, it's just a matter of pointing at the dish you want - in my case, egg noodles with fish maw soup, topped with shredded cabbage, spring onions and bean sprouts.

A glass of cold chrysanthemum tea provided the perfect accompaniment. As is often the case when dining at street stalls, I soon fell into conversation with a local who enjoyed the opportunity to practise his English while teaching some much-needed Thai. After lunch, I took a short trip back down the river and then enjoyed a welcome respite from the heat on the BTS Skytrain, which has impressive air conditioning. My thoughts then went to finding a good place for dinner.

"Sukhumvit Soi 38," I tell the taxi driver. All the drivers know this street where diners are spoilt for choice, with dozens of food stalls which get going around 6.30pm each day.

The most well-known Thai dish is probably pad Thai - fried noodles with bean sprouts, onion and topped with shrimp or chicken. Apparently, the best pad Thai stall on Soi 38 is called - somewhat predictably - Pad Thai on 38, and it's always popular.

I managed to find a seat and ordered pad Thai goong (with shrimp). With deft expertise, the chef added the noodles and other ingredients to a wok over a fiery gas flame, stirred and swirled the mixture amidst a bloom of smoke, and the dish was served in less than two minutes.

Topped with raw banana blossom, this noodle dish had that very Thai blend of sweet and sour with what food connoisseurs call "pleasing mouth-feel", which came from the mix of soft, slippery noodles with crispy shrimp and tangy onions.

Pad Thai can vary enormously depending on the experience of the chef, but Soi 38 is a great place to go if you wish to try it at its best.

For dessert, fellow diners urged me to visit a nearby stall selling Thailand's favourite after-dinner treat - fresh mango with sticky rice in coconut milk. It's surprisingly sweet, but the blend of fresh fruit and coconut milk is deliciously refreshing.

As I scooped up the last drops of coconut milk, I pondered that although I'm no Pavarotti, this abundance of freshly cooked, tasty food with its aromatic spices and fresh fruit accompaniments, available on every street, is probably enough to make anyone want to sing.

FACT BOX

River taxi
The Bangkok river taxi is a popular form of transport for commuters and is a good way to beat the Thai capital's heavy traffic. You can travel any distance for 15 baht (HK$3.9). Join the river taxi at Sathorn Central Pier, beneath the Saphan Taksin BTS station.

English-speaking employees will help you find the stop you need. Be aware that monks often travel on the river taxi, and that women should avoid standing too close because monks are not allowed to come into physical contact with women.

For the Nui Jui and Xie street food stalls, take the river taxi to Ratchawongse Pier (stop N5), then walk a short distance to Yaowarat Road.

BTS Skytrain
The Skytrain is an inexpensive and speedy way to travel in Bangkok. Two lines intersect at the main Siam (pronounced "see-am") terminal. Take the train towards Bearing station and alight at Thonglor station. Sukhumvit Soi 38 is directly beneath.

For Pad Thai on 38, find the entrance to a small alleyway on Soi 38, near the main Sukhumvit Road.