Or Tor Kor Market (also known as the Marketing Organization for Farmers) was previously listed as one of the world’s best markets by CNN. I kinda agree with that because it is indeed one of the best markets I’ve come across while travelling in Asia and it’s possibly also the best fresh market you can find in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Or Tor Kor Market is located adjacent to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. So if you’re planning to visit Chatuchak Market in your next trip to Bangkok, you might want to set off earlier to check out Or Tor Kor Market too. They have a pretty good selection of food available so you can come here for breakfast or brunch first before heading to Chatuchak for more shopping.

It’s very easy to get to Or Tor Kor Market. Simply take the MRT to Kamphaeng Phet station. Come out the station via Exit 3 and you’ll immediately see the market. Alternatively, you can also walk here from Chatuchak Market if you want to head there first. A taxi ride from the Pratunam Market area will cost about 125 baht in smooth traffic condition which is also very reasonable.

Ok, let’s start off with a little tour of the market.

Couldn’t read the words in Thai but I figured out it meant 10 pieces for 80 baht and 14 pieces for 100 baht when I bought one box of 10. The lady boss was very nice, even gave us an extra piece for free.

The seafood selection looked incredibly enticing. There were grilled fish, grilled gigantic river prawns, steamed crabs (different parts – body, legs and claws), steamed prawns – all packed nicely with a separate green chilli dipping sauce.

I liked how they served the crab leg with a chunk of meat dangling out so when you take a bite, it will just be a mouthful of fresh crab meatiness and natural sweetness. So yummy.

By the way, they have pretty clean toilets here. 4 baht per entry.

We headed to the food court to grab some brunch. If you’re buying any snacks or cooked food (to go) from the market section (like the seafood, fruits or snacks), you can also bring the food here to eat regardless whether you’re getting anything from these cooked food stalls.

Ordered a Roast Duck Rice (70 baht) that came with duck blood curd. The roast duck didn’t have much smoky flavour like our local roast duck and the skin wasn’t as crispy too but overall it was quite tasty because the accompanying dipping sauce was really salty, piquant and spicy. The duck meat wasn’t gamey at all and the blood curd was very flavoursome.

We could never resist ordering rice with curry whenever we come across a mixed rice stall like this.

This plate of mixed rice (60 baht) consisted of fried pork, bamboo shoots and eggplant. The dishes were good as they were all big in flavours but not overly heavy-handed. Wish we have such similar Thai style mixed rice in Singapore too. So good.

I was attracted to this tofu stall after I read on the poster that their tofu was all home-made – natural with no preservatives. The lovely lady boss (in black tee) was very warm and friendly. And it was just kinda fun to chat with her with my very limited grasp of Teochew ‘cos I really suck at dialects, haha.

Wanted to show some support so we bought one portion of the fried tofu (40 baht) which had about 8 small triangles in a cup.

The inside was hollow so this wasn’t like filling and heavy. And I really liked that crispy exterior. Frying oil was fresh-tasting too.

Didn’t regret getting this because this was the best fried tofu I ever had. Somehow the tofu tasted really different from the firm beancurd (tau kwa) we could get from the supermarket in Singapore. This was so fresh and fragrant. And it went really well with the chilli dipping sauce too. Must try!

Ordered a Iced Black Tea (25 baht) from some random drinks stall but got a Iced Black Coffee instead, lol. It was not too bad as the coffee wasn’t overly bitter or acidic so we didn’t bother going back to exchange.

Was quite intrigued by this weird looking fruit with blood-red pulp.

My first time coming across a gac fruit. They were selling it in juice form so you might want to grab a bottle if keen to try.

We went to several durian stalls but found the lady boss at this stall most friendly and approachable. A very down-to-earth vendor who wasn’t pushy at all. She even let us sample the Monthong durian – an entire seed even though it was the most expensive durian breed! So generous of her.

We liked it and we decided to buy one portion (left hand side) which cost 100 baht per 100g. Basically there wasn’t any minimum order. They would open a whole durian, take out all the seeds and display them at the stall and you can point to them which portion you want. It would then be weighed and charged accordingly so what you’re paying for is actually pure durian flesh (with seeds).

We had such a great time chatting with the lady boss and another regular customer who was also buying durians from her. The lady boss even gave us extra durian (right hand side) for free – basically the other half of the sample we tried earlier. We totally didn’t expect it and were so surprised by her generous gesture.

So yes, if you’re looking for a good Monthong durian, come to Or Tor Kor Market and look for this particular stall. We were told that the best times to come would be May, June, September and October. Monthong durians are priced higher during nonseasonal period.

The Monthong durian was very different from all other durians I had tried previously. The texture was quite spongy on the outside but very creamy on the inside. It was like jackfruit with a soft centre. The durian aroma wasn’t very pronounced. The first bite was very alcoholic and then it would gradually mellow.

Seeds were surprisingly very small. This Monthong durian was really very meaty. If it’s your first time trying durian, this is a good one to start with because it really tastes more like a fruit with its pleasant sweetness.

We bought the Lotus Root Juice (40 baht) and Sweet Corn Juice (25 baht) which were cool and refreshing. Best thing was, they had no added sugar so it was all about the natural flavours of the lotus root and sweet corn.

Fruits might be expensive but they looked really good and fresh – like those you could find in specialty grocers.

The ‘tau sar piah’ or Grilled Chinese Cakes we bought were packed in a box like this.

Came in 5 different flavours – Black Sesame, Red Bean, Winter Melon, Green Bean and Taro. The exterior really tasted the same as the regular tau sar piah with its flaky pastry that was quite thin. The filling was different though probably because there wasn’t any use of lard or shallot oil so it was lacking in that extra touch of aroma and it was quite dry too. My favourite one was the Taro.

All in all, the Or Tor Kor Market is 100% worth visiting because it’s a good way to understand more about the Thai food culture and have a glimpse into the daily life of the locals. It may not have the cheapest prices compared to other markets but in terms of quality and selections, it will not fail to impress.

I’m definitely coming back to Or Tor Kor Market again. No reason not to especially when I love the steamed crab legs so much. ?

The Or Tor Kor Market is open from 6.00am to 8.00pm daily.

Tags: bangkokbangkok marketbangkok shoppingbangkok travelbangkok tripmarketthailand