After a good couple hours in Artbox Bangkok, we were really in the mood to go all the way out that night and complete our market-hopping mission, lol. So we hopped onto the MRT train at Kamphaeng Phet station and made our way to Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station to check out the nearby Ratchada Train Market, or better known as Talad Rot Fai Ratchada.
Tokens for the MRT
Ratchada Train Market | Talad Rot Fai Ratchada
Ratchadaphisek Road (behind Esplanade Shopping Mall)
Tel: +66 92 713 5599
Opening hours: 5.00pm to midnight (Thu-Sun)
Once arrived at Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station, walk towards the direction of the Esplanade Shopping Mall. Go into the mall and walk straight ahead through the first level right to the end where there’s a back entrance/exit – that will lead you to the market.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Ratchada Train Market, it’s actually the sister market of the Srinakarin Train Market which I’ve blogged about earlier. The Ratchada one is newer but it’s smaller in scale. In terms of the vibes and product offerings, both are pretty much similar.
Unfortunately, on the night we were there, we were caught in a very heavy rain and had to wait at the Esplanade Shopping Mall for a long while as there wasn’t any shelter at the market.
By the time the rain stopped, it just kinda spoiled our mood to explore the market. The market vendors were busy cleaning away huge puddles of water on the ground. It was just impossible to keep the feet dry as everywhere was like flooded. And all the outdoor tables/chairs at the various eating outlets were just too wet to be used.
Plenty of drinking holes at the market
I managed to snap a couple of shots as we tried to walk through the super crowded aisles.
Grilled cuttlefish
Salmon sashimi
Surprised to see sashimi grade salmon at a night market. Looked pretty fresh.
Fried food
Fried insects
Regular local cuisine also available
Pity we didn’t get to spend long here because it started to rain again and we had to run off.
Though the Ratchada Train Market is smaller in size compared to the Srinakarin Train Market, it is more convenient to get to as it’s just a few minutes walk from the MRT Station. However, I still like Srinakarin better because of the space so it’s so much easier to walk between the rows of stalls without having to rub shoulder with every single person.
Also, in terms of street food selections, Srinakarin definitely has loads more.
I might come back to Ratchada again next time (on a good weather day!) as it’s easy to get here. Just to catch up on stuffs that we may have missed out this time.
Despite the rain that greatly dampened our spirits, I was still very happy to have found Snorlax from some random guy who was selling soft toys at an inconspicuous spot, lol. He probably didn’t pay rental as he merely laid a mat on the ground. Anyway, I bought Snorlax for 150 baht (fixed price). Good enough!
We went back to the Esplanade Shopping Mall when we left Ratchada Night Market and found a food court in the supermarket. Ate mixed rice and braised pig trotter rice there which were not bad though I would have pretty much preferred eating street food in the open. Oh well.