Hoi tod is Bangkok's crispy oyster omelette: rice-flour batter griddled to a lacy crust, scattered with small oysters, bean sprouts and egg, served with a sweet chilli sauce.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Hoi tod is a Teochew Chinese street-snack adapted in 19th-century Bangkok's Yaowarat district, where Chinese-Thai vendors swapped the southern Chinese sweet-potato-starch batter for rice-flour to suit the local palate. The crispy form (hoi tod krob) is distinct from the soft southern oh luak variant. Nai Mong Hoi Tod on Phadungdao Road has run the same stall since the 1950s and is widely cited by Michelin Bib Gourmand and Thai food guides; the dish is a fixture of Yaowarat's late-night Phadungdao seafood strip.
Common allergens: Egg, Shellfish, Soy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Tiny fresh oysters beat large; the batter needs to crisp around each. Thin batter and hot pan give the lacy texture; thick batter or cool pan gives a pancake.
Nai Mong Hoi Tod in Bangkok's Chinatown is the Bib Gourmand oyster-pancake stall on Phlap Phla Chai, hoi tod and ohrlua crispy mussel pancakes.
Try: Crispy oyster pancake (hoi tod)
Tip: Cash only. Closed Tuesdays. The hoi tod with extra oyster is the order; eat at the small plastic stools on the kerb.
Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown is the city's most theatrical street-food strip after dark, with grilled seafood, noodle counters and dim sum carts.
Try: Grilled seafood, dim sum, noodle stalls
Tip: Start at Soi Texas (Phadungdao) corner for grilled prawns; Nai Mong Hoi Tod and Lek and Rut are the canonical seafood stalls.
Soi Texas at Yaowarat Phadungdao corner in Bangkok is the late-night grilled-seafood strip, with Lek and Rut and Rut and Lek opposite each other.
Try: Grilled river prawns, scallops, fish
Tip: Cash only. Two competing rival stalls face each other; Rut and Lek (the queue-popular one) starts at 18:00, closes at 02:00.
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