Polo Fried Chicken

Down a quiet Sanam Khli alley just off Wireless Road, behind the trees of Lumphini Park, this family-run shop has been frying chicken for close to 50 years. The bird is marinated with garlic, coriander root and white pepper before hitting the fryer, then comes out with paper-thin crackling skin and meat that stays properly juicy inside.

Then comes the detail that makes this place its own thing: the whole plate gets buried under a mountain of crisp, salt-seasoned fried garlic that tastes dangerously good on its own. Eat it with warm sticky rice and a sharp, lime-heavy som tam to cut through the richness. CNN Travel once called it better than KFC. The daily crowd of locals and visitors seems to agree.

Dishes to order: Garlic fried chicken (gai tod), sticky rice, green papaya salad.

Price range: B100-200

137/1-2 Soi Sanam Khli, Wireless Rd., Pathum Wan. Open daily 7am-9pm