Nong Mon Market

Nong Mon sits on the old Sukhumvit road on the way from Bangkok to the eastern seaboard, and it exists because of that traffic - it is where cars stop to buy food to take onward or home, and it has done so for decades. Its signature is khao lam: glutinous rice with coconut milk, sugar and black beans or taro packed into a length of bamboo, sealed and roasted over a fire until the rice sets, then split open and eaten from the tube. Chonburi's version is the one people drive for. Alongside it are dried and salted seafood in quantity from the nearby coast, fish crackers, sweets, fruit, cooked food and preserved goods, sold from a dense run of covered stalls. It is a buying market rather than an eating one - most people take away - and it is busiest at weekends when Bangkok travels to Bang Saen and Pattaya. An hour covers it.

What to look for

• Khao lam - sticky rice roasted in bamboo tubes and split open to eat.
• The dried seafood - salted and dried fish and squid from the nearby coast.
• The covered stalls - a dense run along the old Sukhumvit road.
• The traffic trade - a market built on cars stopping on the way through.

When to go

Any time; it operates through the day. Weekends are busiest with Bangkok traffic heading to the coast. An hour covers it.

What to expect

A takeaway market rather than a place to sit and eat - seating is minimal. It is on a busy road with traffic and parking pressure. Khao lam is best eaten the same day. Little English.

Nearby

Bang Saen beach is south; Chonburi town and the buffalo race ground are inland.