Suan Phlu Market Cooking Class in Sathon: Four Thai Dishes

House of Taste has a second school in Suan Phlu, in Sathon near Silom, and the difference from the Sukhumvit one is the market: it is a minute's walk away, so every session gets the walk, evening classes included.

You choose the ingredients yourself at the stalls, with the instructor explaining what each one is and what it does. Thai cooking runs on herbs, aromatics and rice varieties with no European equivalent, and the market is where that becomes obvious.

Two hours of cooking follow, four dishes, each one eaten while it is hot rather than saved for the end. The coconut milk is pressed and the curry paste is pounded rather than opened.

Three and a half hours in all, up to fifteen people, in Thai or English. Bottled water and the meal are included, and you take the recipes home. Vegetarian menus and other requirements need to be given at booking.

The school is inside Suan Phlu Market, and the route in is accessible throughout. Getting there: BTS Saint Louis exit 1, BTS Chong Nonsi exit 2, BTS Sala Daeng exit 2, MRT Lumphini exit 2 or MRT Silom exit 2, then a short motorbike or taxi hop. Note that this booking is non-refundable.