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With the Chinese New Year knocking at the door, there's no better time to explore Chinatown on foot for a gastronomic adventure.

Don't expect designer shops or fusion foods though. Bustling Yaowarat, Charoen Krung and small alleys will be lined with unpretentious street-food vendors. Check these out for Chinese delights as you celebrate the year of ox.

SWEET CHINESE NOODLE (No.1)

Noodles are everywhere in Bangkok - but in Chinatown, Je Phen's are the rarest of the rare. Her noodles (Bt15/bowl) are made of long, thin strips of rice and served with dried fruit and spicy ginger syrup.

Find it: Pee Ra Ga Market, on the corner of Yaowarat and Chakkawat Road. Open 9.30am4pm; call (086) 086 4166.

LIM LHAO NGOW NOODLE (No.2)

Lim Lhao Ngow offers a serious deal for fans of fishball noodle. For decades, the small shop has been famous for its "jumping fish ball". Thanks to the family's secret recipe, the bite-sized balls are crispy outside yet fluffy inside. The cost Bt2025 a bowl.

Find it: Song Sawat Road. Open 7pm11pm.

STEWED GOOSE AT LAO TANG LUE (No.3)

Good things come in simple ways and so does delicious goose. Lao Tang Lue will never make it on Bangkok's stylish dining scene but locals, both rich and poor, queue here for their stewed goose. Tender and sweet, the bird is cooked in black soy sauce, brown sugar, spices and herbs the old-fashioned way, with a meal for six, including rice, soup and fried veg, going for about Bt600.

Find it: Corner of Yaowarat and Pha Dung Dao Roads (in front of Pornthip Tailor School). Open 8am3pm; call (02) 223 8934.

BOILED RICE WITH PORK RIB (No.4)

This small shop opposite Wat Mangkorn Kammalawat doesn't even has a name but the boiled rice is so good here, it's worth waiting for a table. The secret is the soup made of pork rib. It's hale and hearty - especially on a wintry night.

Find it: Soi Issaranuphab off Charoen Krung Road. Open noon - 10pm; call (02) 623 0997.

TOY & KID SEAFOOD (No.5)

Fine dining doesn't have to come with a price if you know where to look for. This seafood stand is in the bustling alleyway where Phadung Dao meets Yaowarat. On the menu are prawn, squid, red snapper, mussel and oyster cooked as you like them, Bring your own Chardonnay and try "grilled king fish" (Bt170Bt200).

Find it: Soi Phadung Dao, off Yaowarat Road. Open 5pm10pm; call (02) 223 4519.

LEKRAT SEAFOOD (No.6)

If you can't find a table at Toy & Kid Seafood, walk across Soi Phadung Dao to LekRat Seafood. Here, you can tuck into BBQ seafood, grilled mussels and other dishes in airconditioned luxury.

Find it: On the corner of Yaowarat and Phadong Roads. Open 6pm3am; call (081) 637 5039 or (081) 422 7347.

PERB PISSADARN NOODLE (No.7)

If you love pork, this noodle shop is the place for you. Located next to LekRat Seafood, this is where the locals come for rad na, (fried noodles with gravy)

Find it: Yaowarat Road, in front of Broadway Hotel. Open 7.30pm3.30am; call (081) 633 5102.

TUE SHARK FIN SOUP (No.8)

Whether or not you eat it, you can't avoid shark fin soup in Chinatown. Tue's, billed as one of the best places in the area for the delicacy, is next door to the gravy noodle shop (No.7).

Find it: Yaowarat Road (in front of Krung Sri Ayutthaya Bank). Opens 7pm2am; call (081) 930 4141.

YONG'S CURRY (No.11)

Walk down Soi Plaengnam Soi towards Yaowarat Soi 6, and you'll be greeted by the tempting aroma of spicy curry. Yong's food stall has a wide selection of curries made with spicy fried catfish, chicken and spicy fried meatball. But he's built his reputation on his Indiastyle sweet curry made with pork.

Find it: Yaowarat Road (between Yaowarat Soi 6 and Plaengnam Road). Open 4pm2am; call (02) 221 9908.

24HOUR BOILED RICE (NO.13)

To poke fun at those who sneak out of the office for a little afternoon naughtiness, Thais use the saying "kin khao tom klang wan" (have boiled rice in the afternoon). On Soi Plaengnam, you can literally eat the rice in the afternoon - or whenever you like, as this little shop is open 24/7. Make sure you pick the right shop though, as there are a couple of stalls selling boiled rice here. We're talking about the one on the Chao Phya side of Plaengnam.

Find it: On the corner of Soi Plaengnam and Chareon Krung Road. Open 24 hours. Call (02) 623 0907.

UAN'S PORKBLOODED SOUP (No.14)

Offal fans will love this stall tucked down an alley off Phadung Dao. Uan serves up steaming bowls of soup brimming with chunks of pork liver, kidney and heart at prices that thrill the wallet.

Find it: On a corner of Yaowarat Rd. and Phadung Dao Rd. Opens 7pm4am. Call (086) 321 4311.

IEA SAE COFFEE (No.17)

Tucked away in the bustling alleyway of Phat Sai is this 80-yearold coffee stall. But don't expect cappuccino or espresso here. Men of the "round table" digest the latest news and gossip over bittersweet Taeochew coffee - a trademark Chinese brew.

Find it: On the corner of Phat Sai and Phadung Dao Roads Open 5am10pm; call (02) 573 3388.

KUAN U CHICKEN RICE (No.18)

Enigmatic as Chinatown itself, the best chicken rice stall in town has no name - but the locals all know that it's right by the Guan U Shrine. Crispy skin, tender chicken meat and spicy, ginger dip make for a perfect meal.

Find it: Around Talad Kao (Old Market) inside Soi Issaraphap. Open 6am2pm; call (081) 855 9354.

EK TENG PHU KEE COFFEE (No.21)

If Iea Sae coffee stall down the western end is Government House, Ek Teng Phu Kee is Parliament, as it's where people from all walks of life debate any subject. A veritable coffee institution for some 60 years, Ek Teng Phu Kee serves up its own roasts to hotel chefs, butchers, tuktuk drivers, ne'erdowell pimps, gambling dons and everyone else. Grab a table and watch the world go by.

Find it: On the corner of Yaowarat and Song Sawat Roads. Opens 3.30am9.30pm; call (02) 221 4484.

SEAFOOD NOODLE AT ODIEN CIRCLE (NO.22)

Just around the corner from the huge red gate at Odien Circle, this small restaurant in a simplelooking chophouse serves noodles with crabclaw, steamed prawn, green onion and an oily dressing.

Find it: On Charoen Krung Road (near Wat Trimitr's sidegate). Open 8.30am9.30pm; call (086) 888 2341.

FRIED CHICKEN NOODLE (NO.23)

The only think that's grand about this fried chicken noodle stall is the shiny brass pan used for cooking. The oldfashioned stove, noisy electric fan and rats racing along the alley would give a health inspector a heart attack but ignorance is thankfully bliss, since the fried chicken noodle - or "kuay tiaw khua kai" - is delicious.

Find it: On the corner of Yaowarat and Mangkorn Roads (in front of the entrance of Leng Buay Lea Market) Opens 8pm3am.

GETTING THERE

Catch the subway to Hua Lamphong Station and walk to Odien Circle, where the huge red gate beckons you to the heart of Chinatown.

Alternatively, catch a Chaophraya Express Boat and get off at Pier 5 on Rachawongse. From the river, you approach Chinatown from southern Yaowarat Road. To locate the food stalls, check them out on Google Map