The queues start to form before the lunchtime rush at Phed Mark, a Bangkok kitchen with a pop-up feel that dishes up steaming plateloads of pad kaphrao – a runny fried egg with fiery minced meat over rice – to a clientele of mainly Chinese tourists.
Founded by YouTuber Mark Wein, Phed Mark has turned a Thai staple into a must-eat for Chinese visitors, who defy the heat to patiently wait each day on plastic stools for their turn outside the Ekkamai bus terminal.
A lot has to do with its prominence on RedNote – the hyperlocal do-everything travel app with tens of millions of Chinese users whose recommendations and reviews can turn a backstreet business into a chart-topper.
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Video reviews for Phed Mark have drawn so much attention that blatant rip-offs have sprung up trying to cash in on its distinctive fireball branding.
Thailand is meeting its crucial Chinese visitors where they are – online – amid a travel landscape roiled by economic crisis, safety fears, a strong baht and surging flight prices.
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