Eight flavours that Lisa put on the map

What is it? A legendary street food that's unique to Buriram Province, particularly around the train station. Vendors fry hot meatballs fresh from the stove and customers stand right there at the front to eat them, dipping into a shared pot of sauce (though these days you'll often get your own cup). It's wonderfully casual.

Why we love it: This is where the legend truly began. Lisa went on the Woody Show and mentioned, 'I want to eat standing meatballs at Buriram train station, the chilli paste dipping sauce is amazing.' That single sentence revived a once-quiet local economy overnight. Vendors had to start handing out queue numbers, tourists flocked in to tick it off their lists and millions of baht started circulating within weeks.

Time Out tip: The highlight Lisa craves is the roasted chilli dipping sauce, Buriram-style, which has this incredible fragrance with an intensely spicy kick. Eat them when they're fresh out of hot oil, the outer skin gets crispy and it's absolutely divine.

What is it? : Southern-style fried chicken that's captured hearts nationwide. The signature move is to marinate with spices, black pepper and coriander seeds until it really penetrates the meat, then fry until the skin goes crispy-dry without soaking up the oil. Served with hot sticky rice and, this is crucial, crispy fried shallots.

Why we love it: This breakfast favourite went viral across continents when Lisa met with Coach Golf in London and said with sparkling eyes, 'Hat Yai fried chicken is the most delicious menu!' That sentence acted like a ‘quality guaranteed’ stamp, sending this southern regional dish trending overnight on social media. Fans worldwide suddenly wanted to fly over to taste the juicy meat and crispy skin for themselves.

Time Out tip: Don't skip the fried shallots, they're the key component. Scoop them over both chicken and sticky rice together in one bite. The sweet aroma perfectly balances the saltiness of the fried chicken.

What is it?  Rice noodles stir-fried with rounded tamarind sauce, containing yellow tofu, preserved radish, roasted peanuts and fresh shrimp. It's the signature dish foreigners know best, though for Thais it's just familiar comfort.

Why we love it: Pad Thai might seem like tourist food in many people's eyes, but when it appeared on Lisa's dining table at a famous Thai restaurant in LA during a family gathering, it suddenly looked special. She showed that this is the comfort food homesick Thais crave, and Thai restaurants abroad experienced booking chaos as a result.

Time Out tip: For authentic taste, squeeze half a lime, add a bit of chilli powder and have it with fresh banana blossom or Chinese chives. This enhances the tamarind sauce flavour to be more prominent and refreshing.

What is it?  An extremely zesty dish that's a fruit version of som tam, using julienned green mango instead of papaya, seasoned boldly with dried chillies, fish sauce and fermented fish sauce (optional), delivering a complete sour-salty-spicy hit.

Why we love it: Lisa's Instagram Story with the caption 'Green mango salad, sent directly from Thailand' created a mouth-puckering phenomenon that shook timelines. It caused mangoes to sell out because fans rushed to buy them. This dish helped introduce the world to Thai spicy fruit salads that are refreshing and bold, sparking a wave for people worldwide to try authentic Thai spicy flavours.

Time Out tip: The magic lies in the crunchiness of the mango flesh (kaew kamin or keaw sawoey varieties are recommended), and if you want it properly Thai-style, you must order it with fermented fish sauce for a deeper and more rounded flavour that Thais love.

What is it?  Fluffy fried egg with minced shrimp meat, a basic household dish that became world-class through Lisa's hands.

Why we love it: On Spotify's Billions Club: The Series celebrating over a billion streams, while other artists threw fancy parties, Lisa chose to showcase Thai identity by going into the kitchen to fry hot eggs, drizzle with chilli fish sauce and serve it on the Billions Club Plaque award. The image proved that deliciousness doesn't need to be luxurious, it's the taste that touches the heart.

Time Out tip: What's essential is freshly made chilli fish sauce. Chop bird's eye chillies and garlic, squeeze lime, add to good fish sauce and drizzle over hot fried egg for ultimate satisfaction.

What is it?: A cart-style dessert familiar to Thais, involving splitting bread (usually mantou or skull-shaped bread) in half, scooping coconut ice cream into it and topping with accompaniments like crispy rice, peanuts or palm seeds.

Why we love it: In the same programme, Lisa chose this as the dessert finale. For the world, this is an ice cream sandwich that's novel and exciting. She demonstrated how to eat it deliciously, making this humble dessert look nostalgic and charmingly attractive.

Time Out tip: You must choose crispy rice as the topping for the best pairing. The sweet richness of coconut combined with the chewy texture of crispy rice and soft bread is the perfect blend.

What is it?  A famous souvenir from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, consisting of soft pandan-scented dough wrapping caramelised sugar filling pulled into beautiful silk-like threads.

Why we love it: From a souvenir to a must-do activity. As soon as Lisa posted a photo while carefully rolling dough to wrap the sugar threads, that image sparked roti fever. Fans flocked to Ayutthaya until queues at the famous shop near the hospital stretched for days and nights, prompting the TAT director to praise it as Soft Power that had made local Thai desserts famous worldwide.

Time Out tip: The technique for delicious eating is balance. Don't be stingy with the filling, add plenty of sugar threads, then roll the dough tight enough to fit in one bite. The dough won't break and you'll get full sweetness in every bite. Eat it immediately while the dough's still warm.

What is it?  An exclusive beverage Lisa collaborated on with Erewhon, a famous health supermarket in LA. It's an elevation of Thai tea into a premium drink with plant-based and organic ingredients.

Why we love it: Lisa didn't just promote it – she personally selected ingredients and demonstrated the preparation process herself, transforming the orange Thai tea we see at street carts into a luxurious beverage that has LA residents lining up to buy. What's more special than the taste is that part of the proceeds go to Best Friend Animal Society to help stray animals, passing on love beautifully in Lisa's style.

Time Out tip: This is sold exclusively in LA, so you want a similar feel in Thailand, try ordering Thai tea with less sugar and switch from condensed milk to almond or oat milk. You'll get a close neighbour of Lisa's smooth and healthy taste.

Lisa's influence doesn't stop at food. There are also Thai silk outfits from Lamphun and traditional headdresses in the Lalisa music video that created worldwide buzz, or casual looks with indigo-dyed mud-fermented pha sin while touring Ayutthaya temples, which sparked an OOTD wave for youth to wear Thai fabrics in daily life. As Lisa fully embraces her role as Ambassador under a concept that welcomes ideas from people nationwide, fans are watching to see what hidden gem she'll elevate next.

We reckon khanom thuay or khanom krok must be on the list, given her love for Thai desserts. Sweets with a crispy-outside-soft-inside texture and coconut aroma might be the next item markets worldwide search for. Muay Thai shorts could be another, if Lisa features them in a street fashion look, it's guaranteed to become a viral trend. And there's the herbal inhaler, a pocket item carried by Thais. If there's an image of Lisa holding a stylishly designed one, export numbers are forecast to skyrocket.