Despite Talad Noi’s many newcomers, its past and present are intertwined. “Our logo – an anvil and a cup of coffee – was inspired by our dad’s job as a mechanic,” says Chanya Somkamonsakul, aka Fung, the co-owner of Blacksmith Cafe. Besides coffee, the seven-seater café sells fruity smoothies, bags and other souvenirs, plus herbal teas from Thailand like sasiruthai, which is said to have relaxing and body heat-reducing qualities.

As I sip another superb cup of joe and look at the framed pictures hanging on the wall of Fung’s dad forging metal, Fung fills me in on local history. She tells me that the demand for replacement parts was fuelled by the Japanese, who built cars in Talad Noi when the Second World War consumed the globe; decades later, her now-82-year-old father made spare parts for hay carts here. As times changed and it became difficult to find workers, he closed the business. But his daughter is now one of those forging a new era for the area.

From the mechanics of its past to the baristas of its present, Talad Noi’s dedication to craftsmanship remains unchanged, while the neighbourhood’s small businesses continue to thrive.