In every trip it is nice to come across an exciting eatery that was not part of the original planning. This happened with the Thai restaurant Baan Landai – Fine Thai Cuisine during my trip to Chiang Mai. I came across the restaurant mainly because it was near my hotel. I visited it twice and found it an excellent venue where to taste traditional and creative Thai dishes in a comfortable dining environment.
The visit(s)
The restaurant is located very close to the North Gate of Chiang Mai’s old city in the ground floor or a hotel.
The dining room is spacious and nicely decorated. The owner meant to bestow a homey feeling to the restaurant. “Baan” means “home” in Thai and “Landai” was the nickname given to the owner when he was studying at the Faculty of Architecture at Chiang Mai University. This location was brand new at the time of my visit in August 2018 as they were also operating another smaller venue in Chang Phueak district (I am not entirely sure if the original location is being phased out or will continue to operate, just be aware that there might be another address popping up on the web).
In both visits I was there for lunch and I ordered an appetizer and a main (plus something else).
To start, from their appetizers list I chose the fried fish and squid cakes. Fish cakes are a staple of Thai cuisine; in this version they were enriched by a squid ring and soy-vinegar dip sauce was provided. The dish was ok, honestly not that tasty, but I guess it was what to expect from fish cakes. One issue that I had was that this appetizer platter was really meant for sharing, it was a bit boring to have six fish cakes all by myself.
Then I had a ruby fish baked with turmeric. The dish was mildy spicy and delicious. The fish was meaty and the condiments enhanced its flavor. Another big dish that could have been split between two people.
Finally, I had one of their cocktails. Here I made a rookie mistake. I though it was a mocktail (non alcoholic), but actually the herbs were added to a base of Thai rum. I do not like alcohol and I could not finish it.
In my second visit I opted for water!
As an appetizer I opted for Thai fried sausage. I expected to get the classic Northerner Thai sausage, but I got something different. Honestly, it was not very tasty (the accompanying dip sauce partially helped). Again, this was an appetizer ideal for sharing.
Then I had a grapefruit and pomegranate shrimp salad. This was a delicious dish, the grapefruit scored very well with the shrimps (not many…). Also some nuts helped aligning the flavors. I did not really taste much the pomegranate component.
Finally, I tested one of their desserts. It was an impressive “flower jelly”. The flower motive inside the jelly was very realistic and overall very lightly sweet. A small work of art.
Also a plus that the staff spoke English and was very friendly.
The check(s)
The first visit cost me 613 THB (around 18.50 USD), of these 139 THB were wasted for the cocktail. The second visit cost me 427 THB (around 13 USD). The prices were very affordable, considering the quality of the dishes and the nice dining ambiance.
Should I visit Chiang Mai again, I would certainly be motivated to go back to Baan Landai to try more dishes from their extensive menu. For a solo diner like me, I would probably suggest to skip the appetizers since the portions are too large for an individual.
Where in Chiang Mai:
252/13-14 Prapokklao Rd., Sripoom, Muang Chiang Mai.
Check the restaurant’s Facebook page for the menu and updated information.