Charoen Suan Aek is a restaurant in Chiang Mai listed on the Thailand 2020 Michelin Guide. Charoen is the chef/owner’s name. It is located a few kilometres away from the Old City in the Northern part of Chiang Mai.
The visit
I got there with Grab Car, the restaurant English name is listed.
It was a very rustic dining space (with buffalo skulls on the walls) and very busy on a random weekday.
The big problem was that they did not have an English menu. But the staff was very nice and they tried to help me, even if with limited English. I asked for a recommendation and I got this stewed beef meat in a dark sauce full of spices. It was quite good.
Then I asked for a chicken dish (you cannot go wrong with chicken…) and I ended up with some deep-fried chicken. I cannot recommend this dish: there were literally just a few bites of meat, it was mostly bones.
The check
I spent 200 THB (6.15 USD) for the two dishes and water. Honest local prices and portions suitable for individual diners.
The fact that they did not have an English menu limited my ability to explore more interesting dishes. If you speak Thai and/or have a Thai-speaking guide/friend, this looks a very authentic restaurant loved by locals worth checking out.
Where in Chiang Mai: 37 Moo 8, Thawanan Road Mueang Chiang Mai.
Baan Mon Muan is a resort in the mountains in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai. Its restaurant and cafe gained them a mention in the Thailand 2020 Michelin Guide.
The visit
There are a few sets of stairs to climb…
I passed through a store with some cheeky products.
Above a peek into the restaurant dining rooms.
The cafe area was one level up on top of what looked like a fortress.
So went to the roof top for a dessert.
The view across the mountains was indeed beautiful.
I had a tea and a dessert that were good.
The check
The check for my dessert was 275 THB (8.5 USD), not that cheap. This was not much to comment on their full menu, but the place gave me a good first impression in terms of service and overall quality. I would have no problems coming back for a full meal.
Paak Dang is a riverside restaurant on the Ping river in Chiang Mai, just outside the top right hand corner of the Old City. The two owners claim that their aim is to give back to society by providing employment to the less privileged. Honestly, this social angle initially put me off… I would say that most restaurants do that… you need to give me more evidence before I will regard you as a social enterprise as most businesses perform a social role by providing employment opportunities. Eventually I won my reluctance and I had a very good dinner.
The visit
My driver left me in front of the entrance where a big sign celebrated the “table” status gained in the Thailand 2020 Michelin Guide. The Chinese script is a good indication that they are catering to visitors, but I heard positive comments also from locals.
At the entrance they had some tanks and displays for fresh seafood. At the time of my visit, after the peak season, there was really little on display.
I was offered a table in the terrace directly facing the river.
Appropriately, they also provided some mosquito repellent. Mosquito bites are the downside of riverside dining in Chiang Mai.
Chips were complimentary.
I had an iced tea.
Their specialty is big river prawns. One prawn can be 400-500 grams. I was not in the mood for a prawn on the night of my visit.
Instead, I opted for a grilled squid. They had a big one that was shown to me along with a note with weight and final price. That was very nice; the only glitch was that the note was shown to me for less than a second… they should have left it on the table.
The result was a massive squid, well grilled and absolutely tender.
Then I had been looking for a while for a tom yum (spicy and sour soup) and I had their seafood one. They have a large selection of classic Thai dishes besides the fresh seafood. The tom yum was excellent with a good amount of seafood. They also used straw mushrooms. The lemongrass, lime, and galangal flavors were not killed by the spicy side of the soup.
Finally I had a roti that worked well as a side dish for the soup.
The check
The three dishes and the tea cost me 780 THB (24 USD). Probably two people could have shared the my dishes. The fresh seafood can lift the bill quickly, but overall not too overpriced in my opinion.
in the end, I was very satisfied with the dinner; the dishes I had were very tasty and the service was good. I might go back in the future.
Koyi and Uan Ocha are two chicken rice joints in Chiang Mai that happened to be mentioned in the Thailand 2020 Michelin Guide. I had to check them out.
Koyi
Koyi is located at the margins of the fancy Nimman area.
It is a simple diner. I appreciated the metal stools.
They serve chicken either steamed or fried. You can have a platter with both and that’s what I opted for. Like in the tradition of chicken rice there was some cucumber as garnish. And also a piece of coagulated (pork?) blood. The rice was quite bland (not comparable to Hainanese chicken rice) and so the steamed chicken. The fried one on the other side was really good.
I even had an extra portion!
The set came with chili sauces and a seaweed soup (with a very distinct seaweed flavor).
A basic portion was 40 THB (a little over 1 USD).
Where in Chiang Mai: 69/3 Siri Mangkhalajarn Road, Mueang Chiang Mai.
Uan Ocha
Uan Ocha is in the Southern part of Chiang Mai. I could not locate it on Grab Car so I used as a reference a mall called @Curve. The restaurant is immediately before (coming from North).
Like Koyi, itis a classic diner, perhaps a bit more rustic than Koyi.
Also in this joint, they served either fried or steamed chicken or both. I had the mix platter again. While I did not like much the fried version, the steamed chicken was remarkable: very juicy and tasty. So I guess next time I will order the fried chicken from Koyi and the steamed one from this place. Neat.
There were the usual chili sauces, a chicken soup, and some pickles included.
A platter again was 40 THB.
I guess you can say that these are the cheapest Michelin-recommended venues in Chiang Mai, if that matters.
Where in Chiang Mai: 211/1 Chang Khlan Road, Mueang Chiang Mai.
North of Chiang Mai city, in Mae Rim, there is a luxurious Four Season resort. I tried their Thai restaurant for lunch one day during my early 2020 stint in Chiang Mai.
The visit
My driver escorted me to the Four Season resort. It is a 20-30 minute ride from Chiang Mai Nimman area where I was staying.
I descended a staircase to get to the restaurant.
I walked along a long patio to the entrance of the restaurant.
This is also the restaurant where the resort guests have breakfast. On weekends there is a brunch buffet.
Ultimately I settled for a table outside the air-conditioned dining room to enjoy the view.
The resort villas are semi-hidden in the lush vegetation.
The restaurant is Thai, but for lunch they also had a menu with Western dishes. I guess the guests, mostly wealthy American and Japanese, cannot live without a burger time to time.
I had a healthy salad with big pieces of Tasmanian salmon.
And I had a classic Thai dish, pad Thai with prawns.
It came with various sauces and spices.
The two dishes were very good… but… (brace yourself for the next section).
The check
These two dishes and a tea cost me 1647 THB (51 USD). And I am not even counting the transportation costs (other 500-600 THB).
It was simply overpriced. Just good for the wealthy vacationers choosing to spend their time inside the resort. In terms of cost opportunity, it really does not make sense to spend that kind of money for a couple of good but ordinary dishes.
For around that money you can have an afternoon tea for two.
Where in Mae Rim: 502 MOO 1, MAE RIM-SAMOENG OLD ROAD.
The Ironwood is a cafe and restaurant with a beautiful garden located in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai proper.
The visit
At the entrance they proudly display their “table” title gained in the 2020 Thailand Michelin Guide.
It is a fairly large property. The main house was closed. My driver mentioned that this used to be Royal land so the owner must have had big connections to secure this spot.
I was seated in the garden.
All I had was a cake (I had already had lunch). But they also have a food menu with Thai dishes.
The carrot cake was… awful. It had probably been laying around for days. The whipped cream on top was hardened and I discarded it.
My driver had a cold brew that was ok.
The check
I spent 210 THB for the two items (6.5 USD). Too much for what I had.
As a cafe, all it had going on was the nice garden. The food was a disgrace. While, admittedly, I did not have a full meal, the impression was so bad that I won’t visit again.
Tip: next door there is another instagrammable cafe called Thongma Studio full of statues. A surreal and beautiful place. You might want to go there instead.
Where in Mae Rim: 592/2 Soi Nam Tok Mae Sa 8 Mae Raem.
Baan Suan Mae Rim is located in Mae Rim, a township North of Chiang Mai. I visited it as part of my Chiang Mai Michelin Guide Scramble in early 2020.
The visit
The dining room was in a pavilion facing a private pond. It was a beautiful and serene place. They had a rich menu with classic Thai dishes both from the Southern and Northern tradition.
I ordered a kung foi chup paeng to: basically a freshwater shrimp tempura. It is a dish seen in street food. This was really delicate and not heavy to eat despite being a fried dish.
Then I had a spicy tuna salad (yum tuna). It was a simple dish, with canned tuna, but really good.
The piece of resistance of the lunch was a kaengsom cha om chup khai kung: a sweet and sour soup with pieces of Thai omelette with acacia and shrimps. This is a dish I had once in Bangkok. This was just perfect in terms of balancing between all the flavors and it was also a filling dish with big pieces of omelette and shrimp.
The check
The total check was 355 THB (11 USD). I shared this lunch with my driver, so effectively the cost was 5.5 USD per person for delicious food in a nice environment. You can still find bargains like this in Chiang Mai. The only glitch is that is far away from central Chiang Mai and it will cost you twice as much to arrive at the restaurant and go back. I think it can be a smart stop if you are in Mae Rim for sightseeing and you wish to have a nice meal. (There are indeed a lot of things to see in Mae Rim nearby, from an Orchid and Butterfly farm to the former residence of Dara Rasmee, the last princess of the Lanna kingdom.)
Cuisine de Garden is a restaurant in Chiang Mai specializing in creative tasting menus using top-shelf Thai ingredients transformed into creative dishes with a Japanese influence. The chef-owner also operates a restaurant with the same name in Bangkok.
Let’s see the tasting menus for January 2020 and the summer 2020 menu.
The visit 1: January 2020
The restaurant is located in the Southern part of Chiang Mai in a house immersed in a lush garden.
The interior features a contemporary dining room with both tables and counter seats. I sat at the counter which was nice because all dishes were finished up, if not outright assembled, on the counter. It felt like a Japanese kaiseki, but with Thai ingredients.
During my first visit, on the blackboard above the kitchen area the main ingredients of the day were nicely drawn.
The drink menu was essential, but not a problem since I only drink water. There was a wine pairing available. I highly appreciated that water was not overpriced. A rare find these days!
The amuse bouche was a bite of a jelly with local spices.
The first appetizer was a sort of mille-feuille with crustacean meat and lime caviar (a very prized ingredient these days).
Next was oyster and calamansi.
The final appetizer was a Thai fish sashimi with herbs. Now that I look again at the plating, do I see a fish head shape?
The first main was a combination of figs, cream cheese, and a cat fish “bacon”. Basically the cat fish meat was dried and crispy like bacon. A very interesting and delicious solution.
Then there was their tartine with fermented fish and fruit. The tartine was made of Japanese floor and on the right there were goodberries.
Then I was brought an egg with a sort of nest. I was instructed to open the egg and pour the content on the dish. The next was just to place the egg shell.
Actually the result was not bad. What I got was a very interesting dish with three layers: the “onsen” egg, the fried noodles, and free-range chicken fibers with its juice. This is one of their signature dishes that is usually on the menu.
Then, hidden beneath a leaf, there was a piece of Buk Siam fish and green mustard leaves.
Finally, the mains were topped by a coffee glazed pork belly with winter pumpkin.
This last dish came with steamed rice and dashi broth to be eaten “Japanese style” (ochazuke). A rice dish is a classic ending also for traditional kaiseki. As always, the presentation was impressive.
The main dessert was a composition of different textures of white chocolate. It was an incredibly elegant dish and also nice to eat.
Then there was also a bucket or stones… with one edible. Well, I saw this trick from Gaggan, but who knows who invented it. I did not have the courage to ask.
Finally I was offered an herbal infusion…
…and a trio of petit four.
The visit 2: Summer 2020 menu
In my second visit I went with a friend in early March 2020 for dinner. There was a new tasting menu. The chef was in Bangkok, but his crew took well care of us and two other tourists… we were a couple of weeks away from the Covid-19 lockdown.
The menu had the same grammar but many new dishes.
The amuse bouche was a combination of three different bites with local spices.
The second dish was quite fun. We were given a bowl with tiny dried shrimps and various ingredients (coriander, Sichuan pepper, chili…) to be mixed and shaken together.
Then there was a deep fried frog leg with summer citrus. I am not a fan of frog, but the taste was good.
The next dish was a tartine with fermented cat fish (in garlic) and good berry and papaya jam. This is also a signature dish, a similar one was also in the previous menu.
Then we were served a piece of Buk Siam fish with pickled tomatoes and vinaigrette, to be soaked in a broth.
The signature onsen egg with free-range chicken fibers and dried noodles was again present.
The last dish was sliced beef with black rice and dashi stock. I was not particularly impressed by the beef.
The final part of the dinner started with a mango granita, figs, and cheese.
The next dessert was a delicious banana custard and ice cream.
Finally there was again the treasure hunt for the edible stone (filled with coconut milk) and petit four (to be mentioned the use of sticky rice, a nice kick back to the Thai tradition).
We were also offered some green tea to complete our meal.
The check(s)
The price after adding water was around 1,900 THB per person (58.5 USD). Same price on both occasions, even if in the second menu two dishes were lumped together with the amuse bouche. I think the price was more than reasonable for this kind of creative tasting menu.
Personally I liked it. I appreciated the impressive visual presentation of the dishes, the combination of Thai and Japanese flavors and techniques, and seeing the dishes completed on the counter was a nice plus. If you like multi-course menus, this is an unmissable stop in Chiang Mai.
Where in Chiang Mai: 99 Moo 11, Hang Dong. Website (for reservations): www.cuisinedegarden.com.
Papaya salad (som tam) is a quintessential Thai dish and there are restaurants specializing in it. Som Tam Udon is a popular restaurant in Chiang Mai doing just that: serving a variety of papaya salad dishes.
The visit
I went on an evening, after 6pm (the restaurant closes at 8pm) and it was a good call because I avoided the lunch crowd that can be overwhelming.
The restaurant is clearly organized to handle big crowds including tourists. First, I ordered at the kitchen counter where I was handed the menu.
At the counter they had buckets of nuts and dried herbs that I guess you could freely add to your dish.
The menu is a long list of papaya salad with different ingredients: from cockle, to seafood and meat. They also have fruit, mango, cucumber salads. The pictures above are just a part of the full menu. I opted for a seafood salad.
Then I found a table where to eat and wait for my order.
Fork and spoon were not provided at the table. You have to take them by yourself. There is also an interesting dip sauce that you can take in a self-service station.
Finally I was served my papaya salad that came with a good amount of fresh seafood: squid, prawns, cockles were there. The restaurant is famous for the spiciness of its papaya. It was spicy! But bearable. Not sure if they toned it down for a farang. There was on the menu also a spicy seafood salad that was probably the one to order if you want feel the hell’s flames in your mouth.
I noticed they had bingsu desserts. I found kind of odd to find a Korean dessert in such a traditional Thai restaurant. It looked like they were some kind of pre-packaged bingsu.
Finally I headed to the cashier to settle my check.
The check
I spent 81 THB, 60 for the salad, the rest for a drink and the extra dressings from the self-service station. That was just 2.5 USD for what was a delicious and rich dish. There was a great deal of seafood in such an affordable dish. Ironically, I spent more for the transportation to and from the restaurant, which it is not that far away from the Northern side of the Old City and Nimman area.
It is a recommended experience in Chiang Mai and I suggest you to go at the end of the day as I did to avoid crowds.
Where in Chiang Mai: 3/2 Soi Tantawan, Tambon Chang Phueak, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai.
B Samcook Home16 is a restaurant in Chiang Mai that offers dinner set menus combining Thai flavors with Western, Japanese and Chinese influences. It is also open for lunch with a la carte menu. Let’s get this out of the way: Samcook is one of the most interesting and fulfilling dining experiences in Chiang Mai. Both the flavors and the service won me over and I ended up trying it twice. What they did on my second visit was remarkable.
The visit(s)
It is a popular restaurant and is often fully booked for dinner. I later discovered that, at the time of my visit, it was number 1 in a famous trip recommendation website that I truly despise but it is relied on by many tourists. In this case I can see why it attracts so many positive reviews. Spot totally deserved.
The restaurant is located in a house in the Southern part of Chiang Mai. It is also a home stay (not to self: next time book a room there!). The interior is modern and with visually appealing decorations.
A notice at the entrance set the mood: Sam Cook is a family operation that strives to provide an intimate dining experience. The pillar of the kitchen is, of course, Sam that came to my table several times to explain the dishes.
The dinner opened with a cold herbal drink.
The starter was a spring roll with cream cheese and crab meat. Really delicious. This and all the dishes came with edible flowers coming from Sam’s garden.
The next dish was a brilliant cross-over between the classic tom yum Thai soup with coconut and the Vietnamese pho soup, with two skewered prawns. I could definitely detect the herbal flavors of a Vietnamese pho.
The next dish – and we are still in the appetizer part of the menu! – was a pork rib with garlic pepper sauce. The rib was described on the menu as a fusion between Chinese and Thai cuisine: the rib had been boiled with Chinese herbs for two hours, then stir-fried with fresh garlic and sweet chili sauce. To be eaten with your hand, the result was tender and flavorful.
Before proceeding with the mains, I was offered a tomato juice palate cleanser.
The first main was a salmon with a delicate lemon spicy sauce. Sam buys full salmons and cleans them himself. The dish was described as a fusion between Western cuisine (the grilled salmon) and Thai (the sauce).
The second main was a smoked duck leg with a mix-berry sauce and dragon fruit. The flavors all amalgamated splendidly.
At this point Sam asked me if I wanted an extra main… but I was almost full so I went for the next dish, the dessert that included a passion fruit drink and a classic Thai sticky rice dessert. On the plate there was a stuffed elephant that was a gift to keep.
Before living I was offered another gift, a cup of coconut ice cream. Finally, they asked me where my hotel was and called a Grab Car to take me back. What was amazing is that they insisted on paying for my trip back (it was almost 15% of the value of the bill!). They offered an amazing deal of care.
My first visit was at the end of January 2020. I went back in early March with a friend, again reserving my spot via Facebook. My friend got a menu quite similar to the one I had back in January. However, Sam offered me an alternative blind menu with all new dishes. This was unexpected (I did not mind eating again some of the original dishes) and, once again, a great example of real customer care.
My special menu started with an herbal infusion with a Thai flower. The initial dishes were a cocktail with meaty seared scallops with chili sauce and flowers, tenderloin beef with shiitake mushroom, and a mind-blowing avocado filled with crab meat ans crab roe (my favorite dish of the evening). The palate cleanser this time was a coconut drink. The first main was a colossal salmon dish, with big sashimi slices and oversize rolls with cream cheese (an organic soy sauce procured through a customer was provided). Then there was a Chinese/Thai fusion dish with shrimp ravioli in mussaman curry (this was the dish that I liked the least as the mussaman curry flavor took over, but still a good dish by all means). Finally, the dessert was poached apple jelly and a passion fruit drink. Even the final gift was different (a coin case this time)! I have included the pictures of this second menu in the slideshow above. Once again, we were offered the ride back to our hotel and some ice cream to take away.
The atmosphere was lively and on both visits there was a musical talent playing guitar and singing (but not too loud). Even during the second visit, at a time with very few visitors in Chiang Mai, there were quite a few people for dinner.
The check
This fully satisfying dinner cost me 990 THB (or around 30 USD, including the taxi ride back!). I am showing both the check of my first visit and the one of the second visit with a second diner. Water was included. The value was amazing.
Fusion cuisine is risky, It is easy to get silly and mess up a dish. But not here. All the dishes were substantial, featured top-shelf ingredients, and a lot of preparation. They were labor of love and the result was consistently palatable.
Needless to say, this is a great dining experience in Chiang Mai that I fully recommend.
A board in the dining room with past menus and handwritten comments by satisfied customers.
