The Best Price/quality Restaurant In Chiang Mai Is:

[chanchao]

This was pretty amazing.. there's a (fairly new) big restaurant on the Canal Road close to the intersection with the Middle Ring. It's opposite Mae Hia market. It's called 'Something-or-another Pla-Phao'.

Huge menu, dishes that normally are expensive here are very reasonable.. Like a BIG plate of black pepper crab goes for 120 baht. Goong Ob Wun Sen is 80 baht. Of course more pedestrian dishes are much much cheaper, but we's not order those.

Food taste/quality is very good as well. Recommended.

[rrose070]

I utterly respect Chanchao's opinions on the matter of food. Be assured, I will be there in the next day!

[ThaiPauly]

We have eaten there a lot, the dishes are extremely cheap for the quality, and the knives and forks come in cellophane bags, (nice touch) It is open for lunch as well as dinner and you can feed your leftovers to the fish in the lake, which is good fun.

It does get VERY BUSY at night though

They have a supervised childrens entertainment area, (Bouncy castle type stuff) 20 baht entry fee, with a dining area for parents right next to it.

Im Pla Phao is its actual name, but unless you can read Thai, its right opposite the new intersection.

They have just opened a second one on the way to Doi Saket...same name

TP.

[realthaideal]

Been there too with my friends who have a family. Great way to eat and be able to let the kids go off and run crazy without causing anyone any pain. Looks kind of fun what they get to do actually. Food was quite good too. And it is such a big place as well. Seemed efficiently operated. And I though I read the menu and it said there were few BKK locations as well. That would explain alot, that it's a chain of quality food and entertainment/ diversions. I went about 5 months ago. I kind of forgot about it, but am gonna try to get back and eat some more.

[uptheos]

Agree - it's very good value

[chanchao]

Oops, I suddenly realized this is a Chiang Mai food topic where nobody has mentioned burgers yet. So to make up for that, in the same area on the Canal Road towards the Royal Flora intersection on the left hand side is a cheapo 'Steak' place. 59 baht steak, fries, also salmon 'steak', and burgers.. Also grilled mussels with garlic & (a little) cheese. So kind of 'Western' food done primarily by Thais, for Thais. It's not as good as the best of the in-town Farang Major League places like Dukes et al, but for the price, and if you're in the area, it fits the bill. Garden seating as well as inside (upstairs) aircon area.

[rrose070]

Hate to admit it, but I'm directionally challenged. So, can you guys vector me in? If I'm on Huay Keaw, pointing at Kad Suan Kaew, is this restaurant North or South on Canal Rd., and by how far? Also, which side of street? My growling tummock thanks you!

[rrose070]

One thing more, do they have lobster?

[tigerbeer]

canal road is huge. if someone can help some of us to figure out exactly where this Im Pla Plao is, it would be greatly appreciated. would love to indulge in some good food while my kids play at the kids entertainment area as TP mentioned.

[p1p]

Im Pla Pao is on the right hand, West side of canal road as you head South from Huay Kaew. After you reach the middle ring road (first set of) traffic lights you have to U-Turn at the next available place to go back to the restaurant. I didn't see any lobsters there but they have crabs in abundance..

[PeaceBlondie]

The Canal Road is also called Klongchonprathan Road, and we must be talking well south of Suthep Road, even further south of Huay Kaew. That road is well paved below the turnoff to Samoeng now. We cannot agree which is the first, second, etc., ring road. But does it have a pond going to the road, is it on the west side of the divided road, and is it just north of the intersection that recently had the bridge built with the crossover, making it one stoplight north of the Royal Flora/Night Safari intersection, etc?

[chanchao]

Yes.

From town, you'd go South along the Canal Road from Suthep Road (Ton Payom Market) and keep going. It's pretty much at the first traffic lights you hit, which are the Middle Ring traffic lights. It's on the right side of the road just South of those traffic lights, so you'd keep going and take the first U-turn after those traffic lights.

[tigerbeer]

thank u!!!. hmmm i want some crabs. somehow in chiang mai, the crabs are never fresh. meat powdery in feel and lousy in taste. got crabs from makro the other day. two big alive ones. one of them was super nice, the other

[chanchao]

If you'd just speak crab you could just ask them.

Anyway, P1p has recommended a seafood wholesale place around the Khamthieng area a couple of times.. That's probably as fresh as it's ever going to get in Chiang Mai

Edited December 3, 2007 by chanchao

[rrose070]

We looked last night but even with a Thai along, didn't find it. (Would have helped to have printed out the directions). Crabby hungry hubby ran out of steam, so we suffered through another scrumptious sushi feast at Tsunami. Ha ha! I just realized (see above) how obsessed I've now become with crab! I'm not giving up though. I'll get there sooner or later! Any of you who go, could you maybe tie a yellow ribbon on somethiinng or something???

[Tywais]

We looked last night but even with a Thai along, didn't find it. (Would have helped to have printed out the directions).

I believe this is the location, correct me if wrong. About 5.5 kms down the canal road from Suthep. Pass the 3 way stop light to the first U-turn and come back. Will be on the left side of the road.

[Priceless]

As always spot on, Tywais

Priceless (who lives just a little bit further south)

[Tywais]

As always spot on, Tywais

Priceless (who lives just a little bit further south)

Funny thing is that I drive by that place everyday to work and thought it looked like an interesting place to try. Didn't know the name and now that it has been 'reviewed' will have to give it a try.

[meadish_sweetball]

Tried it out yesterday. As reported, good quality/price ratio.

Very popular too by the looks of it, we arrived early (just before 5 PM) when there were still seats left. When we got up to leave about one hour later, three large Thai families were waiting to get seated. Then again yesterday was a public holiday - it's probably not quite as busy normally.

As for the food, it was definitely good, but not fantastic.

They phak waan phad nam man hoi (phak waan vegetable stir-fried in oyster sauce), and the bpuu nim phad phong karii (soft-shelled crab stir fried with egg and yellow curry powder) were both very tasty and the portions were a lot larger than your average Thai restaurant geared primarily against Thais.

Ordered four dishes with rice for two people, and that was too much. Three would have been enough.

The dtom khaa kai (coconut cream soup with galangal and chicken) was not too impressive and the som dtam bpuu (green papaya salad with crab) was apparently not top notch either (I didn't try that one so you'll have to go by my wife's judgement).

The service was quite efficient considering the amount of people there.

We will probably return at some point, but don't feel in a hurry to do so.

[rrose070]

Found it! What a gem. Stuffed 4 deliciously for 1/4 the price of our far-less-delicious meal at Fine Thanks. Yum!