Good Places To Eat In Chiang Mai

[hong]

Hi All

Ive just opened a new Fish & Chips shop called Danny's located in the Muay Thai Boxing Stadium and Beer Bar Centre on Loi Kroh Road. We use fresh grouper fillets which we purchase daily and do it in a special beer batter with home made chips.

We also do great hot dogs using Old English Sausages and large buns with Bacon onion and cheese. We have burgers and English Pies as well. Basically its a small takeaway with Pub Food for the Customers of the Beer Bars and those on Loi Kroh Road,

Hope some of you can check it out.

Is your name call Danny? How much is your fish&chips cost? What is on the menu other then your intro? How much you spend on this new set up?

I hope to try it out as a support to you on my next visit.

Edited August 8, 2006 by hong

[Ulysses G.]

Ive just opened a new Fish & Chips shop called Danny's located in the Muay Thai Boxing Stadium and Beer Bar Centre on Loi Kroh Road.

I'm sure that the Charlie's Fish and Chips guy right around the corner will be most thrilled!

[Harry2]

Out of all the Italian restaurants I have visited in the entire world, Pum Pui (by Top North Guest House) is my favourite yet.

The original pum pui was great, but lately they have provided less than quality in their italian food. The original owner if pum pui has moved to a place on Mae Jo road, about Km #1. The name of this restaurant I can't recall, but it is excellent food and atmosphere is great if like sitting inside...

Thanks for the info on where the original owner of Pom Pui has moved to I shall try it soon. The original Pom Pui was great from around 1997 till 2002ish when the owner (Sergio?) sold out. I went once after that in about 2004 & found it to be appalling quality, the pizza had grotty, cheap ingredients & the owner glared over the top of his newspaper at diners. Maybe it has changed hands again & improved?

[sabaijai]

Out of all the Italian restaurants I have visited in the entire world, Pum Pui (by Top North Guest House) is my favourite yet.

The original pum pui was great, but lately they have provided less than quality in their italian food. The original owner if pum pui has moved to a place on Mae Jo road, about Km #1. The name of this restaurant I can't recall, but it is excellent food and atmosphere is great if like sitting inside...

Sergio's new place is called Buonissimo. Huge wine cellar in back.

[JT65]

Hi All

Ive just opened a new Fish & Chips shop called Danny's located in the Muay Thai Boxing Stadium and Beer Bar Centre on Loi Kroh Road. We use fresh grouper fillets which we purchase daily and do it in a special beer batter with home made chips.

We also do great hot dogs using Old English Sausages and large buns with Bacon onion and cheese. We have burgers and English Pies as well. Basically its a small takeaway with Pub Food for the Customers of the Beer Bars and those on Loi Kroh Road,

Hope some of you can check it out.

Is your name call Danny? How much is your fish&chips cost? What is on the menu other then your intro? How much you spend on this new set up?

I hope to try it out as a support to you on my next visit.

My name is not Danny, Danny is my six week old little boy. Our fish and chips cost 130bht and we have seafood basket with fish pieces, calamari and crab sticks with chips at 140 bht. We also do fish pieces and chips for 100 bht.

Our menu is as follows:

Fish & Chips 130bht

Seafood Basket 140 bht

Calamari & Chips 85 bht

Fish Pieces and Chips 100bht

Beef Hamburger & Chips 100bht

Aussie Hot Dog & Chips 85bht

Steak & Onion Pie with chips 120bht

Curry Chicken Pie with chips 120bht

Pork Pie with chips 110bht

Soy Chicken wings 85bht

Large Chips 55bht

Look forward to seeing you during your next visit. We generally cater to the patrons of the Beer Bars and most customers take away to eat at their bar of choice.

Cheers

PS- I know about Charlies Fish and Chips and he makes a very good Fish & Chips although I dont feel we will clash too much as we cater more to the late night market where I think Charlie closes quite early.

[Ulysses G.]

PS- I know about Charlies Fish and Chips and he makes a very good Fish & Chips although I dont feel we will clash too much as we cater more to the late night market where I think Charlie closes quite early.

That works out well for everybody.

[Ulysses G.]

Out of all the Italian restaurants I have visited in the entire world, Pum Pui (by Top North Guest House) is my favourite yet.

The original pum pui was great, but lately they have provided less than quality in their italian food. The original owner if pum pui has moved to a place on Mae Jo road, about Km #1. The name of this restaurant I can't recall, but it is excellent food and atmosphere is great if like sitting inside...

Thanks for the info on where the original owner of Pom Pui has moved to I shall try it soon. The original Pom Pui was great from around 1997 till 2002ish when the owner (Sergio?) sold out. I went once after that in about 2004 & found it to be appalling quality, the pizza had grotty, cheap ingredients & the owner glared over the top of his newspaper at diners. Maybe it has changed hands again & improved?

The new owner is quite a nice person too, but Sergio is naturally friendly where Franco is much more shy and has to work at PR although he was a real chef in Italy unlike many of the Italian restaurant owners here. He also has physical problems that can cause him a lot of pain and can be misinterpreted as indifference.

I have been hearing a lot of reports that the food at Pum Pui is quite good now-a-days and plan to check it out in the next few days.

Edited August 9, 2006 by Ulysses G.

[adjan jb]

I have been hearing a lot of reports that the food at Pum Pui is quite good now-a-days and plan to check it out in the next few days.

Tell me when GP.

[Ulysses G.]

Tonight, about 9:30 PM.

Introduce yourself!

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Out of all the Italian restaurants I have visited in the entire world, Pum Pui (by Top North Guest House) is my favourite yet.

The original pum pui was great, but lately they have provided less than quality in their italian food. The original owner if pum pui has moved to a place on Mae Jo road, about Km #1. The name of this restaurant I can't recall, but it is excellent food and atmosphere is great if like sitting inside...

Thanks for the info on where the original owner of Pom Pui has moved to I shall try it soon. The original Pom Pui was great from around 1997 till 2002ish when the owner (Sergio?) sold out. I went once after that in about 2004 & found it to be appalling quality, the pizza had grotty, cheap ingredients & the owner glared over the top of his newspaper at diners. Maybe it has changed hands again & improved?

The new owner is quite a nice person too, but Sergio is naturally friendly where Franco is much more shy and has to work at PR although he was a real chef in Italy unlike many of the Italian restaurant owners here. He also has physical problems that can cause him a lot of pain and can be misinterpreted as indifference.

I have been hearing a lot of reports that the food at Pum Pui is quite good now-a-days and plan to check it out in the next few days.

I actually prefer not speaking to Maitre D's. I have seen a few in Chiang Mai that just bully their staff. Why don't they understand that this doesn't create a good atmosphere?

I much prefer the new guy in Da Stefanos in Tha Pae gate. The old guy would just bitch and bully. Needless to say I never go to the Riverside branch.

[Rasseru]

I have been hearing a lot of reports that the food at Pum Pui is quite good now-a-days and plan to check it out in the next few days.

I went last week and enjoyed it very much. So far I have found nowhere that comes anywhere close to the quality of the Italian restaurants I used to go to in Tokyo until a month or so ago, before moving here, but Pum Pui was pleasant, and unlike some other places in town, the chef knows that pasta is meant to be served al dente.

[Rasseru]

After reading so much about Miguel's Mexican here on tv.com, I finally tried it out last night for the first time. My impressions of the place itself: clean, nicely done for a fast-food-style place, more inviting than Mike's Burgers, with tables inside plus counter stools. Kind of a seedy location, with the short-time Miami Hotel next door, and a strip of girlie bars around the corner and down the soi, but it somehow seems to meld perfectly with that spot.

I ordered just one item from the large menu, a pork taco. Technically it was not a taco, since it was made with a wheat-flour tortilla rather than a corn tortilla. Hence it was more like a burrito - a folded burrito. The menu described the pork as 'carnitas', which is a very specific way of preparing pork in Mexico in which an entire pig is braised/stewed for many hours in a copper or cast-iron tub, resulting in super-tender meat. Seasonings that go into carnitas are jealously guarded secrets in Mexico but there is a commonality of flavours you get from a true carnitas (fruit is one of them), and the pork at Miguel's didn't taste like any carnitas I'd ever had in Mexico (or the US for that matter). I'd guess it wasn't cooked in the traditional way.

Setting these two misnomers aside, it was quite tasty. The flour tortillas are made fresh on the premises and were more delicious and more authentically Mexican than most flour tortillas you find in the USA, and pretty close to what you find in northern Mexico. A very pleasant surprise.

The pork, while not nearly as tender as Mexican carnitas, was an acceptable shredded roast pork with Mexican seasonings. Cheese is included automatically, which is very different from tacos in Mexico, where cheese is only added on request. The cheese tasted like mozzarella (maybe it was a jack, not sure) but it worked. The homemade salsa provided at every table was another surprise - fresh, with an excellent, traditionally Mexican balance of flavours (tomatoes, cilantro, lime, salt, chiles, maybe a little onion). Dousing the taco liberally with this salsa, made for a very pleasant dining experience. The taco cost 50 baht, which seems decent value in retrospect.

I brought along two friends, one British and one Thai, both of whom had never eaten Mexican food before. Neither were very enthused about the idea, either, but they both devoured the pork tacos with obvious relish. They also ordered margaritas (80B), which I tasted and found to be excellent. Here again you get the American version - frozen blender-made, rather than on the rocks (in Mexico only tourist resorts serve frozen margaritas, otherwise it's en las rocas).

It looks as if the only tortillas served here are flour tortillas, and the selections looks to be mainly border cooking. There are no Mexican entrees on the menu, only antojitos (snacks). Still, I look forward to coming back and trying other items on the menu.

BTW Miguel himself was nowhere to be seen.

I just chanced on Miguel's today, and was thrilled. Hadn't read this post of yours, which I only looked up after I got back, or anything else about it, literally just chanced upon it riding down the street looking for a bite to eat. I had only one chicken taco and one margarita, but I was one happy camper as soon as I tasted each. I just moved to Chiangmai, and have been getting used to the fact that I won't be eating Japanese and Italian food of the quality and variety I am used to, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find that Chiangmai has Mexican food that is better by many times anything I ever found in Tokyo.

Oh, and Sabaijai, even without the benefit of your post, I made sure when ordering the margarita that they not serve it frozen or with a salted glass rim. No problem -- they brought it just how I wanted it. Not only was it wonderfully delicious, but they were not shy about using a decent amount of tequila -- I realized as I was finishing my one margarita that I had better give it a little time before getting back on my motorcycle! Maybe that is typical here in Chiangmai, but it is not in a lot of other places I`ve been.

[sabaijai]

After reading so much about Miguel's Mexican here on tv.com, I finally tried it out last night for the first time. My impressions of the place itself: clean, nicely done for a fast-food-style place, more inviting than Mike's Burgers, with tables inside plus counter stools. Kind of a seedy location, with the short-time Miami Hotel next door, and a strip of girlie bars around the corner and down the soi, but it somehow seems to meld perfectly with that spot.

I ordered just one item from the large menu, a pork taco. Technically it was not a taco, since it was made with a wheat-flour tortilla rather than a corn tortilla. Hence it was more like a burrito - a folded burrito. The menu described the pork as 'carnitas', which is a very specific way of preparing pork in Mexico in which an entire pig is braised/stewed for many hours in a copper or cast-iron tub, resulting in super-tender meat. Seasonings that go into carnitas are jealously guarded secrets in Mexico but there is a commonality of flavours you get from a true carnitas (fruit is one of them), and the pork at Miguel's didn't taste like any carnitas I'd ever had in Mexico (or the US for that matter). I'd guess it wasn't cooked in the traditional way.

Setting these two misnomers aside, it was quite tasty. The flour tortillas are made fresh on the premises and were more delicious and more authentically Mexican than most flour tortillas you find in the USA, and pretty close to what you find in northern Mexico. A very pleasant surprise.

The pork, while not nearly as tender as Mexican carnitas, was an acceptable shredded roast pork with Mexican seasonings. Cheese is included automatically, which is very different from tacos in Mexico, where cheese is only added on request. The cheese tasted like mozzarella (maybe it was a jack, not sure) but it worked. The homemade salsa provided at every table was another surprise - fresh, with an excellent, traditionally Mexican balance of flavours (tomatoes, cilantro, lime, salt, chiles, maybe a little onion). Dousing the taco liberally with this salsa, made for a very pleasant dining experience. The taco cost 50 baht, which seems decent value in retrospect.

I brought along two friends, one British and one Thai, both of whom had never eaten Mexican food before. Neither were very enthused about the idea, either, but they both devoured the pork tacos with obvious relish. They also ordered margaritas (80B), which I tasted and found to be excellent. Here again you get the American version - frozen blender-made, rather than on the rocks (in Mexico only tourist resorts serve frozen margaritas, otherwise it's en las rocas).

It looks as if the only tortillas served here are flour tortillas, and the selections looks to be mainly border cooking. There are no Mexican entrees on the menu, only antojitos (snacks). Still, I look forward to coming back and trying other items on the menu.

BTW Miguel himself was nowhere to be seen.

I just chanced on Miguel's today, and was thrilled. Hadn't read this post of yours, which I only looked up after I got back, or anything else about it, literally just chanced upon it riding down the street looking for a bite to eat. I had only one chicken taco and one margarita, but I was one happy camper as soon as I tasted each. I just moved to Chiangmai, and have been getting used to the fact that I won't be eating Japanese and Italian food of the quality and variety I am used to, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find that Chiangmai has Mexican food that is better by many times anything I ever found in Tokyo.

Oh, and Sabaijai, even without the benefit of your post, I made sure when ordering the margarita that they not serve it frozen or with a salted glass rim. No problem -- they brought it just how I wanted it. Not only was it wonderfully delicious, but they were not shy about using a decent amount of tequila -- I realized as I was finishing my one margarita that I had better give it a little time before getting back on my motorcycle! Maybe that is typical here in Chiangmai, but it is not in a lot of other places I`ve been.

I think Miguel's makes the best margaritas in Chiang Mai. Got to have the salted rim myself.

By the way since I wrote my little review, Miguel's has begun using real corn tortilla chips for the nachos, huge improvement!

[Ulysses G.]

Avocodo is in season now so try his guacamoli!

[Rasseru]

I like "The House's" Tapas Menu . . . .

I am surprised, ThaiPauly, that your mention of this place last year seems to be the only one on this forum! Went there last night and loved it. The house wine -- there are four, but we went for a white chardonnay, Spanish, if memory serves -- was excellent, and all of the five tapas dishes we ordered were really superb. On top of that, the covered outdoor seating area was pleasant, and I think would be even in one of the downpours that seem to go with the season we are in now, the decor was very attractive and the people were very pleasant. It took my wife all of ten minutes to conclude that this was going to be one of her favorite places in Chiangmai to go for dinner. Far better, in the Western food range, than any other place we have been so far.

[Rasseru]

OK, so I imagine my love of food is starting to show through here, but I won't let that get in my way of yet another restaurant report.

As best I can tell, the place my wife and I had lunch today has not been reviewed here before. Trouble is, I can't quite be sure of that, because I don't know Thai and I don't have a very good idea of how its name is spelled in English, so I could not do a thorough search of the thread to check. We found it in a Chiangmai restaurant guidebook in Japanese. Working phonetically from the Japanese, the name is something like "Shiatun Kunten". My hope is that someone else on the forum will know the place and jump in with the name.

The restaurant is about twenty minutes by car to the east of Chiangmai, in an area called Sankampeng. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, meaning there are a lot of open fields around, either on or not far off the Doi Saket Road. If you're interested in going and speak Thai, I would suggest calling the place to get a description of how to get there. That may save you the wandering around that we went through looking for it. The number is 09-852-0122.

The dining areas of the restaurant consist of a number of wooden platforms set on posts just a few centimeters above a large pond, and all connected by walkways. These dining areas vary in size, but each is basically the size of a small room. Most have a thick reed roof overhead, a very nice thing on a day like today, when the sun was blazing, but the breeze coming through over the pond was pleasantly cool.

Thai food, of course, although I couldn't tell you what particular kind. We had three dishes, two of which were, for us, a little unusual. The most unusual was a plateful of deep-fried locusts. Those who are used to and love eating insects will have to try them and let us know how they compare to what is served elsewhere. I can only say that it was a first for both my wife and me, and we expected to have a little trouble getting them down -- you know, the "idea" of eating bugs and all that -- but, on the contrary, not only had no trouble at all, but thought they were delicious. Put another way, after our first grazing, I was reduced to picking up the little individual legs left on the plate, after which was nothing left at all.

The other sort of unusual dish was, I suppose, a kind of Thai salad. It had some very small and slender fresh-water shrimp, lemon grass, onion and a tasty and hot spice mixture. What made it unusual was that the shrimp were all very much alive at the outset. We lifted the cover a little bit to see what was happening, and had to slam it down right away because they were jumping all over the place and would have been out and spread across the table top in no time. The trick is to get the shrimp to settle down -- that is, to half kill them --- by shaking the container vigourously, with the lid on it of course, for a minute or so. Apart from the thrills, this dish too was wonderful, very fresh and tasty.

Our third dish was deep-fried squid. I was quite surprised to find it fresher and more tender and light than any I have had before, including in Japan, which I had previously thought could not be beat at that game.

We had our guidebook to point at pictures of what we wanted, but they have an English menu, which they brought out separately after the Thai one. The Thai menu has some pictures, but the English one does not, so even if you don't know Thai, you might want to ask for the Thai menu if they don't bring it.

[SamSipEt]

Sounds marvellous but watch the waistline

[Rasseru]

My apologies. I had meant to post that as a new entry in the existing thread about places to eat in Chiangmai, not to start an entirely new thread. If someone can change it to fit my intention, I'd be grateful. I'll be more careful next time.

[sbk]

My apologies. I had meant to post that as a new entry in the existing thread about places to eat in Chiangmai, not to start an entirely new thread. If someone can change it to fit my intention, I'd be grateful. I'll be more careful next time.

Done. No problem.

[Rasseru]

My apologies. I had meant to post that as a new entry in the existing thread about places to eat in Chiangmai, not to start an entirely new thread. If someone can change it to fit my intention, I'd be grateful. I'll be more careful next time.

Done. No problem.

Thanks!

[Ulysses G.]

I like "The House's" Tapas Menu . . . .

I am surprised, ThaiPauly, that your mention of this place last year seems to be the only one on this forum! Went there last night and loved it. The house wine -- there are four, but we went for a white chardonnay, Spanish, if memory serves -- was excellent, and all of the five tapas dishes we ordered were really superb. On top of that, the covered outdoor seating area was pleasant, and I think would be even in one of the downpours that seem to go with the season we are in now, the decor was very attractive and the people were very pleasant. It took my wife all of ten minutes to conclude that this was going to be one of her favorite places in Chiangmai to go for dinner. Far better, in the Western food range, than any other place we have been so far.

I enjoy the house, But find it a little too expensive for what you get. It is certainly worth going to once in a while for a change, but I think some other local restaurants provide the same quality at half the price.

I guess that they don't offer one the tapas menu in the main dining room because I've been there many times, but have never seen it. I hope that I can remember to ask for it as I plan on trying the place again in a couple of days.

Edited August 15, 2006 by Ulysses G.

[Rasseru]

I guess that they don't offer one the tapas menu in the main dining room because I've been there many times, but have never seen it. I hope that I can remember to ask for it as I plan on trying the place again in a couple of days.

I got the impression that the tapas menu is offered only in the separate tapas bar, and that the main dining room menu is not offered in the tapas bar.

[lamphun]

As best I can tell, the place my wife and I had lunch today has not been reviewed here before. Trouble is, I can't quite be sure of that, because I don't know Thai and I don't have a very good idea of how its name is spelled in English, so I could not do a thorough search of the thread to check. We found it in a Chiangmai restaurant guidebook in Japanese. Working phonetically from the Japanese, the name is something like "Shiatun Kunten". My hope is that someone else on the forum will know the place and jump in with the name.

The restaurant is about twenty minutes by car to the east of Chiangmai, in an area called Sankampeng. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, meaning there are a lot of open fields around, either on or not far off the Doi Saket Road. If you're interested in going and speak Thai, I would suggest calling the place to get a description of how to get there. That may save you the wandering around that we went through looking for it. The number is 09-852-0122.

It's called "Goong Dten" and it's on the outer ring road, Head towards Doi Saket turn right onto the outer ring road and it's on the right after a km or so.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I guess that they don't offer one the tapas menu in the main dining room because I've been there many times, but have never seen it. I hope that I can remember to ask for it as I plan on trying the place again in a couple of days.

UG, I can save you some more money.

Don't bother.

It is over-priced. There is not a great choice.

You have to go to the left-hand side of The House to get there. If it is quiet you have to hunt down someone to take your order.

I don't know who decided to open a Tapas Bar there. I suspect there is no Spanish influence. I would love to see a good Tapas Bar in CM, but there's not one yet...

[Mahseer]

I can't find a Malaysian restaurant in town but surely (maybe not?) there has to be some. Logic says there are plenty of Malaysian visitors to these parts but the only reference I have seen is Chancao's for the place n Suthep Road so does anyone have a recommendation to share?

[chanchao]

http://chanchao.fotopages.com/?entry=64940

Chanchao, can you be a bit more specific with your directions? Are you calling the Airport-New Sankumphaeng road a ring road? Which direction are you travelling in (east, west, etc)? Thanks!

Yes, Aom Muang Road. Can't explain it clearer than is already in that link:

"This one is off Aom Muang road, the Southern part of the ring road. The place is called 'Mae Jam Paa'. When coming from Nong Hoy intersection on the ring road going towards Don Chan (Big C) intersection, do a U-turn under the frist flyover over the railway tracks, then it's the first soi on the left. (Soi Techno Asia) Keep driving along the little canal and cross the little bridge at the first opportunity, the shop is right there. Many cars will be parked there at lunchtime."

[CalicoConsulting]

Do you love Indian food?

Ganga Jamuna Restaurant, very close to the Prince Hotel, opened in late June and has the best and most authentic Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. The menu is huge, with a whole lot of English, and I suspect everything is delicious. I know everything I've ordered is delicious. I found them one afternoon, and returned later in the afternoon for more food. If you visit, you might see me. I think I'll be there that often.

I get questions in my email about why I left China after 6.5 years and why I moved to Chiang Mai. Well, aside from the fact that I wanted to come here while I still had two functioning brain cells to rub together, I've discovered at the age of 40 plus that culinary considerations matter to me. Having an awesome Indian restaurant matters. Having an awesome Indian restaurant that delivers rocks my world.

The menu is huge. The proprietors are from India. The food is phenomenal. The phone number is 053-233771. The address is Taiwong Road, Muang Chiang Mai, and if you find that you're there since the road's rather small. The place is large and roomy, the music is Indian and subdued, the menu is large and mouth-watering, the staff would rather speak English than Thai which really messes with my head, the ceiling fans are quite effective, the decor is quite beautiful, the atmosphere is just so great, the kitchen is huge, the smells are such that you actually hate to leave if you're buying takeaway. They also deliver, which I plan to experience quite soon. But ######. Get yourself some Aaloo Gobi and some Chicken Curry and some Chicken Tandoori and just wet yourself.

In other words, I'll be eating a whole lot of their food. But you already knew that, right? Of course you did. I'm not being subtle here. Too happy.

[Ulysses G.]

I keep riding by this place on my bicycle and it looks really comfortable and clean.

I'll have to stop and give it a try.

[Ajarn]

Does sound good, but they only deliver in their own area, not willing to come see me

[Rasseru]

Ganga Jamuna Restaurant, very close to the Prince Hotel, opened in late June and has the best and most authentic Indian food I've ever eaten in my life.

Thanks for this, CalicoConsulting. Turns out it is just down the street from me. Based on your endorsement, I'll be checking it out very, very soon.

Your review is so positive, though, that I am forced to wonder: if I ask to meet the owner, will I be introduced to you?