A Unique Restaurant Review / A Great Idea For Celebrating And Occasion

[GPR]

Hi everybody:-)

I just finished writing a review in trip advisor for "the spirit house" restaurant.

This restaurant is so special and amazing that I though every farang living in Chiang Mai should know about it.

I'm not sure if this post will be regarded as an advertisement and deleted - but I had to try :-)

Anyway - this is not just a restaurant review but also a great idea for celebrating an occasion and a little story about a great experience we had.

I'll cut and paste my trip advisor review here and hopefully the management will not regard it as an advertisement:

The spirit house restaurant - a unique culinary experience in Chiang Mai

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The first time we went there was amazing!

This is a one of these rare places which the owner is also the chef and the host. Steve is a lovely lovely guy who does what he does out of pure love and you can't miss it.

Even beofore we had a look at the menu - he started telling us about today's specials and we knew right then that it's gonna be one of the best meals ever. The way he

describes his totally unique and visionary dishes with such passion makes you want to order everything!

Most of the dishes in his menu and in "today's specials" (which is a list as big as the regular menu itself) are things that you don't see every day not in Chiang Mai

nor in the rest of the world. The man is an artist! :-)

We ordered a "pumpkin orange and ginger" soup which was amazing even though we don't like ginger at all, chicken bits with teragon cream sause which made us lick our

fingers, and a salmon fillet with teriyaki sauce which was also heavenly. The service there is also top of the class! You get some vegetables with a yogurt dip the

minute you sit down, water is free and they always fill your cup before you even realize that it's almost empty - I can't really see how a service in a restaurant can

get any better.

We left the place knowing for sure that we are going to come again very soon and then again and again and again. The menu is so interesting and the whole experience

was so good that we marked this place as one we should be visiting very often.

On top of that - the prices are very reasonable and definitely cost effective! We payed about 400 THB (for a couple).

The second time we went there was an experience we will never ever forget!

It was our anniversary and we wanted to do something special. We called Steve a week in advance and he gave us the culinary experience of our lives. It was a special

culinary experience, with a special (very reasonable) price which needs to be ordered a week in advance.

Steve made small portions of 3 appitizers, 3 soups, 3 salads, 4 main dishes and 3 desserts - which were all served to us as a special meal making us feel like king

and queen for one night :-)

Out of a total of 15 different portions - can you guess how many we didn't like? Well...ZERO! We tried half of the menu and EVERYTHING was just amazing! This kind of

meal is something we'd recommend to every food loving couple who are looking for a special way to celebrate an occasion - just remember to call Steve at least a week

in advance...

To sum it all up: don't miss this one! It's not just a meal - it's an experience to write home about! Thank you Steve for existing :-)

[Ulysses G.]

The owner is very charming and hard working and it is worth visiting the Spirit House more than once for the whole dining experience. I have to admit that I do not think that the food is anything too special, but I do think that it is good.

It is my opinion that this is one of those places that is damned by too much praise as expectations are raised too high, but it is a perfectly pleasant place to eat and especially for Northern Thailand. I hope that the owner does well and will continue to visit from time to time.

[NancyL]

Spirit House is one of our favorite places. Steve is a fantastic guy and great chef. He always seems to be present when the restaurant is open, preparing food and keeping an eye on the service. It's a bit out-of-the-way for us now, but we try to make a special trip once a month or so to see Steve and enjoy one of his fantastic dinners.

[muchogra]

I like pleasant places and this one is definitely noted. All I need now is to look up in the map where it is.

[rakchaingmai]

Google came up with 2 locations is it the one near tanin market .

[uptheos]

It would be useful when recommending somewhere, to say exactly where it is.

[CMNightRider]

Spirit House is one of our favorite places. Steve is a fantastic guy and great chef. He always seems to be present when the restaurant is open, preparing food and keeping an eye on the service. It's a bit out-of-the-way for us now, but we try to make a special trip once a month or so to see Steve and enjoy one of his fantastic dinners.

Where is the Spirt House located?

[GPR]

Spirit House is one of our favorite places. Steve is a fantastic guy and great chef. He always seems to be present when the restaurant is open, preparing food and keeping an eye on the service. It's a bit out-of-the-way for us now, but we try to make a special trip once a month or so to see Steve and enjoy one of his fantastic dinners.

Where is the Spirt House located?

the easiest way to find it will be to remember that it's just across the road from viangbua mansion :

http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/location.htm

[MaxOz]

Spirit House is one of our favorite places. Steve is a fantastic guy and great chef. He always seems to be present when the restaurant is open, preparing food and keeping an eye on the service. It's a bit out-of-the-way for us now, but we try to make a special trip once a month or so to see Steve and enjoy one of his fantastic dinners.

+ 1 on that one Nancy. Steve is a great guy indeed.

As for the OP's review, I would agree with that too.

Best way to describe where it is (nearly directly across the road from Viangbua Mansion) Soi Viangbua off Chang Puak.

[venturalaw]

Spirit House is one of our favorite places. Steve is a fantastic guy and great chef. He always seems to be present when the restaurant is open, preparing food and keeping an eye on the service. It's a bit out-of-the-way for us now, but we try to make a special trip once a month or so to see Steve and enjoy one of his fantastic dinners.

Where is the Spirt House located?

the easiest way to find it will be to remember that it's just across the road from viangbua mansion :

http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/location.htm

A pet peeve of mine. Going on and on about a place then letting everyone guess where it is located. Let's start with the address, shall we? It's your thread; provide the G** D**** information. Across the street from another location doesn't cut it especially when the map of the place being referred to is on a par with most Thai map attempts - poor.

Edited October 27, 2011 by venturalaw

[jackr]

Is this it?:

from Lonely Planet

Address

Soi Viangbua, Th Chang Pheuak

Phone

08 4803 4366

Price

dishes 100-200B

Sometimes the most charming restaurants are just display cases for an eccentric personality. This ­antique-filled dining room is the creative outlet for the American owner who’s a master of many trades, from antique dealer to classical musician. A former chef in New Orleans, he’s a self-described ‘nut about food’ and builds the daily menu around what looks interesting at the market. The restaurant hosts monthly classical concerts and many of the city’s music professors and students hang out here. In the low season, the restaurant is open 5.30pm to 10.30pm.

[ludditeman]

Sorry chaps,

I was only trying to point out to others in that thread that they should be careful when posting about what work they have seen foreigners doing. Guess I was taken the wrong way. But that was not my intention and apologies to anyone I unintentionally upset. Clearly I have a poor sense of humour.

[muchogra]

Sorry chaps,

I was only trying to point out to others in that thread that they should be careful when posting about what work they have seen foreigners doing. Guess I was taken the wrong way. But that was not my intention and apologies to anyone I unintentionally upset. Clearly I have a poor sense of humour.

I believe the misunderstanding should be cleared with your gentle response. I thought that was your intention as you explained here.

Wish I had learned about this place a few months ago when my wife and I stayed at the Mercure (the old Novotel) for 3 nights. We would have had a couple of good evenings there.

Cheers everybody.

[serenitynow]

A former chef in New Orleans,

So is there any New Orleans fare on the menu? Red Beans and Rice will get me to visit. Some gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee will have me in fits of ecstacy.

[MrBrad]

A map of the Spirit House location is here.

[metisdead]

A post containing vulgar language and responses to that post have been deleted. Another insulting and baiting post has been removed. In future, please use the report button to report objectionable posts. Thanks.