Restaurant recommendations

[Ulysses G.]

The food is first class, seriously the nicest Thai food I have had in 7 years here - the price is ridiculous., main courses are around 60 baht - I am sure anyone who has been will back me up on this.

Not me. I like the atmosphere there, but, to me, the food is pretty much the same as any other Thai vegetarian place that makes it fresh. I have never understood why some people think that it is so special.

Some folks rave about A Taste of Heaven too, but I put it right in the same category.

[hanno]

Clearly the OP is more concerned about ambiance and presentation that good grub.

Not sure what makes you say that? I mentioned m ore than once that I am after good food. Maybe you should read all posts before jumping to conclusions???

Scotinsiam, Pun Pun is already pencilled in.

I was starving when I got into Chiang Mai last night and we just headed to the nearest restaurant, "The Riverside".

Let me start with the good: service was outstanding, the ambiance is OK, the beer was ice-cold, and the fish (forgot the name but it was Northern Thailand style) was very good.

As it rained, the had lowered this really ugly blue roof over the terrace, basically blocking what would have been a nice view and making the interior very sombre.

The fried chicken in Pandanus leaf arrived after 2 minutes, it had been pr-fried and just chucked into the frier again; it was lukewarm inside. The steamed rice was so overcooked that I only ate it because I was starving.

Thus, a mixed bag but the place started heaving from 6 onwards so they must be doing something right.

Digestifs we had at the 137 Pillar's House; extremely nice! Punched all my buttons and my friend pronounced the watermelon Mojito as very good (regrettably I only drink beer).

Lunch will be at some local place, watch this space.

[junglechef]

I find that just because a place is busy here, or anywhere for that matter, does not always signify good eats. The Riverside is a touristy place that's enjoyed by its customers I believe not especially for the food per se but as a nice place to eat, especially after one's taste buds have been dulled by a few cocktails. There are different kinds of places for different clientele with different wants and needs.

If I'm not mistaken I believe your still mixing up the two different Pun Pun Restaurants unless you plan on eating at both which wouldn't be the worse thing, I've enjoyed many meals at both myself.

I plan on following your culinary journey as you cut a swath with a knife and fork, or should that be a fork and spoon, through our fine city.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

KFC--for the HI-So's....maybe to impress ur date---they roll out the fine bone china and offer sterling silver cutlery and crystal stemware!

[Ulysses G.]

If I'm not mistaken I believe your still mixing up the two different Pun Pun Restaurants unless you plan on eating at both which wouldn't be the worse thing,

Yes, indeed. There is the manly, meat and potatoes Pun Pun owned by Gonzo and the wimpy vegetarian Pun Pun on temple grounds in the middle of a lovely garden area with really nice trees.

[LawrenceChee]

For culinary experiences ..here are my fav

Ambience and food mix

High Tea - Dhara Devi / Chedi

Dim Sum - Fujian @ Dhara Devi

Buffets - Holiday Inn & Meriden

Brunch - 4 Seasons

Fast Food - KFC !!!

Western - Dukes

Khao Soi - Lamduan along Highway

Chinese Style Seafood - Thamjin & the new one along canal road before the giant windmill

Others - Mix Restaurant @ Promenada

[triffid]

For culinary experiences ..here are my fav

Ambience and food mix

High Tea - Dhara Devi / Chedi

Dim Sum - Fujian @ Dhara Devi

Buffets - Holiday Inn & Meriden

Brunch - 4 Seasons

Fast Food - KFC !!!

Western - Dukes

Khao Soi - Lamduan along Highway

Chinese Style Seafood - Thamjin & the new one along canal road before the giant windmill

Others - Mix Restaurant @ Promenada

I don't think you mean 'high tea' but rather just 'tea' or perhaps 'afternoon tea' - which I agree is very good at the Chedi. ('High tea' is a quite different thing - which really one would not expect to be served at a halfway smart or expensive place.)

Edited September 16, 2013 by triffid

[hanno]

And the culinary journey continues (or should I have a separate blog? I am worried the mods might have a problem with me commenting on restaurants? Plus, I can add more photos):

16^th of September:

I spent the first night at the dusitD2. Not a bad hotel at all, with comfortable rooms and a pretty good location. The breakfast was very good. I usually exercise early in the morning and a good breakfast is vital. They had the usual egg station but it was the breads and pastries that were very good. The homemade "Bircher Muesli" was good but not Bircher Muesli (guys, if you need a recipe, let me know). The mixed fruit smoothie was also very good though service was a bit spotty; I had to get my own tea and the piece of watermelon that someone had dropped was studiously ignored by each and every staff walking buy. All small niggles; I rate the breakfast highly.

Lunch was at the “Khoa Soy Samer Jai”, a very local restaurant (so much for the posters accusing me of searching style over substance). I like these sorts of restaurants, no effort is wasted on interior or ambiance, it is all about the food. The house specialties are Kha-Nom-Jeen-Nam-Ngiew (Small rice noodle with red curry pork and tomatoes) and Khaow-Soi (Egg noodle in curry Lanna style). We also had Nam-Prig-Noum (Spicy green chili dip), Por-Paer-Tord (fried spring rolls) and Moo-Sa-The (Sate Chinese style).

The curry pork was very good, as long as you don’t mind eating coagulated blood. I have no problem with pork blood though I stay away from duck blood. I lived many years in Vietnam where the latter is popular, but after a number of people contracted bird flu from it; I am no giving it a miss. The dish comes with a plate of herbs and sprouts and is a steal at THB 40.00 My friend had the egg noodle curry as she thought it would be too oily for me. It was pretty oily but I actually preferred it to the pork curry.

Give the spring rolls a miss, they are tasteless and dry (again, I lived in Vietnam where they know a thing or two about spring rolls). The Sate were also very good, with the pork grilled to perfection, tasty and tender. The spicy green chili dip was not spicy at all, I thought it was eggplant at first, but also really yummy. Overall a restaurant I can very much recommend for an excellent, quick feed though it might not be the ideal venue to propose to your fiancée.

Well and truly stuffed for around THB 200.00 we moved on to the Vieng Toam On Teahouse. Quite an amazing place and not something I would have expected to find in Chiang Mai. Some of the teas are more geared to the Asian palate, i.e. sickly sweet, but the Masalla Tea was excellent and helped a lot with the oil ingested earlier. Though I was filled to the gills, I could not resist the Blueberry Cheese Cake and it was amazingly good. The place is not cheap, the cheesecake was THB 160.00, but well worth it if you feel like relaxing with a good cuppa.

Late afternoon we did an inspection of the Dhara Dhevi. I have seen some pretty amazing hotels after 30 years in the business, but this hotel left quite an impression on me. I like gardens and landscapes and, with 60 acres of well-maintained greenery, I was not disappointed. It is hard to believe that the hotel is only 9 years old, I could have sworn that the buildings were original. It is maybe almost over the top but I liked everything in this resort; if I ever do get rich I will treat myself for a weekend there (or if they ever need a new General Manager…….).

We went to the “Horn Bar” for cocktails and this was the only place that left a bit of a jarring impression. I did not much care for the décor, all the antlers and horned masks were a bit spooky, and the place is far from cozy. I was also quite surprised to be greeted by the bartender not with “Sawasee krub” or even a “hello” but with “room number?”. Quite a contrast to all the other staff we had met so far. Cocktails were pronounced good by my friend, the beer was ice-cold and the bar snacks were tasty, so all was forgiven.

After a drink or two, we headed on to their French restaurant, the “Farang Ses”. Like everything else in this resort, all is built to a large, a very large, scale. But clever design meant that we still felt quite cozy even though we were the only other two people there. Service was really, really good throughout; I’d hire any of them on the spot. Unobtrusive, they were always alert and trying very hard to please without being servile.

The staff came with our present first: an intricately carved chocolate elephant and pralines. If this was a sign of things to come than this looked very promising indeed.

We are both not wine drinkers so I cannot comment on the wine list. The amuse-bouche was duck liver terrine with truffle sauce. I am no longer a big fan of goose or duck liver, both for health reasons as well as an objection to the way the animals are treated in the process. But between you and me: it was delicious.

My friend was not very hungry and only ordered a starter, the duck leg confit with green salad and pickled mushrooms. I was a little more ambitious and went for the Pan fried hand dives [sic] sea scallops with Parmesan emulsion and Lavender Sauce as a starter and Beef strip loin sous vide with vegetable puree and pepper sauce (the lousy orthography is theirs, not mine).

The bread and butter presentation was very nice and the bread was excellent. I try to avoid butter but just could not resist the chili butter; and it was a good choice.

My scallops came first and were first class. Obviously fresh and cooked to perfection; not cooked into rubber balls as many places seem to prefer to do it. The accompanying sauces were well balanced, subtle enough to not overpower the taste of the scallops but adding that little bit of extra flavor.

The duck confit was also cooked just right. The meat was falling off the bone without having been turned into a tasteless mass and the pickled mushrooms were crisp and went well with the duck, meat that I always find a little heavy. If I ever came back, I would probably go for the duck.

The strip loin, oh the strip loin. It was absolutely divine, daaarling. Seriously; I am not sure where they get their beef from, but I want some of that!!! Once again cooked to perfection and packed with so much flavor that the sauces detracted more than they added to the food.

Obviously, dessert was out of the question after a feast like that. They did bring us some petits fours anyway on a chilled marble slate, another nice touch. I do not normally like these particular desserts as they are often hard and dry, but once again they did not disappoint.

I do not get a commission or bribe or anything, but I would rate this as one of the better meals I have had this year. Cheap? No! Great value for money? Absolutely.

17^th of September:

Another very good breakfast at the DusitD2 (why does the name always make me think of Star Wars?) though service was non-existent this morning. Never mind, I indulged a little and had some of their pastries, which were very good. No reheated/baked stuff here.

After checking out, we went to see John at The Pun Pun (no, not the vegetarian place; they have real food). Located along the river, this is a simple, unpretentious place. John, the owner, turned to be out a very hospitable, friendly bloke who has been in these parts of the world a long time. Him being an American, burgers and sandwiches make quite a presence on his menu, which was fine by me. Every so often, a hamburger is just what the Doctor ordered, as long as it is not any of the crap that certain fast food chains call food. The burger turned out to be very good (Pun Pun Burger I think) and the French (freedom) fries were so good that my friend ate most of them. She went for Thai noodles that were good but were a little too oily for me (as they always are).

If I ever make it to this town again and am in need of a burger or a sandwich, I will certainly go and see John at the Pun Pun again, even if he does employ child labor. Just kidding, his niece was there and she helped with making the coffee.

After lunch we checked into the Rati Lanna. The place looks very promising, the rooms are very spacious and there is even a private waterfall in the bathroom. The views are great and I seem to see that there is a bar inside the swimming pool, which reminds me that I ma nit here to hack away on the computer. Hasta la vista and more tomorrow.

[huli]

The food is first class, seriously the nicest Thai food I have had in 7 years here - the price is ridiculous., main courses are around 60 baht - I am sure anyone who has been will back me up on this.

Not me. I like the atmosphere there, but, to me, the food is pretty much the same as any other Thai vegetarian place that makes it fresh. I have never understood why some people think that it is so special.

Some folks rave about A Taste of Heaven too, but I put it right in the same category.

My wife and I ate at Taste of Heaven a couple days ago and were informed by the waitress that they were closing due to a lease problem. Food options were limited and the interior was partly gutted already. Too bad, I kinda liked that place.

Yesterday, we tried the newish vegetarian restaurant on Chang Klan. It's a bit south of the traffic Lanna Palace Hotel traffic light and across from that new shopping center, I forget the name. Anyways there is a big sign on the road and you need to turn in and go a ways behind where there is plenty of parking. The ambience of the place shady trees et al is fine, there is an big menu and very reasonably priced. We thought the food was a bit bland, other than that, it was a nice experience.

While I have a chance, I'll put in a plug for the Lanna Palace buffet lunch, every day at 11:30. You don't hear it mentioned much with the other popular buffets, but it is well worth checking out for about 180 baht.

[Ulysses G.]

That is too bad about Taste of Heaven. It was open late.

They had the best vegetarian spring rolls that I have ever eaten when they were cooked right, but that only happened every now and then. Usually they were just OK - the same as most other places.

[elektrified]

That is too bad about Taste of Heaven. It was open late.

They had the best vegetarian spring rolls that I have ever eaten when they were cooked right, but that only happened every now and then. Usually they were just OK - the same as most other places.

They are moving not closing. The new location was posted for months. Surely the sign must still be there indicating the new location. No?

[dave2]

re

Yesterday, we tried the newish vegetarian restaurant on Chang Klan. It's a bit south of the traffic Lanna Palace Hotel traffic light and across from that new shopping center, I forget the name. Anyways there is a big sign on the road and you need to turn in and go a ways behind where there is plenty of parking. The ambience of the place shady trees et al is fine, there is an big menu and very reasonably priced

the rr is called fuang and its behind the shops opposite the curve which is mostly a learning centre for kids !

not a shopping centre

dave2

[Ulysses G.]

the rr is called fuang and its behind the shops opposite the curve which is mostly a learning centre for kids !

A big KFC sign is almost directly across the street, so easy to find.

[dave2]

re

A big KFC sign is almost directly across the street, so easy to find.

hes right ! ... here ya go

dave2

[hanno]

After relaxing with a couple of beers in the Rati Lanna’s infinity pool, it was off to Le Meridien. We were invited up to the lounge to have a couple of beers with Greg, the General Manager (full disclosure: I know Greg from his time as GM of the Le Meridien Siem Reap). Excellent snacks and a couple of Erdinger Weissbier got the evening going before we headed to the Favola Restaurant. It is a fact that the Le Meridien in Siem Reap has the best Italian restaurant in temple town so I was looking forward to this.

Executive Chef Morelli made the recommendations. We weren’t all that hungry after the snacks but did share a thin-crust Pizza as a starter. I am not a big Pizza fan but this was a seriously good Pizza with a crunchy crust and excellent toppings.

We had a variety of small main dishes including Rocket salad with seafood, a Risotto and mussels. Regrettably, I did not pay too much attention to what exactly what dishes we ordered as Greg and I were reliving the good ole’ days, but all the food was absolutely sublime. The Chef did say that all ingredients used are of the highest quality and I can certainly believe that. I am not sure how much dinner was as Greg invited us, but I did take a peek at the menu and thought that a meal there would not be expensive at all for the quality delivered. Yet another restaurant I would go back to without a second’s hesitation.

18^th of September:

Whilst the Rati Lanna has nicer rooms than the DusitD2, the breakfast is nowhere near as good. A very small selection of breads and pastries, sausages and ham that looked like plastic, and not much in the way of hot dishes. It is not like I walked away starving or anything, but the choice is not very big and the plastic covers used look awfully cheap. Hard to believe that the hotel used to be a Sofitel as they usually have great breakfast buffets.

On the up-side the hotel has a very good gym, with all the eating (and yes, drinking) I am doing I need at least an hour in the gym every day, otherwise I’ll need to by new clothes by the end of the week.

We decided to do Thai lunch again and went to the Ruen Come In Restaurant. Located a little outside the center, this is both a restaurant and a (very expensive) guesthouse. All built in Teak and with lush trees around, the city seems very far away.

The restaurant offers both “standard” Thai dishes as well as Northern specialties. We decided to try a little of both and ordered Shrimp with Honey-Tamarind Sauce, Stewed Pork with Coconut Milk, Chiang Mai Spicy Sausage and Papaya Salad and Papaya Salad. All this came with very good brown rice (after the waitress said that they do not have brown rice….).

The shrimps were outstanding, with the sweet honey and the tangy Tamarind combining very well. The pork stew was rather nice; not very spicy and the meat very tender. For me the dish of note was the sausage. A little spicy, the consistency reminded me a lot of coarse German sausages, there were plenty of herbs mixed into it, and it beat pretty much any sausage I have had in Thailand, including all the English breakfast sausages that are usually pretty dire. The Papaya salad was good, but then I think that that is something that is done well everywhere.

Prices are very reasonable with mains starting at THB 80.00 and a Singha beer at THB 60.00. Yet another restaurant I can heartily recommend.

From there it was on to the “Salad Concept” for a coffee and dessert. The place was heaving and I can understand why; if the salads are as good as the cakes, and they looked good, then these guy are onto something. I had a “Devil Cake” which was pure chocolate, pure decadence, pure indulgence. And it was damn good. What I should not have done is order the Carrot Cake after that. Unusually enough it came with lots of cream and, whilst it was very good, it was just a little too much sugar and I felt quite a little sick after it. Thank God for the very good coffee they have, it straightened me out.

I spent the afternoon walking around, getting caught up in a (very happy) demonstration and taking photos of some of the Farang freaks inhabiting Chiang Mai and then it was time to think about food once more.

We settled on the “Antique House River Ping Terrace”. When I saw the place I had some doubts at first, as it seemed to be another tourist trap. I did like the old bikes at the entrance and things looked up when I saw that all the patrons were Thai.

We ordered sweet and sour “Tab-Tim” fish THB 199.00), Spicy Soup with Prawns and Vegetables (THB 149.00), and Papaya Salad with Seafood (THB 129.00). I have no idea what Tab-Tim Fish is but it sure tasted good. The fish was very crispy, had few bones and is perfect with a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce was none of that ketchup <deleted> that many Chinese restaurants like to serve, it was made from scratch with fresh pineapple, vinegar (I think) and fish sauce. I really did like the soup, too. It was pretty spicy without setting the mouth on fire (it might be a little too spicy for someone not used to hot food though); full of flavor and with the seafood not overcooked. Again, nothing to say about the Papaya salad; ingredients were fresh and the Papaya was crunchy. The only let-down was the steamed rice; it seems that restaurants like turning the rice into congee.

[hanno]

Some photos:

Papaya Salad with Dried Fish

Fish Cakes

Egg noodles in Curry

Chiang Mai Spicy Sausage

Rice Noodles with Pork (and blood)

Scallops with Parmesan Emulsion and Lavender Sauce

Strip Loin "Sous-vide"

[KRS1]

the rr is called fuang and its behind the shops opposite the curve which is mostly a learning centre for kids !

A big KFC sign is almost directly across the street, so easy to find.

I always wondered why Colonel Sanders looks Chinese.

[Chicog]

+1 for Chez Marco.

Afternoon Tea at Nakara Jardin.

Yangzi Jiang.

[ripstanley]

Hi Hanno, this is Gonzo.

Don't think that I did anything that could be cause or consideration for banning but who knows.

Not assuming that we fit in with the other possibly hoity toity places suggested, but would be interesting to meet another TV'er anytime.

No we are not in the same league as most of those mentioned, but do like to think that we provide good food, plentiful and value conscious. If you are looking for food and dishes to photograph and put into the Hi So Mags, then perhaps you should give us a miss. However if you ARE looking for good and plentiful food, to put into your stomach, as in western food, Thai food, and Shan Food , please consider giving us a visit...... directions and little more info is available by clicking on The Pun Pun banner on the top of this Forum.

Be nice to chat with you

Gonzo

We will be in Chiang Mai next month. We have 3 children aged from 1 to 15. Is your restaurant family friendly?

[Gonzo the Face]

Of course ...... we love children,,,,, especially breaded and deep fried.... Ummmmmh

On a serious note, while we do not have any swings or that type of playground facilities, of course, we are a family restaurant. Having said that , we do expect parents to mind their children and do draw the line if children get out of hand and start tearing up the place.

We have a 18month old here and there should be no problems. ..... and I am considered uncle or grandpa to many. So yes , please come for a visit.

Gonzo

[ripstanley]

Of course ...... we love children,,,,, especially breaded and deep fried.... Ummmmmh

On a serious note, while we do not have any swings or that type of playground facilities, of course, we are a family restaurant. Having said that , we do expect parents to mind their children and do draw the line if children get out of hand and start tearing up the place.

We have a 18month old here and there should be no problems. ..... and I am considered uncle or grandpa to many. So yes , please come for a visit.

Gonzo

Thanks for your reply. I will try and have the 1 year "terror" behave himself.

[hanno]

19^th of September:

Another so-so breakfast at the Rati Lanna.

We returned to the “Khoa Soy Samer Jai” for lunch as we really did like the food the first time around. I gave the blood soup a miss and chose the Khaow-Soi (Egg noodle in curry Lanna style) this time round. I also ordered the Sate again as well as some fish cakes. The noodles and Sate were once again fantastic, but the fish cakes were salty like heck and I would give them a miss.

They do not have much in the way of desserts so we went to the “Wawee Coffee” by the river. The coffee was decent enough but the cakes were nothing special. The Blueberry Cheesecake was awful, with the pastry still half raw and the Tirami Su was anything but.

After checking in at the Shangri La, and a shower, we headed for the Chedi. They did at first not want to give u a table as we did not take the high tea, but then reluctantly agreed as long as we disappeared not to stay later than 18:00. Not sure what the fuss was about as I spent USD 60.00 for a couple of beers and a scone. The beers were Hoegaarden, perfect beer to sit by a river in nice surroundings. The scone was pronounced excellent but I thought the service had room for improvement. At one stage there were no staff at all, and when I did track one down and asked for a restroom, I got a very monosyllabic response; the same happened later to my friend. I also got a lot of grief for taking a photo! Considering their prices, they may want to invest a little money into staff training.

There were quite a few Chinese guests having the “High Tea”. They ordered one each and ended up with way too much food. I don’t like to see food wasted and it was painful to watch them just eat a pastry or two and leaving everything else.

We had actually contemplated having dinner at the Chedi but the service, or lack of it, put us off a lot. Instead we returned to 137 Pillars House for drinks and a feed. The service was once again outstanding and I do like the restaurant a lot. We both ordered Duck, my friend had “Gaeng Phed Ped Yang” (Roasted Duck red curry), I had Pan-fried duck breast with caramelized cashew nuts. Both dishes were very good though in retrospect I should have gone for the curry, too. All of this was washed down with dark Beer Lap and Paulaner; beer and Thai food go perfectly well together as far as I am concerned. Though full we did try the mango with sticky rice as a dessert and this too was very good with the rice cooked to just the right consistency.

Considering the surroundings, the service, and the food, I do not think the place is very expensive. Thai dishes are around the THB 300.00 mark and the most expensive item I saw on the menu was grain-feed Aussie beef at THB 1,200.00. The beers were fairly expensive, with the Paulaner at USD 10.00 but then it came all the way from Germany.

20^th of September

I might not care too much for the Shangri La, everything is sized XXXL, but they do one heck of a breakfast. Massive choice and very good quality. I could have spent a couple of hours but we had to go zip-lining.

Fear makes me hungry son once my knees had stopped shaking, we headed to “The Whole Earth” restaurant. I had seen some good comments on TripAdvisor but also some not so good comments about the service. The lady that took our order was outright unfriendly and did not manage a single smile. I ordered Indian food and she asked me if I wanted it “Indian” or “European” style. I did not understand the question, I have eaten hundreds of Indian meals and have never been asked this. When I asked for an explanation, she got seriously pissed off and told me that Farang cannot eat food that I why they usually make it European style for them. I grew up with Indian food and told her that I would like it the way it should be.

Luckily, there was another waiter there that was a lot friendlier. I ordered Chicken Kofta with garlic Naan whilst my friend went for a Papaya salad. The Kofta was pretty good. The lovely waitress had obviously asked the kitchen to whack a lot of chili into the curry, too bad for her that that is just the way I like it…… The curry was good but not very big, only three meat balls and the 4 Naans were the size of stamps. The Papaya salad was very, very good and if I ever come back to the place, I would probably go for the Thai food. Prices are not too bad, with the curries around THB 170.00 and the vegetarian dishes around THB 150.00.

That afternoon it was off to BKK, Thai Smile served something that I had certainly no interest in eating; and that was Chiang Mai. I had some amazingly good food and hotels and it was a great trip.

[KRS1]

19^th of September:

Another so-so breakfast at the Rati Lanna.

We returned to the “Khoa Soy Samer Jai” for lunch as we really did like the food the first time around. I gave the blood soup a miss and chose the Khaow-Soi (Egg noodle in curry Lanna style) this time round. I also ordered the Sate again as well as some fish cakes. The noodles and Sate were once again fantastic, but the fish cakes were salty like heck and I would give them a miss.

They do not have much in the way of desserts so we went to the “Wawee Coffee” by the river. The coffee was decent enough but the cakes were nothing special. The Blueberry Cheesecake was awful, with the pastry still half raw and the Tirami Su was anything but.

After checking in at the Shangri La, and a shower, we headed for the Chedi. They did at first not want to give u a table as we did not take the high tea, but then reluctantly agreed as long as we disappeared not to stay later than 18:00. Not sure what the fuss was about as I spent USD 60.00 for a couple of beers and a scone. The beers were Hoegaarden, perfect beer to sit by a river in nice surroundings. The scone was pronounced excellent but I thought the service had room for improvement. At one stage there were no staff at all, and when I did track one down and asked for a restroom, I got a very monosyllabic response; the same happened later to my friend. I also got a lot of grief for taking a photo! Considering their prices, they may want to invest a little money into staff training.

There were quite a few Chinese guests having the “High Tea”. They ordered one each and ended up with way too much food. I don’t like to see food wasted and it was painful to watch them just eat a pastry or two and leaving everything else.

We had actually contemplated having dinner at the Chedi but the service, or lack of it, put us off a lot. Instead we returned to 137 Pillars House for drinks and a feed. The service was once again outstanding and I do like the restaurant a lot. We both ordered Duck, my friend had “Gaeng Phed Ped Yang” (Roasted Duck red curry), I had Pan-fried duck breast with caramelized cashew nuts. Both dishes were very good though in retrospect I should have gone for the curry, too. All of this was washed down with dark Beer Lap and Paulaner; beer and Thai food go perfectly well together as far as I am concerned. Though full we did try the mango with sticky rice as a dessert and this too was very good with the rice cooked to just the right consistency.

Considering the surroundings, the service, and the food, I do not think the place is very expensive. Thai dishes are around the THB 300.00 mark and the most expensive item I saw on the menu was grain-feed Aussie beef at THB 1,200.00. The beers were fairly expensive, with the Paulaner at USD 10.00 but then it came all the way from Germany.

20^th of September

I might not care too much for the Shangri La, everything is sized XXXL, but they do one heck of a breakfast. Massive choice and very good quality. I could have spent a couple of hours but we had to go zip-lining.

Fear makes me hungry son once my knees had stopped shaking, we headed to “The Whole Earth” restaurant. I had seen some good comments on TripAdvisor but also some not so good comments about the service. The lady that took our order was outright unfriendly and did not manage a single smile. I ordered Indian food and she asked me if I wanted it “Indian” or “European” style. I did not understand the question, I have eaten hundreds of Indian meals and have never been asked this. When I asked for an explanation, she got seriously pissed off and told me that Farang cannot eat food that I why they usually make it European style for them. I grew up with Indian food and told her that I would like it the way it should be.

Luckily, there was another waiter there that was a lot friendlier. I ordered Chicken Kofta with garlic Naan whilst my friend went for a Papaya salad. The Kofta was pretty good. The lovely waitress had obviously asked the kitchen to whack a lot of chili into the curry, too bad for her that that is just the way I like it…… The curry was good but not very big, only three meat balls and the 4 Naans were the size of stamps. The Papaya salad was very, very good and if I ever come back to the place, I would probably go for the Thai food. Prices are not too bad, with the curries around THB 170.00 and the vegetarian dishes around THB 150.00.

That afternoon it was off to BKK, Thai Smile served something that I had certainly no interest in eating; and that was Chiang Mai. I had some amazingly good food and hotels and it was a great trip.

if you are in bkk, try the Sheraton Grand Buffet for breakfast as well as the weekend dinner buffet.

the breakfast buffet has smoked salmon

[northernjohn]

Beccofino's for Italian food.

The weekday lunch buffet at Le Meridien hotel, especially toward the end of the week when they're a little busier and put out more dishes.

Afternoon tea at the DehraDavi (where you're planning to have dinner, too). Also, the afternoon tea at The Chedi is good. They have very good Indian food, too.

Is there a specal night at the Chedi for an Indian buffet? If so do you know the cost as the Chedi is an up market operation.

_{​Thanks NancyL. The GM at the Le Meridien is a friend of mine, maybe I can wrangle an invite;-)}

Stick to the Brunch it was good. Can't say the same for the evening buffet. I believe Sunday they do a different menu.

[hanno]

if you are in bkk, try the Sheraton Grand Buffet for breakfast as well as the weekend dinner buffet.

Thanks KRS1, I will.

Stick to the Brunch it was good.

northernjohn, the Italian food at Le Meridien was actually amazingly good! And I did get invited:-)

[just_Elaine]

We will be back in Chiang Mai soon and when we will be heading for Huen Muan Jai and Kaeng Ron Baan Suan. Both are Northern Thai food restaurants...