Eating in Chiang Mai – Part Sep’09

(September 2009)

Like many popular tourist destinations in Thailand, you can find all sorts of food in Chiang Mai. Yes, including bugs!

Besides the standard Thai restaurants and American fast-food outlets, there are Chinese, European, Japanese, Korean, and Middle-Eastern restaurants.

As usual, I went for the local street food.

Northern Thai cuisine is less spicy-hot than Central & Southern Thai cuisine.

This dish of fish noodle (fish paste in noodle shape), fish balls, fish cakes, and fish dumplings (with minced pork filling) is similar to those found in MY & SG.

30 to 50 Bath (RM3.10 to RM5.10) a bowl depending on the ingredients.

Grilled eggplants, garlic cloves, chili peppers, sweet corns, yam, sweet potatoes, and the ever popular grilled bananas. About 10 Baht (RM1) a piece or skewer.

Steamed pork meatballs. Those closer to the camera are really big! I mean those meatballs are 3 times the size of those in skewers.

This is a popular dish in the Chinatown area in Chiang Mai. The broth is similar to Penang curry with cubes of pork blood, just like Penang curry mee. You can add as much bean sprouts, chopped green beans, shredded carrots, and pickled vegetables as you like. Less than 20 Baht (RM2.10) a bowl.

This is the good stuff: deep-fried insects! Take your pick and get a small bag as snacks to munch on for 10 Baht (RM1).

This doesn’t taste like chicken :-) This tastes more like crunchy chips or nuts.

This is also similar to those found in MY & SG: creamy rice porridge with minced and lean pork with an egg. I found this in the morning in front of the Night Bazaar Hotel. 35 Baht (RM3.60) a bowl.

 

Grilled eggplant salad which is common in restaurants serving Northern Thai cuisine.

Beef noodle with dark but clear broth which is very Teowchew style. Starting at 35 Baht (RM3.60) a bowl.

Mixed rice is common in Thailand, just like in MY & SG. Take your pick. The chili crabs are so gooooood!

 

You’ll also find the popular grilled pork meatballs and sausages here, just like in Bangkok, Phuket, etc. Starting at 10 Bath (RM1) a piece.

Something new is the extra large sausages which is mixed with glutinous rice. It’s a meal in itself.

For 20 Baht (RM2.10), you get this delicious and filling seafood omelette. I counted at least 20 mussels.

The signature dish of Chiang Mai: khao soi which is curry-based dish with egg noodle, normally served with shallots and pickled vegetables on the side.

This is khao soi with brown rice noodle. The noodle has a slightly sticky and chewing consistency, which is similar to the Bai Guo 白粿, the white, flat, and elongated rice noodle.

Nasi biryani/briyani is also common in Chiang Mai, especially in the many halal restaurants.

This is the common pork noodle in Thailand. If you ask for the dish without soup, don’t expect the noodle to be in light and dark soy sauce. The version without soup means with less soup.

 

Yen Ta Four is something new to me. The tomato sauce is similar to yong tau foo tomato sauce or the Kuching tomato kuey teow sauce. This dish seems to be very popular in Northern Thailand.

In fact, could the name be a variation of yong tau foo?

Til my next Chiang Mai trip…

Delicious Food and Extraordinary Service

(September 2009)

After I got off the songthaew, I walked an hour to the entrance of the arts and crafts village, Baan Tawai.

I expected this one hour walk as I was told that during the low tourist season, I wouldn’t find any tuk-tuk to take me from the drop-off point to Baan Tawai.

Anyway, I didn’t mind the walk as it was a nice day and there were many factories and galleries along the road before I even got to the entrance of Baan Tawai.

About 500m away from the main entrance to Baan Tawai, I chanced upon this restaurant on the right-hand side of the road.

The setup of the open-air huts, the abundant plants, and an adjacent gallery attracted me to this place.

Anyway, it’s time for lunch and I need to quench my thirst.

I didn’t expect much but to my surprise, the food was exceptionally good in terms of the quality of the ingredients and the cooking method.

Like this plate of stir-fry kueyteow (flat rice noodle) which obviously was cooked with low heat and enough time ‘dry up’ the keuyteow. Coupled with the high quality soy sauce, an ordinary dish turned extraordinary!

The soy sauce tasted like one of those non-commercially bottled variety.

I had to get a second opinion by trying the garlic shrimp with steamed rice which I enjoyed as much as the first dish.

Again, the soy sauce brought out the garlic and shrimp flavor, instead of overpowering them. Credit must also go to the chef who handled the sequence of adding the ingredients and the timing of the cooking perfectly.

It’s only 30 Baht (RM3.10) for each of the dish!

Try the excellent ice blended beet root.

I met the chef who is also the owner, Ms. Suchada when she took a break from the kitchen between customers. Ms. Suchada was both humble and friendly.

When she found out that I walked an hour from the main road into Baan Tawai, she offered and gave me a ride in her private car back to the main road after my visit in Baan Tawai!

I was totally amazed by Ms. Suchada’s hospitality and the many other friendly gestures I encountered in Chiang Mai.

I love Chiang Mai!

Beef Noodle in Chiang Mai

(September 2009)

 

While cycling around Chiang Mai old city, I came upon 2 restaurants specializing in beef noodle. Both offer dark but clear broth.

1. Rote Yiam Beef Noodle

As you can see from the photos, you can choose the beef ingredients to go with your choice of noodle. 35 – 45 Baht a bowl.

This place is very popular with the locals as there were many customers for eat-in and take-out while I was there.

The broth is rich in beef flavor and sweet-based which I think is common in Southern Malaysia and Singapore.

There is an outlet near the Northeast corner of the moat along Moon Muang Road, and another outlet near Shangri-la Hotel.

 

2. The Restaurant with a Cow Logo

That’s not the actual name, of course. It’s just that I lost the translated English name. LOL!

This place serves beef noodle and beef steamboat (hot pot). A bowl of the beef noodle is between 35 and 50 Baht depending on the size and extra ingredients.

The steamboat for 2 persons is a good deal at 120 Baht.

As you can see from the photo, the broth is darker in color than Rote Yiam and it’s salty-based. I find that this flavor is more suited to those from the Klang Valley.

The setup is more like a cafe which is located at the corner of Si Phum Road and Arak Road Lane 5 near the Northwest corner of the moat.

Both restaurants are clean and the service is efficient. Rote Yiam is very commercialized and thus not as friendly and personal as the other restaurant.

I also prefer the broth in the second restaurant as the broth is richer in beef flavor and less sweet.