Overstand Coffee Shop

Overstand Coffee Shop probably needs no introduction. It's one of the very popular coffee shops in Chiang Mai and is mentioned in several "best coffee shops in Chiang Mai" lists.  I finally got a chance to go for brunch recently to check out what the fuss is all about.

The coffee shop itself is certainly very hip and set in a shop house in a quiet soi in the Old City close to Thapae Gate, so is ideally located for travellers staying in the area. There's a big communal table and several small tables on the side - quite an intimate, friendly atmosphere as the little tables are quite close together.

By the time my friend and I arrived at around 10am, the cafe was filled up with people enjoying breakfast, chatting or working away on their computers.

I've heard a lot about the excellent coffee at Overstand. My friend and I decided to order the Dirty Chai (85 baht), a combination of coffee and chai tea, as it's not something I've seen elsewhere in Chiang Mai. It did not disappoint. Great coffee with a hint of natural sweetness and spice from the chai. Very nicely presented too, I might add. The only problem was that the glass was just a tad too hot to hold very comfortably. Other types of coffee range in price from 50-70 baht. It's also great that Overstand also has a selection of tea for non coffee drinkers.

For brekkie, I chose the chorizo with fried egg and hummus on sourdough bread. (about 160 baht). It came out very nicely presented and looked delicious. There was a generous amount of hummus (I love hummus!) which gave a nice contrast in texture and taste to the bread and the chorizo. Everything worked well together. I loved the chunky grilled tomato too! There are several cafes that offers open sandwiches like this (eg. Natwat Home Cafe & The Larder). I couldn't say which cafe makes the best sandwich as each cafe creates their own versions.

My friend ordered a bacon and egg sandwich which she also really enjoyed. This certainly isn't your traditional bacon and egg sandwich.  The flame grilled capsicum, rockets and sourdough bread adds an extra dimension. 130 baht.

Other dishes available at Overstand includes: muesli (the guy at the next table ordered this and it looked great), various salads and sandwiches. A good selection of drinks including smoothies and alcohol are also available.

Overstand Coffee Shop
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OverstandCoffee/
19/3 Soi 2 Rachamunka
A. Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: 094 626 8311
Opens: 8am-3pm, closed on Tuesdays
GPS location: 18.786, 98.99263





SaveSave

Natwat Home Cafe

Being someone who's always busy and running around doing something or another, it was nice not to be in a hurry going somewhere and to come to Natwat Home Cafe with the girls after my Sunday morning Zumba class. Yes, we do need to reward ourselves once in a while after a good work out!

I really like Natwat Home Cafe. It's a cute and chic little cafe, and it's great that it's not SO busy around Sunday lunch time, so I felt like I could really relax and chill out here.

After perusing through the menu, I must say, it was actually quite difficult to decide what to eat. I wanted to try to many things!

The prices seem quite reasonable too, for example, a latte costs 60 baht. I decided to go for the sweet potato latte, (60baht)  just because it sounded interesting. What's that? It's steamed sweet potato, milk, maple syrup and served with mascapone cheese. I asked for "not sweet" and it turned out to be lovely. The latte was quite smooth, although there was still a slight grainy texture from the sweet potato. It was worth a try.

Sweet Potato Latte (in front) - 60baht

After some deliberation, I decided to try the Baked Eggs, which consisted of 2 eggs, home made meatballs, tomato sauce, tomatoes, black olives, coriander, jalapeno, pesto and parmesan cheese. 165 baht. Incidentally, our meals took quite a bit of time to come out, but when it did (so please be patient!), it tasted as great as it looked. The sourdough bread was delicious and dense, and perfect for soaking up the juices. The home made meat balls were really good, and the black olives gave the dish a nice rich contrast to the tomato flavours.

Baked Eggs. 165 baht.

One friend decided to try the Chorizo Sandwich and she said it was very nice too.

Natwat Home Cafe is a lovely cafe. A place I could go back time and time again. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. The menu has many interesting dishes including various deserts and pasta dishes that I'd like to try. There is some parking behind the cafe.

Natwat Home Cafe
330/2 Charoenrat Rd, Watgate
Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: 081 716 1608
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natwat-Home-Cafe/325606954147642
Opens: 7:30am - 4:30pm  Tuesdays-Sundays
Close: Mondays

Corner Bistro

I've heard that Corner Bistro's fries are amazing. On the menu, it said the fries are triple fried - not something I've heard of before! Sounds pretty special though, especially when you can choose various dips to come with it, as well as adding some optional toppings like cheese, gravy or chilli. Mmm..

I went with a friend to this great little restaurant for a late lunch. We had a choice of the breakfast or the dinner menu. The menus weren't large, but we really did have trouble deciding what to eat as everything seemed really good. Finally, we opted for the breakfast menu.. which then led to a bit of a discussion about how to have the eggs!

I've heard that the Eggs Benedict here is fantastic... and I've never had Eggs Benedict in Chiang Mai.. it's just not a common thing here. But alas, it was a very hot day and I felt like something a little lighter. The Eggs Benedict will have to wait for another visit ... so I went for the Slow Cooked Omelette with salmon on the side. The menu said the order will take a while but it's worth it, so why not? It did take quite a long time... and yes, the omelette was lovely, fluffy and creamy and went perfectly with the beautifully cooked and flavoured breakfast potatoes which were boiled the sautéed with onions, capsicum and herbs. The toast was good too - very nice bread! 90 baht + a bit extra for the salmon.

My friend, incidentally, chose the Eggs Florentine with homemade hollandaise sauce, and her order came at the same time as mine... which, I must say, is quite unusual in restaurants in Thailand (unless you go to more expensive Western restaurants). The Eggs Florentine looked terrific. I had a little taste, and it was very good. 150 baht.

...And the fries? Unfortunately, Corner Bistro was out of fries, so that'll have to wait till next time too... but that might have been good thing because I wouldn't have been able to fit in dessert. Now, normally, being health conscious (hehe),  I would usually share dessert, but my friend didn't want to share her brownie so I had to get one for myself! Not something that I was very sorry about... because the homemade brownie was very good - rich and very chocholatey.. It was nicely warmed up too, and contrasted well with the cold ice cream. Yum. 100 baht.

Corner Bistro is a very nice little restaurant with a lovely setting and relaxed atmosphere. They also have an outdoor verandah area. There is also an an air-conditioned room on the 2nd floor as well. 

It's definitely a great place for breakfast or brunch. I haven't tried dinner there yet, but the menu also looks pretty good with various steak and pasta dishes. Incidentally, Kevin, the Thai-American owner, said that dinner is when Corner Bistro really shines, so it would be worth going back and check it out at that time. 

The service is good. The staff is friendly and attentive, always kept our glasses filled with ice cold water (very much appreciated on a very hot day!). 

Corner Bistro

8/8 Ratchapreuk Alley

(Close to Kad Suan Kaew)

Opens daily: 

7am-3pm & 5pm-12am

Tel: 096 497 6766

Good Morning Chiang Mai

Good Morning Chiang Mai Cafe

Lazy Sunday mornings are sometimes hard to find, but what a better way to spend it than lazing around with friends in the lovely garden of  Good Morning Chiang Mai, a cafe tucked away in a quiet soi (lane) off Rachamankha Road right in the Old City.

Arriving for brunch, a friend and I ends up staying for lunch as well, as we wait for other friends to join us. So it is...brunch and lunch at Good Morning Chiang Mai.

The breakfast menu comprises of goodies like various types of pancakes (buttermilk, gingerbread, etc); various eggs - classics like fried, poached on croissant or toast, various types of omelets. Not feeling very hungry (yet), I opt for their homemade granola (very nice, by the way, with lots of nuts and seeds) and shar an organic sencha tea (very good) with my friend. Looking around, I notice many other patrons enjoying their eggy breakfasts and they look pretty good!

Homemade granola 

As a couple more friends arrive, it's time to order lunch! Good Morning Chiang mai doesn't have a huge lunch menu, but they do have the usual Thai lunches (eg. Pad Thai, fried rice, etc) as well as sandwiches and burgers.

I decide to have a roast pork burger. True, it doesn't look too exciting, but it's actually quite nice and has a homemade feel. The pork has been specially marinated in a kind of smokey flavoured BBQ sauce. Not bad.

Pork Burger

Good Morning Chiang Mai is a lovely cafe to enjoy a meal. The food there is pretty good, and the cafe has a very nice ambience. The garden is nice and relaxing. There's even an above ground pool for the kids (or adults) to jump in on hot days! The wait staff are very nice, but we find that they tend to about us bit - perhaps because as we were sitting in the garden and they couldn't see us? Oh well, it's kind of a chill out place so why get upset?

Nice garden setting, even has a pool! 

Good Morning Chiang Mai Cafe
29/5 Rachamankha Soi 6
T. Phra Singh, Chiang Mai
Tel: 057 278607
http://www.goodmorningchiangmai.com/

Make sure you watch your kids!!! 

Street Food - Pa Tong Go!

"Pa Tong Go" are kind of deep fried doughs that are shaped like an X - please refer to photo! You can find these sold in food carts all around Thailand in the early mornings and evenings (until sold out). Generally, your typical "Pa Tong Go" stalls also sell soy milk, and kaya (pandan leaf flavoured coconut jam - the green stuff! - see 2nd photo).

Best eaten hot! Freshly cooked, the Pa Tong Gos are crunchy on the outside & soft and steamy on the inside. You can dip them in soy milk, or have them with your pandan leaf kaya. Alternatively, have them with a cup of coffee, or dipped in sweeten condensed milk. Sometimes we take them home to put in our congee - like crutons.

I found this particular stall very interesting. They are located in a little lane near Wororot Market. In addition to your regular "X" shaped Pa Tong Go, they also have Dinosaur Pa Ton Go, Elephant Pa Tong Go and various other animal shaped ones as well!

Take them home to have with your breakfast, or enjoy them on the footpath!

2 bahts for the regular "X" Pa Tong Go, 20 baht for the Dinosaur. : D

View Chiang Mai Shopping & Eating Guide in a larger map