Casa Diverso (Mediterranean and Thai Food)

I was kindly invited by Khun Oh, the ex-manager of Oyori The Grill to come and try out his recently opened Mediterranean and Thai restaurant in Chiang Mai's Old City. Khun Oh and his partner, Chef Lek have a lot of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Their  dream is to open their own restaurant one day, and Casa Diverso is that dream coming true!

The Casa Diverso is in a lovely spot, just around the corner from The Rim Hotel. There's a large outdoor dining area in the garden, and also a rather stylishly decorated indoors area, giving the restaurant a classy, but still relaxed and warm feel.

I was quite surprised by the menu offering both a large selection of European food and Thai food as I was expecting only European food. My friends and I all opted for European food, but I would think the Thai food would be good as well. I hope I'll have the opportunity to go back soon to try the Thai food and other items on the menu!

Some very nice bread with herbed and garlic butter was served.

A green salad was ordered as an entree....and it was... green!...comprised of various types of nice and crispy lettuce with balsamic dressing.

Bruschetta Mozzarella Cheese was highly recommended by Khun Oh. It was lovely with chunky pieces of tomato, mozzarella cheese, and pesto sauce. The bruschetta was quite large and a little hard to eat gracefully without using the knife and fork. 120 baht. 

For my main course, I chose the Grilled Pork Tenderloin (very, very juicy and tender!), which was topped with a blueberry gravy sauce. The gravy was cooked a couple of days in the traditional way, and the blueberry gave the sauce a slightly sweet tang. The potato wedges were great too! 320 baht.

I didn't try this one, but my friend reported that the slow cooked salmon was very good, served with horseradish sauce, as well as pesto sauce on the side. 340 baht.

I just had a little taste of the Spaghetti Alle Vongole - a very simple pasta with clams, oil, garlic and parsley. It was lovely and fragrant, and quite spicy! Very good as well. I wouldn't mind going back to have this all to myself next time!

For dessert, we shared a rather large Creme Brulee (120 baht) which was spectacularly "torched" in front of us by Khun Oh. It was nice, creamy and smooth, but unfortunately, quite sweet. I mentioned this to Khun Oh, and he was really happy to receive the feedback. He seems very dedicated to providing good service and making customers happy. :-)

We all had a very enjoyable time, and we all thought the food at Casa Diverso was great, and the prices very reasonable. Definitely a place we can go back to, and I'm happy we have another quality addition to the Chiang Mai eating scene!

Casa Diverso
184/1 Rachamankha Rd
Phrasing, Chiang Mai.
(Old City)
Opens daily: 11am-11pm
Tel: 084 174 0699




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I am Gourmet

Merry Christmas, everyone! Sorry I'm a couple of days late! 

Today's post is about an unexpected Christmas dinner I had. My family don't really celebrate Christmas, but we thought we would pay a second visit to a restaurant recommended by a friend. 

I will have relatives coming to Chiang Mai soon (tomorrow!), and I'm always scratching my head as to where to take visitors. You'd think I'll have a list of restaurants ready in hand, and I do, (and will share with you soon), but it's always nice to put in a mix of new restaurants. 

... So here we were, back at I am Gourmet, to try out other dishes on their menu to see if it makes the cut (to bring visitors). 

I am Gourmet has a selection of good American food, as well as good Thai food...and it's not easy to find a restaurant with good Thai food, and Western food all in one place! 

So, there we were for our Christmas dinner! 

The special of the day was the Turkey Dinner Set. My first ever Turkey Dinner, and I had it in, of all places, Chiang Mai! There were several pieces of roast turkey (very nicely done, I must say), mashed potatoes (very good!), stuffing (I haven't had these for years! ... and it was great!), bean salad, and what I thought was beetroot (LOL), which turned out to be cranberry jelly (I guess), and a plate of salad. The whole thing was great, but my favourite on the plate was the stuffing! 250 baht for the set - very, very good value! 

The next thing we wanted to try from the previous visit were the BBQ Pork Ribs, which were nice and tender, and falling off the bones. The sauce was very tasty as well. You have a choice of chips or salad on the side.  Only 100 baht!

As my 6 year old nephew and 3 year old niece from Australia will be visiting, we were on a look out for something that they'll eat. I am Gourmet has a good selection of Thai dishes at very reasonable prices. Last time we tried the Pad Thai, which was pretty decent. This time, we had the spring rolls, which were very nicely done - nice and crispy, probably too peppery for the kids, but fine for us.

The most astounding thing for me here is the very reasonable prices, particularly of the American dishes eg. Pork or Chicken Burger cost 50 baht plain and 70 baht with cheese, onions and bacon; a reasonably generous serving of green tossed salad cost 35 baht! And as mentioned before,  the BBQ ribs were 100 baht.

The restaurant itself is simple and unpretentious, and it's totally unexpected to have a Western restaurant in a setting more like that of a large Thai noodle's shop. So don't expect anything fancy here! The service is warm and friendly, and the American owner very approachable. 

I am Gourmet

Chiang Mai-Doi Saket Rd (118)

If you come from the city towards Doi Saket,  once you pass the pedestrian bridge at Bohin, slow down and stay in the left lane. I am Gourmet is on the left just before the next U-Turn. 

GPS: 18.851894,99.093761 

(Keep in mind the restaurant wasn't there when Google came around a few years ago!) 

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Oyori the Grill

Oyori the Grill is a place you can have a lovely meal, and at the same time, feel that you've contributed to the good of society. Their facebook page states, "We are supporting women's and young people's empowerment by food business."

What this means is that they train under-priviledged young people and women in the restaurant business so that these people have the skills to obtain a job in other restaurants or hotels. Trainees come from various backgrounds, including an ex-gang member!

I think this is a great way to empower and help people - to give them the skills they need to survive in this world. Teaching people to fish, so to speak.

The chef is from Korea, and is incidentally training a local woman in culinary arts to take over his role.

The food here is lovely, and is very good quality, and prices reasonable. There is a good variety ranging from sandwiches, grilled dishes, BBQ buffet. The salads here are great - very fresh, and organic vegetables are used. Bread here is made by a Japanese baker, and preservatives are not added.

We ordered:

Duck & Lentil with Honey Orange Glaze -  Nicely cooked duck, slightly chewy (as we asked for well-done), lovely honey sauce with a little tang. 260 baht.

Salmon Soy Radish - Surprisingly, a very large piece salmon (with nice and crispy skin) was served - quite a bit larger than many other restaurants. Served on top of a bed of radish, cucumbers and snow peas. This is an Asian influenced dish with a slightly tangy soy sauce dressing. 

Farm Raised Chicken Caesar Salad - Very nicely done. The lettuce was crispy and fresh, nice and tasty rye bread croutons. 160 baht. 

                 

If there is a party of more than 6 people, you can have a BBQ Party! You get a selection of beef, chicken and pork, as well as an organic salad bar. I had this before, and really enjoyed it, particularly the salad bar! The vegetables here are SO good!  350 baht/person. Min 6 pax.

Oyori The Grill
14/6 Soi 11, Sirimankalajan Rd
Suthep, Muang, Chiang Mai
Currently opens Tue-Sun 11am-10pm
From December 2013 - Opens daily



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Chef Steak (New location, New Review!)

For meat lovers...and vegetable lovers as well!

A couple of years ago, I did a review on Chef Steak. They've done so well, now they have moved down the road and around the corner, and is a "proper", and even a little fancy restaurant! The price is still great though - only 169 baht/person (drinks extra). The food is very good. No wonder the restaurant is filled up every night (well, at least when I visited!).

What we came for was the steak..and this can be found in the BBQ area in front of the restaurant. Take as much pork, pork ribs, chicken or fish as you like. My favourite is the BBQ pork ribs.

If you're not so much into meat, there is also a salad bar with lots of beautiful fresh vegetables, and also a selection of dishes to choose from including pasta, some stir-fry dishes (depends on the day), and very, very good mashed potatoes. I always need at least 2 servings of this!

So we have it..a very nice, healthy meal (if we don't overeat!).

Chef Steak
T. Sanphranet, A. Sansai
Tel: 053 000 000
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chef-steak/425824537511485


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Kha Moo Chiang Dao 'original shop' (ขาหมูเชียงดาว เจ้าเก่า)

A trip to Chiang Dao (a town about 1 hour north of Chiang Mai) would not be complete without a visit to a "Kha Moo" place. "Kha Moo", literally, "pork leg", refers to a dish of pork leg/hog that has been stewed in herbs, spices and soy sauce for a very long time, resulting in a rich and fragrant melt in your mouth pork.

Chiang Dao, as you may have gathered, is famous for its' kha moos. There are many kha moo shops in Chiang Dao, but the most famous are Kha Moo Chaing Dao 'original shop' and Kha Moo Pornphen (ร้านขาหมู พรเพ็ญ).

The lovely 74 year old owner of Kha Moo Chiang Dao 'Original shop'

Kha Moo Chaing Dao 'original shop' was the first kha moo shop that opened in Chiang Dao over 60 years ago. They still use the same recipe from 'grandpa'. I had a chat with the current owner, 'grandpa''s daughter in law. At 74, she has worked in the eatery 50 years. The shop still retains a lot of its original features, and has a rather charmingly antique feel, with its large round wooden tables and wooden chairs.

The owner used to ride the bike (on the cabinet) to work. 

The kha moo of course, is the shop's specialty. The meat is very tender, and the sauce rich - perfect for drizzling on your rice. A part of the kha moo that I really enjoy is the trotter ('kaki' in Thai), which has mostly skin and tendons. Kaki is very tender, and the skin soft yet a little chewy, and (I hope!) not too much fat underneath!

As there were 5 of us, we ordered 1 leg and rice, separately, but you can also order the kha moo on rice as well for 1 person. A small range of other dishes eg. curry chicken are also available.

The main difference in taste between the 'original' shop and Kha Moo Pornphen is that the Kha Moo Pornphen makes Thai style kha moo, which is on the sweet side, where is the 'original' shop makes Chinese style kha moo, and not sweet at all. So, I can't really say which is the best - it depends on your personal preference, really.

Kha Moo Chiang Dao 'original shop' (ขาหมูเชียงดาว เจ้าเก่า)

Tel: 053455093

Please see map (below) for exact location!

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Tipparot Noodle Shop (Beef and Pork Noodles)

Tipparot's Mixed Beef Noodles with Soup

I wouldn't actually say it's the best beef noodles in Chiang Mai, as there are so many good places to go...but I can safely say Tipparot is certainly one of the good ones. The stewed beef is nice and tender, the beef balls are firm and has a nice and chewy texture, and the soup tasty, but not overly so. Actually, I find the soup perfect for my taste -  I don't have to add any condiments (sugar, fish sauce, etc) to the dish except for a bit of chilli/vinegar dip that comes with the noodles. Some people may be interested to know that the soup at Tipparot is not sweet, so it's great for people who doesn't like too much sugar added to their food. If you have a sweet tooth, you can always add sugar! 30 baht/bowl.

If you don't want noodles, you can always ask for the Gaow Low version (as in all other noodle shops). This is basically just meat, vegies and soup without noodles.

The eatery itself is nothing more than a big shack on the side of the road, but it's very clean, and the people making and serving the noodles are nice and friendly. 

Tipparot Noodle Shop

Chiang Mai-Doi Saket Road

Go pass Samyeak (Sansai) Market towards Doi Saket, pass the traffic lights. The eatery is just before Petronas Petrol Station.

Open daily 8am-3pm

(Click on the link at the bottom of the post next to "Location" to be directed to google maps)

Chef Steak - Steak Buffet!

I've done a couple of posts on salad restaurants (Salad Concept & Coco Salad), but sometimes one just feels like having...lots of meat! So, off we went to the newish "Chef Steak", a local style eatery (open air restaurant on the side of the road) serving steak buffets currently at only 139 baht/person. Bargain!

Arriving at 6pm, the place is almost packed. There's a big BBQ on the right, full of pork and chicken "steak" (very tasty, some of it isn't cooked well enough - just have to ask the BBQ guy to re-cook. I actually thought he might forget and give away my half-eaten pork to someone else, but it was still there when I went back! ). Next to it, there's a ham-carving table (actually, very nice ham). There's also a salad bar (not bad, but the vegies look a bit tired) and a long table with various other dishes such as potato salad, pasta and soup (very nice).

All in all, I think Chef Steak is very good value, especially since you get so much meat! The owner-chef used to work at Amari Rincome Hotel in Chiang Mai that recently closed. Worth checking out. : )

See map below for approximate location:

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