Steak of the Day

Wonderful food at reasonable prices by an ex-Four Seasons chef in a relaxed informal setting. 5 star food at 3 star prices!

Thanks to a recommendation by a friend, I've been to Steak of the Day 3 times since it was opened several months ago, and it seems they're just going from strength to strength. They just seem to be getting better and busier each time I go, and there are new dishes to try each time.

I think their success is mainly due to the great, quality food at reasonable prices, and the location. There is a lack of quality Western restaurants in the area (other than in resorts and hotels). There are a lot of expats living around here, as well as lots of resorts, so Steak of the Day is in a pretty ideal spot.

Ok, on with the food...

New Zealand Tenderloin - It was great! -  Nice and juicy, very well seasoned and presented. Served with lovely silky smooth mashed potatoes (very nice!). 439 baht.

Salmon Steak - . I stole a little bit from grandma, who said it was "Aroi MAK" - "VERY nice", and I agreed. It certainly looked great too.  259 baht

Pork Loin and Mashed Potatoes - this is from Steak of the Day's standard lunch time menu, which also has other items eg. chicken, sausages, etc on it. Very nice and tasty pork and gravy, and the same mashed potatoes and side salad. Fantastic value at 89 baht!

Steak of the Day has other things on the menu as well eg. various salads, hamburgers, pasta, etc. The Caesar Salad is fantastic (highly recommended!), as is the cheese tortilla. 

Even though they can get really busy, I found the service still very warm and friendly. 

Steak of the Day
Mae Rim Plaza, Mae Rim
11am-8pm
Closed on Sundays
Tel: 081-256-7292
https://www.facebook.com/steak.steakoftheday


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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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Chez Marco

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Whenever I asked my friends about a good Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, the name Chez Marco always comes up. Actually, Chez Marco is a Mediterranean restaurant, and this is the first time I've actually visited the restaurant...and I am impressed!

Sure, it can be quite hard to find parking on Loi Kroh Road in the evenings, but we were lucky to find a spot about 100m down the road. Not having made a reservation, we were also lucky to get a table. Lucky we arrived early at 6:30pm!

I love the warm and friendly ambience of the restaurant. The staff is lovely and welcoming as well. This is also the first restaurant in Thailand I've been to where the enthusiastic waitress launches into explaining the menu and describing the dishes without being asked. I have read some reviews complaining that the tables are too close together, and that the restaurant can get quite noisy. The tables are certainly quite close together, but because there weren't that may guests there yet I didn't really have a problem with the noise.

Finally we decide on one of the specials of the day, Duck Confit, 295 baht. The duck is beautifully cooked and so tender the meat is falling off the bones. A bit on the salty side, and interestingly tastes a bit like "Ped Palo", a Thai way of cooking duck, and goes beautifully with the potatoes. The potatoes, incidentally, are amazing.

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

The Salmon Filet with Mushroom Tarragon Cream Sauce, 290 baht, is excellent. There is nothing left on the plate (not even the sauce) by the time we finish with it!

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Shrimp and Squid flamed with Cognac, garlic, parsley, blacken style vegetable, 220 baht. This is quite  a nice dish, served on a hot plate and flamed as it's being served (see 1st photo), giving of a delicious aroma. The prawns are very tasty, and the squid nice and tender.

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Greek Salad with balsamic and olive oil dressing. 160 baht. A good salad, nice and fresh.

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

The total price: 1040 baht (3 people, including 1 beer). No VAT or service charge added to the bill, which is a nice surprise.

Overall, I think Chez Marco is a great restaurant & very good value.  I'll certainly be back (probably quite often) to try other dishes!

Chez Marco
15/7 Loi Kroh Road
T. Chang Klan
A. Muang, Chiang Mai. 20100
(Near Night Bazaar)
Tel: 053 207 032
Next to Raming Lodge Hotel.

Link: Interview with Marco by Dining Guide Chiang Mai

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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