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!!! 

Kanom Jeen Baan Rao (69 baht Kanom Jeen buffet!!)

Kanom Jeen

If you'd like to delve a bit more into Thai cuisine, and try something a little different, try "Kanom Jeen". "Kanom Jeen" is actually a type soft noodles made from fermented rice, eaten with curry (there are endless varieties of curries in Thailand!), topped with various kind of vegetables. The noodles are eaten at room temperature, so it can be quite refreshing on those hot days!

There are various kanom jeen buffet places around, and this particular one is called Kanom Jean Baan Rao, and for a whopping 69 baht, you can have as much kanom jeen and curry and dessert and fruits as you like!

Kanon Jeen Ban Rao is a rather nice and clean looking open-air restaurant with a lovely garden in front. First thing you do is go to the counter and pay. Once you've done that, the lady behind the counter will give you a plate, cutleries and a glass. Choose a table, and off you go to have your fill. Get some kanom jeen, and pick your curry. At the time, there are about 8 choices of curries to choose from - and honestly, I have no idea what some of them are...so the best thing to do is to try a bit of everything to see which ones you like best! Don't worry, there are "regular" dishes like green curry as well, but since you're here, you may as well be adventurous and explore! I quite enjoyed the "Nam Ya" - a curry with ground fish and coconut milk.

The Curry Stand

Once you've chosen your curry, the next thing to do is go to the vegies counter and pile on some fresh / blanched / pickled vegies on your kanom jean. These vegies give a nice fresh contrast to the curries, plus a bit of crunch as well.

The vegies stand

At Kanon Jeen Ban Rao, you can also get a couple of snacky vegies - deep fried shredded papaya and deep-fried betel leaves. Very yummy!

Kanom Jeen Baan Rao is definitely a good restaurant - good food, good value & very clean!

2/1 Chotana Road Soi 16
T. Changpeuk, Chiang Mai
Opposite Lanna Golf Course
Tel: 085 038 9820

Watch out for this sign on the main road.

The restaurant - Kanom Jeen Baan Rao

Khao Soi Mae Manee (ข้าวซอยเเม่มฌี)

Oh my gosh! I haven't been so excited about food…since last entry! Here we have the no so humble Khao Soi sold in a rather humble little shack like place in a small lane off Chotana Road. I knew it would be good when the Thai friend who took us there said it's his favorite Khao Soi place since childhood, and I got really excited as soon as I see the place (see above photo), and the two older ladies who run it  - you can find some of the best food in such places!

The shop itself is fairly simple and clean. The walls are adorned with posters of reviews and articles about this eatery from various magazines. Looking at the rather extensive looking menu board, I was little astounded. I've always thought Khao Soi comes in 3 varieties - pork ribs, chicken, beef…was rather surprised to see varieties like Mama (instant noodles) Khao Soi, Vermicelli noodles Khao Soi, as well as fish, pork and beef ball khao sois on the list. Regular Khao Sois are 25 baht per bowl, and you can even combine 4 different "meats" together for 90 baht. They even have special Khao Sois for children (on request). 

I decided to put in my regular Khao Soi order - Khao Soi with Pork Ribs. 

As we helped ourselves with complimentary water and ice, our Khao Sois arrive with condiments - lime wedges, shallots and generous amounts of homemade pickled mustard greens. The deep colour of the broth already hints on how great the Khao Soi would be.

And yes, it was GOOD. The broth was beautiful, rich and deeply flavored, and surprising not that spicy (for me). Of course, you can always add extra chilli if you like. The pork ribs were lovely -  succulent and tender, and the homemade pickled mustard greens were great too - crunchy and mild tasting to add an nice contrast to the khao soi. 

Khao Soi Mae Manee
18 Soi Chotana 24
T. Changpeuk, A. Muang
Chiang Mai
Tel: 053 218 286, 053 218 519, 0819612235
Open daily, closed on Buddha days.

...and yes, this is my new favourite Khao Soi place! 

Miso Korean Restaurant

A while back, reader recommended Miso Korean Restaurant to me. Up till now, I've mainly pretty much gone exclusively to Lum Lum for Korean food as the food there is great and it's just a few doors down from my office - can't get more convenient than that! ...But it's good to try something new as well, and I'm glad I did! ..So it was...Miso (sometimes spelt Misone), a comfortable and unpretentious restaurant in the trendy Nimmanhaemin Area.

Outdoor area

There are 3 dining areas. The two indoor air-conditoned rooms are quite plain but comfortable enough, the outdoor section is quite nice. The food is great, and very good value too!

Indoor air-condtioned room

Miso has some yummy Korean dishes I haven't had for a while, for example, Ja Jang Myeon - Korean noodles with pork, cucumber and thick sauce made from black beans. I must say it was delicious! The noodles also comes with 3 side dishes. 130 baht.

The Dolsot Bibimbab, 120 baht, (Rice with various vegies and egg served in a stone dish), another one of my favourite Korean dishes is very nicely done as well. It's served with some korean chilli paste, which I found to have a nice blend of soy bean flavour, and not overwhelmingly spicy, and comes with 3 side dishes as well.

The side dishes are all lovely, particularly the firm tofu with sesame oil and chilli - really good!  You also get free refills, which is a nice touch.

Miso Korean Restaurant also has other typical Korean dishes such as Toukbokky (very spicy!), kimbab (korean sushi), lunch and dinner buffets (seem like great value as well).

In the end, it was a very enjoyable meal. The food is certainly very good here. I sat chatting with my friend quite late in the night, and the staff was very nice to keep refilling our water, and we felt very comfortable sitting there for a while. I noticed too, that there were a lot of Korean patrons, which is always a great sign!


Miso Korean Restaurant
9 Nimmanhaemin Soi 7 Chiang Mai
Tel: 053 894 989, 083 322 3990
www.misonehotel.com/koreanrestaurant.html

Mood Mellow - French cake shop (Now closed)

 

Introducing...my current favourite cake shop in Chiang Mai, Mood Mellow. Recently moved from their previous location on Sirimankarajan Road to the hip Nimmanhaemin area,  Mood Mellow's French style cakes are not just simply beautiful ( both in look and taste! ), the shop itself is pretty funky too!

 

This time I had bambini (the white one in the photo below), and the lime tart.

Bambini is a cheesecake - and is so light and fluffy, only slightly sweet, and covered in white chocolate shavings and topped with a single gooseberry -  simply divine.

The lime tart is delicious too. Lovely and tangy, with nice and buttery base. Very nice indeed. 

 

Other cakes to try: Taro Cake - melt in your mouth softness with gorgeous purple colour! The chocolate cake is also great - full of chocolaty goodness! Mmm. I think I'll have to take another trip back to Mood Mellow soon! 

...Oh, don't forget to check out the toilet!

Mood Mellow
Soi 3, Nimmanhaemin Road.

Smily Kitchen - home style Japanese cafe

Very relaxing and comfortable. Simple, unpretentious, great food. This is how I would describe this Japanese Cafe. It's one of those places where you can just hang out with friends and enjoy authentic Japanese food. Moreover, whenever I am there, there is always a steady stream of Japanese expats going in and out, and that's always a good sign! 

The service is warm and friendly. It seems like there is only one waitress, so be patient!

The menu is huge. Most of these are sets which comprise of miso soup, seaweed salad, a bowl of rice and your main dish. Prices are pretty good too, and starts from around 110 baht. I really enjoy the egg plants and pork with miso sauce. The rice with beef topping is also very nice (135 baht).

Other dishes include various types of noodles. The waitress recommended the Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken in Sesame and Vinegar Sauce, and it turned out to be lovely. Light, refreshing, fragrant and tangy. Perfect for a hot day. 130 baht.

I've already been back to Smily Kitchen a few times since a friend introduced me to it a couple of weeks ago. There are so many dishes I'd like to go back to try. I'd say it's my current favourite Japanese restaurant at the moment! 

The Verdict:

Friendly, comfortable, unpretentious restaurant serving great home style Japanese food. One of those places you can go very often.   

The Rating:
The food: 8/10
The ambience: 8/10
The service: 8/10 (very friendly)
Value for money: 8/10

Smily Kitchen
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
(Closed Sundays)
Nimmanhaemin Soi 3
Tel: 087 176 7566

Mont Blanc Sweet Cafe - Japanese Style French Cakes

 

I love success stories! ..And here is one starring a local young woman who followed her dreams to open a patisserie. It all started when the then 23 year old local girl, Panit Palapong, for the first time in her life, baked a cake. She simply wanted to impress her mum. Since then, Panit went on to study at a French Patisserie school in Japan and came back to Chiang Mai to open her first patisserie, Mont Blanc. It's so successful that she now has 3 branches.

Mont Blanc cakes are all French cakes and made from French recipes. The Japanese part comes from the way the cakes are decorated...well...in Japanese style! The result is light, soft and smooth tasting cakes.

 

The cafe in a quiet lane off the trendy Nimmanhaemin Road. This shop is decorated in retro-modern style (I guess!), and you have a choice to enjoy your cakes in the garden, or inside in air-conditioning.

There is a HUGE variety of cakes to choose from - all beautifully decorated and delicious looking. I wanted to try everything! After some consideration, we opted for:

Chocolate Caramel Cake - smooth chocolate mousse at the bottom, followed by a layer of hazelnuts, then soft and fluffy cream. Yum!

 

Mango Rare Cheesecake. "Rare" cheesecakes are what the Japanese call "no-bake" cheesecakes. Lovely, light in texture and creamy. 

 

Souffle Cheese Vanilla. Fluffy, creamy and light cheesecake (in texture, not calories!) covered with white chocolate shavings. Very, very nice. 

 

Mont Blanc

Branch 1: Nimmanhaemin Road (main road, near Soi 7)
Tel: 053 210 776

Branch 2: Central Airport Plaza
3rd floor, near escalators & Robinson
Tel: 053 280 662

Branch 3: Nimmanhaemin Soi 2
Tel: 053 210 776