Ruam Jai Gai Yang - Som Tum (Grilled Chicken & Papaya Salad) รวมใจไก่ย่าง-ส้มตำ

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Gai Yang (grilled chicken) - Som Tum (papaya salad) is one of those ubiquitous street food dishes in Thailand. Each shop has its own version of these tasty grilled chicken, usually served with just as tasty papaya salad, and sticky rice. Yum!

Driving past Ruam Jai Gai Yang-Som Tum shop one evening on the way to visit a relative at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, a stream of people entering the restaurant catches my eyes. So how could I not have dinner there that night?

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

First thing I noticed? The aroma of chicken being grilled on Thai style BBQ right at the entrance. Fantastic! I then take a good look at this rather large and rustic restaurant, built around a tree. Most of the tables are taken up, and the food on look pretty good!

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

The menu is actually quite extensive. They have more than just chicken. There are roast pork, and also various kind of fish and soup dishes. There are various kinds of som tums available as well, including ones with brined crab, fermented fish, as well as carrot som tum and mango som tum (and various versions of these), and more! For the newbie, I suggest you stick to the regular som tum.

I ordered half a chicken (55 baht. Whole chicken: 110 baht). Very nice, tasty and tender chicken, the meat falling off the bones. Scrumptious! (Aside: I don't think I've had a bad grilled chicken in Thailand yet). Very nice with sticky rice and the accompanying chilli dip. My sticky rice came with a little added surprise of extra protein in the form of a dead ant. LOL...a dead ant is not so bad, I guess. It could have been worse!

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

And of course, I had to order the Som Tum (30 baht). Actually, the chicken came first and I kind of almost finished it before the papaya salad came out...quite a little while later. Well, I was hungry! The som tum was richly flavoured, and quite spicy (I asked for "mai ped" - not spicy). The salad was little on the sweet side for me, however, delicious, nonetheless. A little gripe:  the serving was pretty small.

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

I'd really like to go back and try the soup and the serpent head fish that look rather good here:  link

The verdict:
The restaurant seemed clean enough (until I saw the ant in my sticky rice)..lol.
The service isn't fantastic, but acceptable for this type of restaurant.
The food is great (well, from what I've had) ; prices are quite reasonable too.

Ruam Jai Gai Yang - Som Tum
รวมใจไก่ย่าง-ส้มตำ
Bunreungrit Road
Next to 7-11,  about 50m or so  from Chiang Mai Ram Hospital
Tel: 053 215 912
Opens: Daily 10am-10pm



View Chiang Mai Eating Guide in a larger map

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

Sa-ard Sawoei Fishball Noodles Shop

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Noodles. One of my favourite things for lunch. They come in all sorts of varieties. Sa-ard ("Clean")  Sawoei ("Food")  specialises in Fishball Noodles, or rather, fishballs with noodles. So what's so special? They actually make their own fishballs. There are various varieties, all made without preservatives. Their motto is "Fresh, Clean, Delicious, Homemade".

Before you go on any further, if you haven't been to a noodle shop in Thailand before, you might want to read this article, "How to Order Noodles in Thailand". It can be a little confusing if it's your first time!

Tom Yum Flavoured Fishball Noodles

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

My favourite at Sa-ard Sawoei is Sen Mee (rice vermicelli) Tom Yum (the tom yum spicy soup) with the fishballs. Sometimes I'll have Ba Mee (egg noodles) Hang (dry - ie no soup). The fishballs here are great, and don't taste fishy. Incidentally, the noodles (except for "tom yum") are served "plain", which means you add condiments - fish sauce, chilli, sugar - yourself at the table, so you can adjust the flavours to your liking.  They also serve Kao Kha Moo (Stewed pork legs with rice) - also very nice. The cost is about 30-35 bath for a bowl of noodle.

...And to finish off the meal, coconut ice-cream! It's rock hard straight from the fridge, so leave it out for a little while before digging in. It's delicious, and is more like gelato than ice-cream. You can choose from a large variety of toppings as well.

Coconut Ice-cream!

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

Sa-ard Sawoei is open daily for lunch.
Mae Jo Road, Chiang Mai
Directions: From Super Highway, take Mae Jo - Phrao Road, drive through the 2nd Ring Road (121), pass Land and Houses. Just after PTT service station, turn right at the U-Turn. You'll see the eatery there.

From Where to eat in Chiang Mai?

From Where to eat in 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:

View Chiang Mai Eating Guide in a larger map

Fern Forest Cafe

What a better way to catch up with a friend over coffee and cakes in the lovely tropical garden of Fern Forest Cafe.

Fern Forest Cafe is set in a wooden Thai house in one of the lanes in Chiang Mai's charming old city. You can dine in the shady tropical garden, or in an air-conditioned room in the house. The menu is quite extensive, with lots of different types of cakes, coffee and other drinks, as well as meals like quiche and sandwiches. Meals weren't available at lunch at the time of our visit as the cafe didn't have enough staff...so too bad for us - we had to eat cakes for lunch, which was just as well! : P

I opt for the Banofee Pie - very interesting! I have never seen anything like it! The base is nice and crumbly and crunchy, laced with caramel, I think. There are lots of just plain old bananas, as you can see, and a layer of caramel syrupy thing is spreaded over the top, and the "pie" is then topped with a thick layer of cream. Very nice and lightish (if not for the cream!). 75 baht.

My friend chose the Coconut Pie, which is also quite nice. The pie is filled with shredded coconut in smooth, soft and creamy (something like) custard. Also 75 baht. Incidentally, quite a few people from various internet sites recommend this pie.

The coffee is fine. Apparently Fern Forest Cafe grows their own coffee. Coffee connoisseurs may not find it too impressive though, but I find it quite pleasant, and not bitter.

All in all, I think Fern Forest Cafe is a lovely coffee shop. Very nice relaxing ambience, very good (and interesting) cakes, pretty good coffee, reasonable prices. It's worth a visit if you're in the area. It's also quite a popular place with streams of people coming in an out the whole time we are there.

I will definitely go back to try the other cakes. : )

Fern Forest Cafe

2/2 Singharaj Soi 4

Muang, Chiang Mai

Tel: 053 416204, 081 4725347

Open daily 8:30am-8:30pm

View Chiang Mai Eating Guide in a larger map

Baan Toong Restaurant (Stewed Duck Noodles)

Stewed Duck Noodles (Kuay Tiew Ped Toon) is the order of the day, and we drop by at Baan Toong Restaurant on the way back from a morning at San Kamphaeng Hot Springs. Looking at it now, this noodle shop is almost in the middle of nowhere, next to rice fields, and on New San Kamphaeng (but actually just up the road to Huen Jai Yong!).

The specialty of this restaurant, you've guessed it, is the Stewed Duck Noodles (30 baht - regular; 35 baht for a bigger portion), but they also have other dishes as well - eg. Stewed Chicken Noodles, Pork-Leg with rice, Duck with rice, Stewed Beef Noodles, as well as dishes like papaya salad.

What does the stewed duck taste like, you ask? Well, the duck is stewed in a mixture of spices (five spice powder), and some herbs (like coriander roots and garlic). The soup is very tasty, herby and fragrant, and served with fresh herbs and vegies and crispy pork rinds (yum!). I find the soup a little too oily (from duck fat, I presume) on first tasting, but this is quickly remedied with one or two teaspoonful of the vinegar/red chilli mixture (found on the table). Personally, I think the dish quite interesting, but not really my cup of tea - the herbal taste too strong for my liking.

Here are a couple of other dishes we ordered - stewed duck wings (quite good) and papaya salad - very nice.

I think this restaurant is worth a try if you're in the area. It's very popular with the locals. People who are used to eating Asian food may enjoy it. The restaurant is on New San Kamphaeng Road. Coming from the city, go pass 2nd Ring Road (121) and the road that takes you to Borsang. Keep going until you see Moo Baan Siwilai on your right. Drive for another 300-400 m and the restaurant will be on your left. Please have a look at approximate location on Google Maps:

View Chiang Mai Eating Guide in a larger map

Lunch at Doi Saket Hot Springs

Eggs freshly boiled (self service!) in the hot spring water, crunchy fried chicken in herbal batter, sticky rice and papaya salad....this is today's menu at a little eatery next to the rice fields at Doi Saket Hot Springs.

Doi Saket Hot Springs is one of those lovely little places waiting to be developed into a tourist attraction. Most people who come here are locals, there are no entry fees to use the "park", and the scenery is quite picturesque - rice fields and mountains in the background, a small stream meandering through. A perfect place for a picnic and enjoy food at the eateries / food stalls.

There are more or less 3 stalls (and a rather cute looking coffee shop next door - somewhere to try next time!). For now, the fried chicken is what we're here for. We also order some papaya salad (a tasty salad full of Thai flavours - sour, sweet, salty, and spicy) and sticky rice....and fresh eggs to boil in the "egg boiling well".

It's a rather busy day, and the fried chicken came out rather slowly - but it's worth the wait. Crunchy and herby (possibly from coriander seeds), may be a bit too oily, but the chicken is delicious anyway, and goes down really well with the papaya salad & sticky rice. Mmm finger lickin' good!

The price is even better! It works out only about 150 baht for 4 people - about 35 baht each! Not bad for such a great meal. : D

Doi Saket Hot Springs (about 40 minutes north of Chiang Mai, on the way to Chiang Rai)

Doi Saket

Chaing Mai