There are some highly skilled restaurateurs and chefs who are opening up custom, private and intimate dining experiences for we food lovers in Chiang Mai. Here are a few exciting new venues.
RedBox
An elegant house on a manicured garden just off Huay Kaew Road has been turned into a special dining experience. Book in advance, as there are only two tables indoors and three outdoors, and dine on a sumptuous feast of delectable South East Asian cuisine…with a twist. Everything is exquisitely presented, from cutlery and tableware to the fresh cut flowers in crystal vases and stunning looking dishes. Nothing is quite what you expect and there is a level of care and creativity which makes this perfect for special occasions. Following your meal, head down to the tea room where you can choose from a selection of tempting cakes and pies…staying on for hours if you wish. There is a special three course lunch set which features many of the most popular dishes for an eminently reasonable 450 baht per person. Take your time with this one and truly indulge in the experience, lovingly created by the husband and wife owners. They also have a 1,000 baht five course tasting menu for lunch and dinner.
No. 6, Haew Kaew Road (Google Map)
Open 11.30am – 10pm (Closed every Tuesday)
Tel. 092 979 4542
Facebook: redboxdining
Mi Piace Chiangmai
We are going to be a bit unpopular here telling everyone about the well-kept secret that is this home restaurant. Rumours that many of our friends had been heading up the mountains for a private dinner party for the past few months reached us recently and we simply had to find out what the fuss was all about. Classically trained in France and Italy, the chef owner opens her cosy and charming home to private groups – 4-12, serving elegant cuisine in an intimate setting. Whether you have a yearning for classical French fare of sage and black olive stuffed roast baby chicken with jus cooked laboriously for four hours, an exotic Moroccan feast of chicken pastilla and a lamb tagine rich in exotic spices or the rich bold Mediterranean flavours of Italy, you can discuss your preferences beforehand and arrive to enjoy the aromas wafting from the kitchen, while chatting to Chef Susie as you sip your aperitifs or wines, just make yourself at home and indulge (BYOB with no corkage!). Prices vary and start at just under 1,000 baht per head. It is a lovely drive out of town in Hang Dong towards Samoeng, so best to have a designated driver!
Ban Pong, Hang Dong
Tel. 085 546 1649
Facebook: mipiacecnx
Food for You by Chef Tutu
Fans of Food for You rejoice! He is baaaaaack. And if you haven’t had the pleasure…go and get you some. Sit at any one of only four tables on a large deck in front of a traditional Lanna wooden house, and watch the master Chef Tutu create his magic in the open air kitchen. It is best to book and discuss your dining preferences beforehand, as Chef Tutu has always maintained that his greatest teachers are his clients, whose tastes and ideas lead him to constantly learn and adapt. The restaurant’s classic favourites are all on the menu, such as plaa salmon, inspired from a regular client who wanted to eat sashimi salmon but without the Japanese flavours. The result is fresh slivers of salmon marinated in Thai herbs, chilli paste and topped with roasted rice, a dish now emulated in restaurants around the country. The crispy duck with honey sauce is also a menu staple and there are always exciting and exotic new offerings, as he experiments and mixes and matches, using traditional and classical Thai cooking as a base from which to leap into creativity.
25 Moo 3, T. San Phi Suea
Open 5.30 – 10pm
Tel. 092 642 9414
Facebook: foodforyoubycheftutu
