The White Plate
Another new source of deliciousness at JJ Market, The White Plate serves a variety of delectable homemade western and Italian dishes created by a young Korean chef from New Zealand. Sophisticated and minimalist in décor, The White Plate features fresh western fusion food including spaghetti, chicken crepes with cream sauce, burgers and carbonara pasta. They also provide cups of tasty Illy coffee (from Italy), as well as a selection of smoothies, brownies, chocolate lava cakes and much more. It’s the perfect lunch or dinner break for a day of shopping, or a great destination for those looking for some classy comfort food, with a relaxed air-conditioned atmosphere and comfy sofas on which to linger. All dishes are elegantly presented on white plates, and the huge portion sizes make the prices quite generous, with dishes starting at just 90 baht.
Open daily, 11.30 a.m. _ 8 p.m.
JJ Market, 45 Atsadathorn Road
088 260 1731, 088 403 4003
In the Cup
Fancy a divine afternoon pick-me-up? Need a last minute sweet for your sweetheart? Situated inside the brand new JJ Market, In the Cup is a tiny cupcake shop offering a myriad of lovely, tasty treats. They keep things simple, serving up only their signature item, and serving it well: cupcakes – every kind you could ever want, no matter what form your sugar craving may take! Choose from red velvet, chocolate, banana, lemon poppy seed, carrot and much more. Only high quality ingredients (such as real vanilla and butter) are used, and a different type of creative signature cupcake is offered up each week. It’s also the perfect alternative to full-sized cakes for parties or events, as well as a great gift option for whomever you’re trying to please: cupcakes can be pre-ordered and nicely gift boxed for pick-up anytime.
Open daily, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
JJ Market, 45 Atsadathorn Road
088 260 7170
Vigie Sist Cafe
In the midst of the long stretch of guesthouses, cafes and wat lining Ratchapakinai Road, lies a coffee shop like no other. Harmonious tones fill the air as customers drum their fingers across the café’s gleaming piano, while owner Yupalapat Supalertpurint bustles around chatting, constructing elaborate coffee concoctions, and, of course, keeping an eye on whatever delightful treats are baking in the oven. An assistant professor in clinical pathology at Chiang Mai University, Yupalapat’s love for people, art and food pushed her to open Vigie Sist Café, which after only one year has already climbed to the top of TripAdvisor. Travellers from across the globe and a slew of loyal expats regularly come to admire wall art depicting ancient northern Thai culture and traditions, sip on delightfully fresh Doi Chang coffee, and have long, leisurely chats with Yupalapat. The amiable and multi-talented lady welcomes any and all to try out her mouth-watering baked items – you can’t go wrong with blueberry cheesecake, toffee cake and brownies – and if you’re musically inclined, to sit down and take a stab at the piano.
Open daily, 7.30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
200/3 Ratchapakinai Road
081 671 2113 email: jyupaj@gmail.com
Steak of the Day
It’s a bit off the beaten track, but a trip to Steak of the Day in Mae Rim is well worth it. Still in its first six months of business, this lovely open-aired restaurant is packed to the brim every night. A prize piece of steak is hard to find in Chiang Mai (and is usually quite expensive), so you’ll be shocked when you walk into this place and find top-quality and beautiful presented pork and dolly fish filets for extremely modest prices, hovering around a mere 80 baht per plate! Owners Ray and Nui spend their days scouring the markets for the best pieces of meat they can find, and because all the food is market-fresh, the menu changes daily, keeping the married couple very busy. Rib eye steaks, fresh salmon, tender lamb chops and a myriad of other delectable dishes are cooked by Ray right before your eyes, while Nui hums around the restaurant pouring wine, decorating dishes and joking with customers.
Open daily, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Closed Sundays)
Mae Rim Plaza, Mae Rim
www.facebook.com/steak.steakoftheday 081 256 7292, 085 347 7683
Dee’s English Fish ‘n’ Chips
Hooray for the first fish ‘n’ chips street vendor in Chiang Mai! Just opened last month, Dee’s English Fish ‘n’ Chips food cart delivers a proper platter of perfectly fried and battered fish served on a bed of tasty chips, with a healthy dollop of tartar sauce and plenty of ketchup to go around. Imminently reasonable at only 50 baht per heaping plate, this is the perfect comfort food for those days that you simply cannot eat another noodle dish but don’t have many baht to blow. Friendly Dee and his lovely wife are quickly developing an avid expat fan base thanks to a recipe that comes from Dee’s father, who owned and operated a restaurant in London for 22 years. Today, Dee keeps things simple, serving up only the time-honoured fish ‘n’ chips and some very tasty BBQ pork skewers for only 12 baht each – and fear not, everything is always cooked separately, so your fish will never taste like pork and your pork will never taste like fish. Hungry yet? Dee is open daily, starting out around 4 p.m. in front of Lila Massage on the corner of Ratwitthi and Moon Muang and moving south from there. Times and locations are subject to change, so be sure to check their Facebook page for details.
Open daily, 4 p.m. – 11 p.m.
www.facebook.com/dee.fishnchipsbbq
Ranggoli
Ranggoli is a wonderful new Indian restaurant serving a vast menu of Indian faves along with some Thai and Chinese food (to draw in the crowd queuing across the soi at Mango Tango!), all set in a lovely wooden house with indoor and outdoor seating. With chefs flown in from Mumbai, dishes are completely authentic, and better yet, unlike many restaurants in town where one dish tastes pretty much like the next, each sauce and curry is individually prepared and the flavours are bold when required and subtle when suited – at highly reasonable prices to boot! The samosas are bursting at the seams with goodies, the shami kebab is rich in flavours, the vindaloo will blow your head off if you don’t ask for a milder version, the masala, korma and karahi are smooth and spicy, there is a solid selection of vegetarian dishes such as daal, palak paneer, mushroom curries and more, and the fresh yoghurt will cool everything down deliciously, preparing your palate for the next bite. Bollywood music is piped through the speakers and you can either ask for it to be pumped up for a bit of a party or toned down for easy background listening. Best of all, the owners are friendly, fun, and helpful, making Ranggoli a great new addition to the Nim zone. They serve alcohol, do home delivery, and are available for private parties as well.
Nimmanhaemin Road, Soi 11
086 966 551
Cloud 9 Massage & Spa
Another classy business opens on Loi Kroh! This one is a lovely spa offering decadent massages, body scrubs, reflexology and spa packages in a great setting just across the soi from Number One Bar. Step inside and you’ll know immediately that this isn’t your typical seedy, off-the-street massage shack (or whatever else you might find at massage-related Loi Kroh businesses). Big, comfy lazy boy chairs and top quality massage tables are lined up in front of a lovely trickling water wall, giving a cool and soothing ambiance to the entire place. Several private rooms for indulgent oil massages and romantic couple’s treatments are through a door in the back. Cloud 9’s prices are above street level but below the cost of your average resort spa, despite the comparable offerings and atmosphere. For two hours of pure bliss (perfect for your stressed-out mum), opt for the Cloud 9 Signature Package, which starts with a Thai herbal body scrub followed by a full body aroma oil therapy and a relaxing scalp massage for 1,299 baht. The Cloud 9 slogan does not lie; this place really is a piece of heaven.
Open daily, 12 p.m. – midnight
Loi Kroh Road, Soi 1
www.facebook.com/Cloud9MassageSpa
093 270 2547
Huean Kaew Spa
Looking for luxury? Treat your mum (or yourself) to a day of pampering at Rawee Waree Luxury Hotel’s opulent day spa, Huern Kaew, which features a variety of holistic, de-stressing treatments to tantalise the senses. Nestled along the Ping River in the serene mountain setting of San Phi Suea, Huern Kaew offers a convenient escape from the bustle of the city. Admire the traditional “Thai Lue” style architecture and breathtaking views while enjoying a wide array of all natural, herbal treatments. They offer traditional Siamese massages, a variety of body scrubs (coffee, mango or tamarind – take your pick!), aromatic massage (in lavender, rose or lemongrass), deep tissue massage, body wraps, body slimming treatments, signature packages and more. On Mother’s Day, enjoy a treatment and mum will receive a complimentary facial. Choose from aloe and cucumber, honey and tamarind, or white clay & milk facials. Treatments start at 1,200 baht. Find time to unwind.
Open daily 9:30am _ 8pm
211 Moo 6 T. San Phi Suea
www.facebook.com/SpaHuernKaew
0 53 110 555
House of Beauty
Rather than being your typical spa, House of Beauty Healthy Skin Centre (HOB) provides skin-specific treatments using the concept of Dermalogica. The goal is healthier and more beautiful skin, and the products used contain a balanced mixture of ingredients free from minerals, oil, alcohol, synthetic colourings or fragrances, ensuring no long-term skin damage. Instead, products are made from still-growing, fertile land which has not been genetically modified. The Dermalogica procedure contains copyrighted processes, of which the most important step is called Face Mapping, a method of analysis which divides the face into 14 zones. HOB’s consultants will study your face zone by zone before recommending a suitable array of products to you. For a bit of purposeful pampering, HOB also uses massage techniques to solve problems at your body’s pressure points, which can either cause or exacerbate your skin dilemmas. At HOB, science meets beauty, and they are waiting to offer an effective yet gentle transition to healthier skin, for you, or your mum, or both!
Open daily, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
24/3 Nimmanhaemin Road
082 188 8462