Chef McDang

In the past two or three years, the restaurant and food scene in Chiangmai has changed a great deal.  This is probably because there are new hotels opening every year and tourist business is getting better.  I feel though, that Chiangmai still holds a magic as an easy going, friendly city where everyone can go and relax and enjoy oneself.  This is true not only for tourists but for most Thais as well.  I always find time to go to Chiangmai for R&R, I don’t have to dress well and get to really relax.

There are many hotels and guest houses you can stay at but I always stay at Baan Saen Doi because it is a little way from the city center but not too far way.  They have a great restaurant, Saen Khan Terrace which serves that and local cuisine.  The rooms are very comfortable and quite grand but the price is right.  What I really like about staying at Baan Saen Doi is that it is like a home away from home.  I particularly like to walk across the road to the spa and stay there for at least three hours chilling out.  If you are interested you should take at look at their website at http://www.baansaendoi.com.

Eating out is also another favorite pastime of mine.  After eating Thai and local Lana food most of the time I always try something different.  I like Japanese food and although there are new one popping up all the time I am not quite sure if the seafood is really fresh so I always stick to my trusted old friend Miyuki Restaurant at the Royal Princess, Chiangmai.  At Miyuki, the food is always fresh and I have been coming here for the last 10 years!  They have changed their chef not because the last one was not good but he is getting old.  I always eat sushi and sashimi there.  Tempura and all the regular Japanese fare are delicious but the last time I went I tried new items on the menu that really impressed me.  They made good use of fresh local ingredients from the Royal Project.  They take fresh shiitake mushrooms and stuffed them and braised them in very delicate clear broth. The import river prawns from the south of Thailand and made a mayonnaise base sauce for it, split the prawns open lengthwise, topped with the sauce and grilled them.  Creamy, rich but at the same time, delicate is the only way I can only describe it.

Their grilled imported fish is always good.  Jintara fish, which I presume is from the same family as the cod fish is either salted or marinated in teriyaki sauce and grilled.  It is a very fatty fish, the resultant flavor is moist and sweet.  The other remarkable dish that I was very pleased with is the Tofu stuffed mackerel that is steamed with a broth laced with sake.   This dish is truly delicate and I had thought when seeing it that it would taste too fishy for me because I usually don’t like the scent of mackerel anyway.  To my surprise it was very good and not fishy tasing at all.

I suggest, when you are in Chaingmai and want Japanese food for either lunch or dinner, try Miyuki at the Royal Princess, Chiangmai and you will not be disappointed.

Miyuki Restaurant

Address : Princess Hotel

112 Chang Klan Road, Amphor MuengRoyal, Chiangmai

Tel. 053 281033