The last time I was in Chiangmai was a good 7 years ago during a company trip with my last company, and since then, many things have changed
Upon landing, we decided to visit one of the popular cafes which was nearer to the airport. Located amidst the mountains and forests of Chiang Mai, the cafe aims to deliver a nature-inspired experience for every guest to relax and feel warmly welcomed
There are multiple buildings, some without air-con and some with air-con. There are also some outdoor seating areas where customers can feel like they are dining in the forest
We ordered the grilled pork neck served with chilli dipping sauce and some raw vegetables. I was expecting a dried version of grilled pork neck, which I had in Bangkok, but this was the chunky version, which was not as juicy as I expected it to be. Instead, there were some parts which was quite hard to bite and had many veins
I like Thai salads, so I ordered their shrimp pomelo salad, which was mildly spicy. Packed with a skewer of succulent grilled prawns, the salad was very refreshing, as each bite of fresh pomelo bursts in your mouth together with the fried shallots and other ingredients
It is almost natural to order fried morning glory whenever I am in Thailand, so we went with the garlic fried morning glory, which wasn’t spicy even though it had cut chilli. The vegetables were fried well with a nice crunch, but it was quite generic and nothing too extraordinary
We also ordered the coconut milk soup with fish fillet, which didn’t look like the picture on the menu. It was very milky and did not have any hint of spiciness, and the flavours were quite bland other than a milky taste. The soup was also not very drinkable, as it was like drinking coconut milk directly
I really do like fried rice with shrimp paste sauce, so when I saw this on the menu, I had to order it. I was highly disappointed when the dish was served, as the rice was mixed grains, so it was stickier than the usual fried rice, and there was no shrimp paste flavour at all. I found it a mediocre plate of fried rice and added a lot of chilli sauce to make it more palatable
Last but not least, I ordered a strawberry smoothie to make the meal better, and it did not disappoint. The drink was filled with fresh strawberries as well as blended with yoghurt for a thick, milky consistency
Overall, the food was pretty mediocre. Although the environment is pretty and good for photos, I wouldn’t make my way here again for a meal
Address: 2 13 ม.2 Somphot Chiang Mai 700 Pi Rd, Mae Hia, เมือง Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand
Opening hours: 11 am to 10 pm
