Archive for the ‘Chiang Mai’ Category
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010Chez Daniel French Restaurant – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Above: Chef-Owner Daniel
255/18 Mahidol Rd., Ormmuang Super Highway
A Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel. 053 204800
Credit Cards: Master Card Only
Prices: Moderate
The small Normandy-style restaurant is quite appealing, looking in at it from outside, and is situated on a corner in a remote part of Chiang Mai. Once inside the ten-table dining room of Chez Daniel, at least at night, is eerily dismal with a murky fish tank and untended bric-a-brac lining the walls. Two of the owner’s half-French half-Thai sons, acting as waiters in this family-owned business, plodded aimlessly around the dining room.
I never wish to write about negatives, especially about a restaurant whose owner was so obliging, but the dishes I sampled: escargots, jambon Normande, sanglier poivrade (from Laos) to be truthful, were not very good. The owner-chef was at the time of my visit recovering from major surgery, and that being the case, I give him the benefit of the doubt regarding the cooking, and expect that the dishes will most likely be sorted out when his health improves.
The highlight of the evening was the Calvados Special, baht 250, which he hand-carried back from Normandy in a plastic tea bottle (pictured below).
Beccofino Trattoria – Chiang Mai
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
Beccofino Trattoria
20/2 Soi 7 Nimmanhaemin Road,
Suthep, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100
Tel. (053) 226 590-2
Fax. (053) 226 459
Email: trattoriachiangmai@beccofino.co.th
Website: www.beccofino.co.th
The Grand Opening party of Beccofino Trattoria, Chiang Mai was held on February 28th, 2009. There was a large turnout as this city’s residents took a first hand look at the new Beccofino Italian Trattoria. Executive Chef/Partner, Angelo Rottoli who hails from 3-star Michelin restaurant Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Italy who was chosen to open a branch in Tokyo where he learned to speak Japanese. The recently constructed building that houses Beccofino in Chiang Mai has included some of the finest equipment including ceiling recessed 4-way air-conditioning units, you will not be disturbed by noise or air blowing direct onto you, it also features a custom-made wood burning pizza oven and a striking Venetian mural on the rear wall. An outdoor terrace overlooks a tree lined lane, No. 7, which branches off Chiang Mai’s trendy Nimmanhaemin Road.
Antinori Wine Tasting, Meridien Hotel – Chiang Mai
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
18 Febuary 2009
Chiang Mai Merdien Hotel
A tasting of selected Antinori wines was held at the Italian restaurant Favola. Following were the wines tasted:
Cipresseto 2006 a very pleasant drinking Rose; Villa Antinori Bianco 2007, 70% Trebbiano and Malvasia, 30% Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco and Pinot Gris, light, fragrant and young; Chardonnay Bramito Del Cervo 2006 pale golden color with toasted vanilla; Villa Antinori Rosso 2004, 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Syrah, ruby colored with soft tannins, berry fruit with a hint of oak;
Santa Cristina Chianti Superiore 2006 95% Sangiove, 5% Merlot. A lovely bouquet, good balance of fruit and tannin with floral hints a favorite over the years around the world; Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2004, 90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and other red varieties, intense ruby color, a rounded and well-balanced wine; Moscato D’Asti 2007, 100% White Cannelli Moscato, typical Moscato characteristics with hints of honey.
Akaligo Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Akaligo (means timeless in the sanskrit language)
51/4 Chiang Mai – Sankampaeng Road Moo 1 T. Tasala A. Muang
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50000
phone: +66 53 88 8888
fax: +66 53 88 8928
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive
Situated in the elegant Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Hotel, which is set in a lush valley, which is also know for its abundance of snakes is one of the most impressive hotel properties I have ever seen and stretches over 50 acres or more. Akaligo Restaurant happened to be closed for redecoration and we were seated in the French Restaurant Farang Ses although we were handed menus from Akaligo that serves its customers with the taste of Mediterranean Italian cuisine. Throughout the property you are surrounded by both ancient Thai and contemporary architecture and provided with panoramic views of manicured gardens as well as rice paddies and forests of tropical hardwoods. The pity is that the chef is from Burgundy in France and in the past was the chef at the prestigious Normandie Grill at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, and you can see that he is not too enthused to prepare 80% Italian dishes. As the saying goes, Do not let a French chef make pasta nor an Italian chef cook potatoes”.
St. Germain des Prés Restaurant – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
Bar – Brasserie
4/1 Ratwithi Road, Chiang Mai
Tel. 053 289 557
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, Dinner: 6:00 pm – 12:00 pm
Credit Cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Inexpensive
I was surprised to find a French restaurant with such “good quality for the price” on most items on the menu. They have an interesting way of structuring the menu and pricing: 1st courses or soup are all: 195 baht, 2nd courses are all: 295 baht (a small surcharge applies for a few menu items) Dessert: 120. Or for a three course set: 575 baht.
The chicken supreme with mushrooms was excellent, amazingly most of the mushrooms in the mix were Cepes; an outstanding value. Scallops with cream sauce and Calvados in an attractively presented crispy pastry pouch contained small local Thai scallops with the roe attached, and were very good, although it was hard to detect any Calvados in the sauce. However, for the price I could not complain. I will certainly return to try other dishes on my next return to Chiang Mai.
On the roof above, accessed by a stairway leading up from the front terrace, is a large bar that begins to become lively after 10pm.
Le Beaulieu, Hill-Lodge – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
140 M.5 T.Banpong Hangdong Chiangmai
Tel: (053) 365-011 to 12
Fax: (053) 365-060
Mobile: (084) 042-6594, (081) 948-3748
Website: www.hill-lodge.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive
Chalaluck Bunnag’s boutique Hill-Lodge is nestled in a beautiful location in the mountains above Chiang Mai at 600 meters elevation and has 4 spacious villas and 2 luxury suites. It is about a 30 – 40 minute drive (27 kilometers) from Chiang Mai to arrive at Hill Lodge.
Le Beaulieu’s dining room is covered with a roof but is open-air with a bar and service area tucked inside; it was delightful to have dinner in the mountains and the temperature was absolutely perfect. The cuisine is in the same league as the Herve Frerard – Le Beaulieu standard, as a sous-chef from the Bangkok branch is in the kitchen. The restaurant is in the process of re-vamping the wine list although Le Rime Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay is a good wine to order presently.
Le Beaulieu, Hill-Lodge Resort – Chiang Mai
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Le Beaulieu At Hill Lodge Resort
140 M.5 T. Banpong
Handong Chiangmai
Tel. 053 365 011-2
Fax. 053 365 060
email: reservations@hill-lodge.com
Website: www.hill-lodge.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Le Beaulieu French Restaurant in Bangkok has opened a restaurant in the hills above Chiang Mai. The Hill-Lodge is already very well known, and the addition of Le Beaulieu Restaurant at this resort will certainly be a great added attraction. Chalaluck Bunnag will be presenting Le Beaulieu at the Hill-Lodge Resort. The restaurant is now open and you can book by calling the telephone number listed above.
Piccola Roma Palace – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
144 Charoenprathet Road, Chiang Mai 50100
Tel. 0-5382-0297-8
No Website
Valet Parking
Credit Cards: All Major
Expensive
Chef Angelo Faro opened his restaurant in 1991. He has an large extended menu as do most of the other Italian restaurants in town.
He has the most expensive Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai and considering the overall experience, it might merit the high prices or maybe, it is just the story of the big fish in the small pond. The wine list pricing starts at 1500 baht for red Italian wines and from this medium price escalates quickly to expensive and very expensive wines. The service is attentive and a lot of attention is paid to minute details. The chef spent a good deal of time making sure that my briefcase was in the right position when he arranged it on the small pedestal table, and then proceeded to straighten and align the cutlery and napkin before he would allow me to be seated. 
In fact you can see that he is a man who will put up with no nonsense. He was constantly reprimanding his dog who insisted on entering the dining room and he kept shooing him back. Chef Angelo Faro obviously likes salt, and there was plenty of it in the dishes I tasted. When he finally was seated to have his dinner on the table closest to the kitchen, the first thing he did was reach for the salt shaker.
Giorgio Restaurant – Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
2/6 Prachasamphan Road, Changklan, Chiangmai
Tel.(053 818 236)
Operating Hours: 11.30-2.30 lunch and 6-10.30 dinner.
Credit Cards
Inexpensive – Moderate
Giorgio Restaurant, named after the owner who hails from Vicenza in Italy, is reputedly among the best restaurants serving pizza and pasta in Chiang Mai, although as with every one of the Italian
restaurants we visited not one of them used a true pizza dough.The pasta dishes were well executed and the restaurant was clean and simply decorated.
