Eating Khao Soy @ Lam Duon, Chiang Mai

This is a trip that both of us have been looking forward to. Right after we arrived, we checked into the hotel, dumped our bags and promptly hunted for LUNCH!

About 15 minutes drive from the town centre, on the east bank of the Ping River, we arrived at a nondescript little shop by the roadside. We have it on good authority (recommended by locals) that this place serves the best Khao Soy in town. Khao Soy is a northern Thai street food, popular especially in Chiang Mai.

(Lam Duon Restaurant serving the best Khao Soy in town)

Yellow egg noodles served in a soup that tastes somewhat like curry laksa. The soup base was a pork broth to which curry spices were added, topped with a generous dollop of coconut milk and a liberal sprinkling of crispy fried noodles. C’est délicieux! Be warned, serving portions in Thailand are tiny! But just as well, since the portions were small, we could afford more stomach room to sample other dishes.

(Pork Khao Soy)

While waiting for the Khao Soy to be served, we ordered some grilled pork satay. Now that is something you would not find easily on the streets of Malaysia. Lightly grilled slices of lean pork heavily seasoned with tumeric, served with peanut sauce. A great appetizer to take the edge off gnawing hunger, (it was by then almost 3pm by the time we got down to lunch).

(Pork satay)

After being satiated by the pork satay and Khao Soi, we surveyed the little restaurant for more things to sample. The proprietor proudly showed us the newspaper article featuring Kruai Ping which was grilled banana.

None of us are too fond of mushy bananas, so we ordered only one to share amongst the three of us. The bananas are grilled until the skin splits open and the fruit sugar is slightly caramelized. Not bad, taste like the bananas we chuck into the embers during a BBQ.

(Kruai Ping)

Total bill for lunch was 155 baht for 3 bowls of Khao Soi, 10 sticks of pork satay and one of the Kruai Ping and three bottles of water. That works out to RM5.17 each only.(The open air kitchen where they dish out bowls of delicious Khao Soy)

Apparently this restaurant is somewhat of an institution here in Chiang Mai. This family run restaurant has been around for more then half a century and has served Thai royalty.

Lam Duon Khao Soy, Faharm Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand.