SANAE | เสน่ห์ ไทย คูซีน — Restaurant in Chiang Mai Province

Rude worker and disorganized.

When we got there, we saw groups with number cards standing outside. We figured there was a wait list and went inside to put our name down. The place is small, and there was no one by the entrance, but we see the register and a worker that looks to be chatting with a customer. We go to queue up in line to get a number. However, this interaction does not seem to move. 5 minutes waiting and we see another worker come from the back, and she has a notepad and number cards. So we're like, ah, that's the person to talk to and take a few steps in her direction, but she is dealing with a rude customer who looked to be demanding they moved 2 customers already served to a smaller table. We continue to wait 10 more minutes, and a male waiter looks over, and I motion a card shape with my hands and say "number," and he shakes his head, indicating he understands. Suddenly, the register person starts yelling at us in Chinese. When we don't understand because we are not Chinese, he then scolds us in English about how there is a line, there's 8 in front of us. This is first come, first serve! We can't cut the line and demand to be served. First come, first serve! Multiple times he says this and other things I couldn't understand. We couldn't even get a word in explain. The male waiter finally interrupts holding a number card (thank goodness!) because he knows we are trying to do just that. Get on the wait list! The worker with the notepad finally takes notice of us and puts us on the wait list.

We ended up waiting over an hour, by which time they had run out of most foods. When asked what of the remaining items they'd recommend, we were simply told all out. We shared one dish, and it was nothing special, definitely not worth the hassle we went through. Beef was tough, rice mediocre. The best part was the pickled pepper side followed...

Ate here twice. Food is ok but it’s been overrun by PRC tourists or visa bandits or whatever famous the world over for their charming manners. smells like an ashtray because it’s one tiny room, maybe 100 square feet, and they’ve extremely foolishly put an ashtray and some chairs right in front of the sliding door. Before my food was even served: 5!! different men took turns smoking right in front of the open door, and then halfway through it (literally a foot from my face), so they could take photos of their girlfriends in front of the Michelin signs inside; a mom let her baby girl drop trou and pizz in the gravel in front of everyone (it’s completely floor to ceiling glass windows), and one of the men hocked loogies all over the doorway after his smoke, what a soundtrack to eat by. I got my food to go and I won’t be back. They packed a free juice with it, which is very kind, thank you! but for someone expecting a Michelin experience this was ?!?!?!!!! I asked to eat upstairs but they said it was full. When someone with the look on my face asks to eat upstairs, do yourself a favor and make room. And obviously if you want polite guests, don’t indulge the gross ones.

Reply to owner: I hope by 'take action on smoking area' you mean remove it completely or arrange with a neighbor for it to be at least 50 feet away...

Michelin lists this Sanae outlet as the Bib Gourmand recipient, not the one located within the old city. But it seems the latter is more famous and when I arrived at 11.55 am, I was the only customer.

Little wonder because this outlet is out of the way and located in a narrow street. But the food is legit good. Ordered their signature Beef Fat Fried Rice and Southern Thai Tea. Total bill 230 baht. No problems to order because they have an English menu and lady speaks English.

The plate of fried rice came with a slab of grilled beef, medium and sliced. The rice itself was garnished with crispy fried garlic and and egg yolk. I wish the yolk would be runny but it was actually almost fully cooked. The steak was fantastic, tender and juicy. The crispy garlic added more flavours to the rice as did the pickled green chilli, although I wish the latter could be crunchy and not soft and marshy. Its sourness did help to cut through the greasiness of the fried rice though.

Serving is huge so it is with regret I could not accommodate their beef sour and spicy soup. Looks like I’ll have to come back again in the future.

In conclusion, this restaurant well deserves its Bib...