TianZi Tea House — Restaurant in Chiang Mai Province

This well established vegetarian restaurant must be one of the most ‘laid back’ and relaxing eating experiences you can find in Chiang Mai or all of Thailand for that matter. It serves organic and macrobiotic food and specializes in teas including one called Immune, for which health claims are made.

You will find it next to a busy bar and only a few yards from and opposite the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel. I offer these directions simply because it is an unobtrusive kind of place. You enter via some wooden steps and come into a courtyard where the main serving area is found, with cushions and support laid out beside tables at raised floor level. There is another room further on with a conventional table and chairs. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxing.

The menu is clearly stated and divides into simple sections beginning with a choice of soups such as Creamy Pumpkin or Miso and so on. There are a variety of salads from which I chose the Reddish which had a combination of shredded vegetables in a slightly sharp and tangy dressing. More substantial dishes included Buckwheat noodles and the brown rice salad. I chose this and was extremely glad that I opted for the ‘small’ portion which was substantial enough for me to ask for a carry home bag. The organic rice comes on top of a bowl with seeds, nuts, various herbs and vegetables, seasoned with apple vinegar and sesame oil. To accompany this I chose the fried tofu with sesame seeds and a side dish of sesame oil and seeds. Once again this was too much for one person and the best advice I can give is to go with friends and make a selection of dishes. It might be worth choosing some of the tastier food, such as the mushrooms in garlic or the single non vegetarian dish (Canadian smoked salmon) to complement the salads and other choices which can seem a trifle bland. That way you can try the many choices of stir fried vegetable dishes and other choices and may have room for one of their small range of puddings, such as the buckwheat pancakes or just the fresh fruit salad. All of this can be accompanied by a choice of fruit juices, cherry, papaya, banana and others or of course green tea or their more exotic offerings from Yannun province in China. No alcohol is served but I guess they would not object to you bringing your own. It might be a good idea to go in simply for a choice of tea and a sweet dish such as the corn cakes with sesame and honey or the pancakes. Whichever you choose it is worth making the trip to this rather unusual and easy...

I found eating lunch at this little Sichuan restaurant tucked into the Kamphaend Din to be thoroughly charming and delicious. Had the Mapo tofu, cucumber salad, green beans, a chicken and spring onion dish, a wood ear salad and a version of sweet and sour pork that thankfully isn't at all like other sweet and sour dishes and was savory and satisfying. The cucumber salad is simple and classic and I also liked the chicken dish a lot though it and the wood ear dish were very raw onion and Sichuan peppercorn forward, so spicy in unlikely ways. I can't wait to try more dishes on the substantial menu such as the pickled fish soup, some other pork options and some of the many vegetable dishes with eggplant or cabbage.

There is a variety of seating, so you don't need to sit near the canal or in a potentially mosquitoey area during the day. I think the garden is beautiful and the entrance really sets the tone, though you have to be able to walk up and down a couple steps. Have not been for dinner but I really enjoyed my experience and...

I always try the beef chilli oil dish whenever I try out a shichuan restaurant. Added tofu dish and ordered two bowls of rice for a person each. The food was good and spicy. Had better ones in the past. But got me sweating and I ended up with another round of rice cause it was too salty for me. But I dont put a lot of salt in my food in general so... I’ll definitely go again before I go back. The only reason I gave it a 4 was because there was a cute cat. I love cats, but I’m allergic to them. Thankfully the cat was no way...