GIVE ME GOOD FOODS: Chiang Mai: Authenticity in Your Taste Buds

One of the most authentic Thailand restaurant in Portland, OR located in Southeast Portland is called Chiang Mai. It has lots of varieties of Thai food, from A to Z, from soups to stir fries, and from savory to desserts.

I was browsing through Eater PDX and was looking for Thai food to eat. I found several Thai restaurants, but this one here caught my eye. First, because of the rating and secondly because of the varieties of food they offer. The thing that attracted me was the 'Mango sweet sticky rice', but sadly they only have it around summer time.

Khao Soi has always been Thailand's iconic food. Every time I judge a Thai restaurant, I always try their Khao Soi and make a conclusion.

Khao Soi or Khao Soy is a Burmese-influenced dish (see on no khauk swe) served widely in northern Laos and northern Thailand. The name means "cut rice". Traditionally, the dough for the rice noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming the large sheet noodle is then rolled and cut with scissors. Lao khao soi is still made with the traditional noodles and in some markets in Luang Namtha and Muang Sing you can still see the vendors cutting the noodles.

Khao Soi Gai (we asked them to change chicken to beef) (USD $10.50)
At first when I saw the price, I thought it's going to be overpriced. We decided to share all the meals so we could try a couple of varieties. This was one of my favorite.

Shrimp Fried Rice (USD $8.50)
Shrimp and rice. It wasn't that bad at all, but it was not something spectacular. I remember it was a little bit spicy, but not too much. The shrimp was peeled and that's one of the thin I actually liked because I didn't have to get dirty fingers.

Pad See-ew Moo (different prices for different meats) (USD $7.00)
They price their food according to the types of meat. Tofu, chicken, beef, or pork are mostly USD $7.00, for noodle dishes. For shrimp or squid, USD $8.50. Seafood is USD $10.00. To me, Pad See-ews are like Khao Soi, they determine whether a restaurant is bad or good. It is because I feel that those two dishes are Thailand's most common dishes, if they can cook those dishes perfectly, then I bet all the other dishes are amazing as well. And, this dish was amazing!

Sweet Roti (USD $3.50)
I've said this a few times already and has always been my mindset "There's always space for dessert". These sweet slices of Roti were giving me sugar rush. Imagine sugared pancakes and poured with condensed milk... Yum! Roti has a similar texture to India's prata bread. It was a little crispy and thin like those thin crust pizzas, or even thinner.