Since Dining Out is something one does even more when
away from home, Miss Terry Diner felt that the Pattaya gourmets should be
made aware of an exceptional evening experienced in Chiang Mai last week.
There is a song which goes, "Some days are
diamond, some days are stone" - and our dining out at the Sala Mae
Rim in the Regent Chiang Mai, the Four Seasons Resort, was a diamond
evening in a paradise built of stone. Have I gone over the top this time?
No, I have not, this was an evening as close to the ultimate as I have
experienced.
The restaurant is on one of the stone terraces of the
resort, overlooking the valley with planted rice fields and above it all,
the minarets and spires of the Regent’s residences poking through the
canopy of trees. Get there before sunset and watch the world settle into
night from the open air bar, before crossing the waterways via the stone
bridges to the restaurant itself.
The Sala Mae Rim is in a sala, but with one section
glassed in and air-conditioned and the other just with the sala roofing
over the tables. We chose to sit outside, as even though the days have
been hot in Chiang Mai, the cooling breezes from the valley made dining
outside an even more romantic experience.
Unseen hands placed comfy chairs under our bottoms at
tables covered with white linen tablecloths and Lanna style contrasting
throw-over. Napkins were held in beaten silverware holders. Candles were
on the table and highly polished bespoke bronze cutlery was laid out for
our use. Little did we know at that time that we were about to enter
another world of culinary excellence.
The menu at Sala Mae Rim covers appetizers, Lanna
appetizers, soups, salads, curries meat and poultry and does show the
spiciness of the items with three chilli indicators and also a ‘V’
for items that can be produced as a vegetarian dish. The individual
helpings range from a low of 170 baht (crispy vegetable spring rolls) to
a top of 455 baht (beef curries), with the median around 250 baht.
Chef Richard Watanabe had put together a ‘tasting’
menu for us, with many different items, to show the range and versatility
of his team. Right from the start, it became obvious that this was no ‘ordinary’
restaurant food, no matter how many stars Mr. Michelin might like to
throw out to others. In those first dishes was a miang pla salmon samoon
prai, a deep fried salmon topped with spicy herbs. This was superb, with
a sweet crispy herb coating to the salmon, which still allowed the taste
of the fish to come through, but enhanced by the Thai herbs. A brilliant
example of ‘fusion’ cuisine.
Being a ‘tasting’ menu, we tried many more dishes,
all of which we enjoyed, but here are a few of the items that impressed
Miss Terry’s palate. There was a smoked duck mango tartlet with a
tangerine mint vinaigrette tapas - superb taste. The panaeng nua (beef
curry) was delicious, with the meat very tender, and served in a carved
fresh pumpkin, and when you lifted the lid it was carved underneath as
well! I also enjoyed the krathong thong (chicken tartlets) and the
steamed baby sea bass in a sweet ginger sauce, which came in a carved
split papaya fruit. Another ‘more-ish’ tapas was wonderfully steamed
scallop marinated in yoghurt, ginger and cashew nuts and transfixed with
a lemongrass stalk. Bravo! Bravo!
To sum it all up, the Sala Mae Rim dining out was to
experience as close to the ultimate that Miss Terry has ever had. The
food was brilliantly prepared and cooked, the presentation was simply
sensational, and the service faultless. Chef Richard Watanabe and his
team are to be congratulated on showing the world that you can experience
world class dining in Chiang Mai. Not cheap - but the best never is. Go
there if you are travelling to the north, you will not be disappointed.
This restaurant gets the highest recommendation possible.
The Regent Chiang Mai, a Four Seasons Resort, Mae Rim-Samoeng Old
Road, Chiang Mai, telephone 053 298 189.