Middle Path Retreat

Chawee, named after the chef-owner's grandmother, offers an intimate, personalised dining experience, as Thai music plays softly in the inviting space with sage-green walls and vintage touches. Dishes draw on childhood memories or old recipes, in a menu that changes monthly, depending on the season and availability of local ingredients. With fragrant lychee and coconut in a harmonious mix, the spicy lychee salad refreshes the palate with its natural sweet-and-sour balance.

Since 2004, Doctor Sai has been serving pan-Thai dishes, including royal fare, following recipes from her mother, Saiyud, a former cooking instructor, in a setting reminiscent of dining at home. Start with an elegant appetiser like fried prawns and peanuts in an egg net, flower dumplings, or deep-fried pork wrapped in egg noodles. By dessert – try the sweet potato in syrup – you’ll guess this home, with its warm service, belongs to a royal from a bygone era.

A solid choice for no-fuss Northern Thai food, this laid-back restaurant serves rustic, traditional dishes in small sharing portions. Highlights include the well-balanced kaeng om and boldly flavoured lap nuea, available with pork, beef or fish – raw or cooked – all prepared in classic Northern style. In an open-air setting with a relaxed local vibe, the place fills up with Thai diners at peak times. Service is friendly, with staff often speaking Northern Thai.

Having recently relocated to this ground floor eatery under a residential apartment, Talung is simply decorated with air conditioning, a lively bar and serves Southern Thai. It’s a small family business, the staff are friendly and attentive, and help each other from kitchen to table. The stir-fried squid with squid ink has a rich, well-seasoned sauce and herbal scent. The stir-fried prawns come with a homemade southern Thai shrimp paste and young bitter beans.

We-La-Dee brings central Thai cuisine north in an airy industrial-style dining room marked by playful accents. The restaurant’s large collection of action figures and a floor-to-ceiling installation of artificial flowers inspire photographs. Its extensive menu, which includes some original recipes from the chef, inspire both relaxed meals with family and friends and afternoons spent sipping coffee or tea and enjoying dessert.

Seafood

Café