Dinner Out: Ginger House In Chiang Mai

A portion of the dining room on a quiet night

 A farang friend who will be meeting up with me in Bangkok during my next visit was asking yesterday if I could recommend somewhere he could go exploring on his own and still remain within his comfort zone.  Previously he's only ventured off to Phuket, and even then he stayed in a specific area the entire four or five days. This time he was willing to be a little more adventurous, so I suggested Chiang Mai.

Wait Staff

In looking back through pictures to give him an idea of places to see and an idea for a place to stay I came across these photos of a nice dinner I had with a friend a few years ago: Ginger House. It was a reasonably short tuk tuk ride from PJ's Place where I'd booked a room for us, and seeing the pictures I was again reminded what a delightful meal and evening it was.

We haven't spoken much about Chiang Mai, and that's to my shame. The city itself is just one part of a much larger area of well over a million people, and while it can be chaotic (and smoggy during some agricultural seasons) I'd say it was one of the more picturesque tourist destinations. We'll return to it shortly, but this is about a dinner out, so let's get back to that...

Ginger House is a small place, but that's a good thing. The dining room seats less than 40 (should memory serve), but it's decorated to make you feel that it's even more intimate than that; the furnishings, accents, objets d'art and overall ambiance were, well... just delightful.

The rose petals were an unnecessary - but thoughtful - touch

We were seated near a window at a small table with a love seat on one side and two comfy chairs on the other. Seating for four, comfortably, but it was just the two of us that night. I think when I made the reservation they suspected my Thai friend and I were a couple and put us there rather than at a table, but that's fine - we were really able to be comfortable and enjoy the wonderful food.

Their macadamia crusted chicken entree

My Thai friend doesn't eat beef, so he suggested we try the set dinner on offer that evening, which began with a marinated salmon with lemon and orange segment salad, followed by a bowl of delicious creamed pumpkin soup. The entree (above) of a moist chicken breast topped by a macadamia nut crust, served on a bed of asparagus atop a serving of Japanese pumpkin, all surrounded by a ring of tomato salsa.

It was just enough to be full, but not overly so, which was fine with me... that left room for dessert. Dessert in the set included the chocolate espresso brulee (below), so we didn't take much of a look at the dessert table, although what I saw of it looked really good. The brulee was quite rich, and - fortunately for me - too sweet for my Thai friend!

I sincerely hope they're doing well, because I'll be looking for them when I get to Chiang Mai again. I'd have dinner there in a heartbeat.

By the way, the set dinner that night was Bt900, or about $30. More than I'd normally pay for a dinner out, but this was worth it. Their menu is available through the link below.

Ginger House Restaurant, Cafe and Shops

That evening's available desserts, out for perusal