The House

SETTING

Sitting on a corner of the ancient Chiang Mai moat, this renovated Burmese princess’ residence from the 1930s offers different ambiences to suit most tastes: tapas bar with a Mediterranean cushioned alcove; Moroccan red lounge area for more informal dining; outdoor balcony tables for al fresco dining (or smoking); and classic air-conditioned interior with private dining rooms richly and tastefully decorated.

FOOD

Chiang Mai-born chef Pisan Torphet, who in 2005 trained with Rudolf Mathis, the chef of the Queen of Denmark, offers one of the most creative menus in Chiang Mai. The Pacific-Rim and fusion dishes change every few months, although a few crowd pleasers appear to now be permanent fixtures on the menu. These include the scrumptious starters: spicy grilled prawn on lemongrass pomelo and mint salsa, and pan-fried foie gras served on grilled apple with honey balsamic sauce. Main dish must-tries include New Zealand beef tenderloin on pommes anna with shiitake mushrooms, zucchini and morel sauce. Lamb cutlet with sauteed sweet pea and butternut taro puree is also one of the more popular dishes as is chamomile and green tea rubbed seared tuna with tzatziki cilantro and warm lentil salad, a beautiful play of texture, taste and heat.

WINES

The House has vastly improved its wine list from last year’s review. Prices range from a reasonable 1,500 baht to 32,000 baht a bottle.

SERVICE

Charming, personalised and subtly professional.

PRICE

Plan to spend about 2,000 baht for two.

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