Smoothie Blues

Tuna melt & the Berry, Berry Booster smoothie

While some like to start the day with cigarettes and coffee, we prefer more substantial and tasty options. And when we are in Chiang Mai, breakfast at Smoothie Blues (SB) is a must - a tradition now - as it meets these twin needs and more.

Sublime sandwiches, waffles, muffins, french toast, breakfast burritos, fruit smoothies (of course), pancakes, bacon, sausages, eggs (a super eggs benedict), muesli, porridge and more, much more, are some of the standouts of their four-page menu.

My favourite order is the grilled-to-perfection tuna melt sandwich washed down with a Berry, Berry Booster - this combo will have you more than ready to seize the week.

Eggs Benedict & salmon.

Their bagels are also among the best - a bit of crunch on the outside and chewy (in a good way) on the inside - we've ever eaten in the Kingdom.

Like an all-conquering football team, SB do the basics superbly and we've been regulars since 2006. About the only thing they could improve on is a slightly stronger black coffee.

Sitting on the corner of Soi Nimmanhaemin 6, SB is a Chiang Mai institution, especially among expats and overseas students, and besides top nosh, it's one of the best places in the city to people watch.

Dear SB owners please consider opening a branch in the capital.

Smoothie Blues FB page

Roast beef baguette with mustard and salad.

Chez Marco

Best food city in Thailand? If variety, availability, cooking inventiveness and scale are the judging benchmarks - Bangkok is the hands down winner.

However, when it comes to value for money, as well as quality and freshness of ingredients, we think Chiang Mai edges it. One eatery that showcases these qualities and more (much more) is Chez Marco (CM), a popular and lively french restaurant.

Located at the top end of busy and boisterous Loi Khro Road in the old town, the CM kitchen prepares and serves some of the best southern french food that I've ever eaten outside of Provence and Avignon.

*Lemon and pepper crusted lamb chops - one of the best lamb dishes that I've ever eaten.

On taste, flavour, quality, presentation and serving sizes it far outscores french eateries visited in Singapore and Bangkok.

CM also scores big on atmosphere, and whether sitting indoors or in the open air front area, big laughs and plenty of banter is almost mandatory.

Chargrilled aubergine and capsicum salad. 

Dish sharing is also encouraged and we started with big plates of beef carpaccio, chargrilled vegetables and a smoked chicken salad. Our mains included a hulking rib eye perfectly cooked (grilled beautifully on the outside, pink and juicy on the inside), lemon and pepper crusted lamb cutlets, sizzling hot pan fried squid and prawns, duck and a simple pasta. Everything was devoured by our table of six happy diners.

Duck with apple and balsamic sauce.

Our desert orders of apple crumble cheesecake, creme brulee, chocolate cake and coffee ice cream took us to new heights on the joy richter scale and I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can dine at this magnificent restaurant.

There's still plenty on the menu to be tried and savoured and we didn't even get onto the wine list.

Chez Marco FB page
Great interview with Chef Marco
And another

*Photos borrowed from CM's FB page - hope that's ok.

Doi Inthanon

Doi Inthanon - a magical place.

We adore northern Thailand. We especially love the peaceful, easy "Chiang Mai state of mind" the city puts us in whenever we visit.

And just when you think you've seen everything Chiang Mai (CM) has to offer, a new destination appears on the radar.

Last weekend we scaled the heights of Doi Inthanon (Thailand's highest point - 2,565 metres up) on Saturday and Mon Cham, a hillside village, the next.

If you believe the journey is as important as the final destination - a good car is essential - and we were lucky to have the use of a Toyota Prius.

As long as it's safe and reliable we're not too fussy about car type etc. However, robocar (our nickname for the Prius) dragged us into the future of motoring and we loved it. Sure, it ain't the most stylish car on the road but the technology, fuel efficiency and comfort made it a compelling package and we were sad to return it to its proud owner.

Stage one of the hike - some challenging parts on the way up.

Robocar was also silent and powerful and made the ascent up Doi Inthanon with ease. But there was no need to rush because a visit to one of the four waterfalls on the way to DI's summit is a must.

Plenty of shady cover in the evergreen forest.

We enjoyed lunch at Mae Klang waterfall (about 44 kilometres from CM) which provided a spectacular scenic backdrop for our feast of gai yarn, laab, salt baked fish with herbs and som tam. Besides the amazing view, there are small bridges and paths around the waterways to enjoy - in less than two minutes the junior members of our group were running and screaming around the walkways.

True grit - one of the biggest rock formations on the wild and windy west side.

Leaving Mae Klang we drove for another 35 minutes to the summit, stopping five kilometres short (just past the spectacular Napamaythanadol Chedi) to do the three kilometre Gew Mae Plan hiking track.

How good was this track? Just after completing the loop, I was keen as mustard to do it again.

Walking down from the viewing spots along the well-maintained track. Don't forget your jacket - it gets pretty wild and windy on this ridge.

While there are a few steep parts, overall it's a fairly comfortable 2.8 kilometre walk thanks to a well organised and designed hiking track. And if it was fine for the five, six and eight year olds in our group it should also be fine for you. The first kilometre passes through dense forest areas offering lots of shade, a picturesque waterfall stop and plenty of singing birds.

My attempt at an arty, atmospheric shot.

Out of the cover, hikers enjoy a first widescreen glimpse of the surrounding hills and canyons. From there it's a short little climb to a couple of amazing (and windy and chilly) "up in the clouds" viewing platforms offering panoramic sights that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

It's mostly downward from the platforms along an exposed ridge path that allows walkers to take in super views to the west and lots of flora and fauna, especially red rhododendron plants. I really enjoyed getting a close look at the massive jagged rock formation down from the viewing spot.

The ridge walk ends at a super spot to take photos of the Chedis before winding back into the evergreen forest towards the start/end point and car park.

Post-hike snacks - protein overload time

Gew Mae Plan is highly, highly recommended - especially in November - after rainy season when the forest is at its greenest and I hope to walk it then. As there's so much to see and do in the DI area it may pay to stay 2-3 days. Just note, the walk is closed between March to October.

More information
Another good link