Curry in no hurry

Where would you find refuge in Chiang Mai after a heavy night on the town? Mie, a self-styled DJ and inn keeper, who runs the small and stylish At Nimman boutique hotel in the Northern capital, knows the perfect retreat for anyone nursing a hangover: it's just outside Chiang Mai's old town in the hilly Mae Rim district.

"Wake up and get dressed," says Mie in a commanding voice, when I eventually struggle out of a deep sleep and pick up the phone. "See you in the lobby in 10 minutes. We're driving to Mae Rim for some local food."

Tucked away to the north of Chiang Mai's old town, my fuzzy brain reminds me that the hilly district is well-known for its orchid and snake farms. Twenty minutes later, sitting half-awake in the back seat of Mie's Isuzu pick-up truck, I muse on why we are not lunching up at one of the excellent restaurants in the city: Phen on Rachamankha Road, for example, serves fine authentic Lanna food. Why Mae Rim?

"You're not going to make me eat king cobra for lunch, are you?" I ask Mie and his friend Pop, only half jokingly, as we pull over in front of a small shack at the side of Mae Rim-Samerng Road (Route 1096).

Pa Sri Kitchen, as the place is known, is a typical roadside restaurant. The three wooden tables under a tin roof are surrounded by several seats thrown together from odd bits of wood. A short walk away is the kitchen, also knocked together from various planks.

"It's the smallest and the best local restaurant in the area but you won't find it in any guidebook," says Mie.

I couldn't agree more.

The menu of the day is khrua-khae (dry-curried chicken), spicy fried frog (the French will love it here), kaeng-toon (elephant-ear plant curry) and some fish dishes - all cooked in traditional Lanna style. The khrua-khae is sensational with lots of punch thank to home-cooked curry paste and all the spices. A bowl of elephant-ear plant curry (what a name!), with a sour and spicy note in the soup, is the best-ever "hang-over killer" I've ever tasted. Half way through lunch, I'm sweating like a pig, and more than ready to cool down with a beer.

IF YOU GO

Pa Sri Kitchen

Mae Rim, Chiang Mai.

Open daily from morning until the last customer leaves.

Call (053) 044 249, (081) 681 3490 or (089) 430 9438