Where to Eat in Chiang Mai : Huen Phen Restaurant

I was in Chiang Mai for 7 days and on the first day I was there, I could not find any Pad Thai that people usually sell on the street like in Bangkok. I heard from some of my friends that the food in Chiang Mai is rather different than the food in any other parts of Thailand.

Eventhough there were lots of street food and I have tried a few, I was actually looking for the best Khao Soi around. Khao Soi Noodle is one of the signature dish in Chiang Mai, and luckily I found this article about one of the best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai.

The restaurant name is Huen Phen. It is a pretty big restaurant with a healthy mix of local and tourist diners. The food price is around 30-60baht per dish. 

When I got there I was surprised that they are not only serving Khao Soi Noodle, but they also offer quite a range of authentic Northern Thai food. As you can see from the picture above, those were the food that we had for lunch.

This is the Baby Eggplant Salad in Northern Style. It tasted quite refreshing because of its spiciness and a little bit of sour. But we thought the taste was only okay, and nothing special from this dish.

This Grilled Pickled Pork is quite famous around Chiang Mai, I saw locals selling this around on the street. At first glance, my friend thought it was uncooked pork meat, but despite of the appearance, it was actually cooked and the taste was alright. It was a bit sourish, though.

And the Khao Soi of course! Khao Soi Noodle is a mix of flat yellow noodle and deep-fried crispy noodle on top in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. It was one of the best Khao Soi I've eaten during our trip in Chiang Mai. 

The Grilled Fish Curry looks like Indonesian Grilled Mashed Fish, but taste is different. It was not bad and we actually quite like it.

This reddish soup is called Kanom Jeen Nam Ngiew, to be honest, I love this dish more than Khao Soi. Pork Curry Noodle is the English name. Its ingredients: Thai noodle, garlic, minced pork, pork spare ribs, pork blood cubes, curry paste, other herbs and paste to complete the dish. This stuff was awesome.

Another highlight of the afternoon was Kao Kun Jin, which is Steamed Rice with Minced Pork and Blood in Banana Leaf. The rice alone was already great, but the taste was more heavenly when I tried it together with Kanom Jeen Nam Ngiew. I heard it is best to pair them together.

Where you can find them:

Huen Phen

112 Rachamanka Road, +66(0)5327 7103

Old City

Well, that's about it for Huen Phen. Please wait for my next review on other restaurant in Chiang Mai.

Thanks for reading!