A Peaceful Haven

We were in Chiang Mai for the weekend and having recovered from our 4:30am start to catch our flight, we headed into town to see the sights. Having wandered around the impressive Wat Phra Singh, we realised it was lunch time and so found ourselves in the nearby Rachmankha hotel and its little oasis of a courtyard, hidden away from the bustle of the Chiang Mai streets. The crisp white linen tablecloths and cut crystal glasses were a world away from what we were expecting from our first Thai meal in Thailand, but the interesting menu and the traditional music tinkling through the courtyard encouraged us to stay.

The menu focused mainly on Thai dishes, with the odd influence from its neighbouring countries, so we started with Fish Cakes from Myanmar – again, not what we were expecting looking more like Indian Bhajis than Thai Fish Cakes, but they were delicious all the same.



Alongside these we enjoyed a Spicy Thai Salad with Pomelo Segments and Fresh Prawns which was pleasantly spicy and zesty, although we felt a little aggrieved that it only stretched to two prawns! The dressing also made for a tasty dip for the Fish Cakes which weren’t afforded their own and were slightly dry without.



We followed up with another Thai dish – Dry Braised Chicken Sautéed with Fresh Herbs, Lemongrass, Galangal, Shallots and Garlic which was packed full of flavour and wolfed down happily with a portion of rice.



It wasn’t until later when we passed another nice looking restaurant offering a 7 course set meal for two for the same price as our Spicy Salad that we realised quite how expensive our lunch was in Thailand terms… but we enjoyed the hour of peace and quiet in this little haven… and we were on holiday after all…


Rachamankha, Chiang Mai – http://www.rachamankha.com/