Pun Pun Vegetarian Restaurant

One of my favourite cheap eateries in Chiang Mai is the humble Pun Pun Organic Restaurant, nestled behind Suan Dok Temple. The place is much more affordable than the nearby Nimmanheiman restaurants, and offers fresh, mostly organic dishes which manage to be light and fresh as well as rich and comforting. The food seems to take a lot of inspiration from Thailand's neighbouring countries, while even the usual Thai favourites have unique flavours to them, which is a more than a welcome change. The menu is the length of a short story which makes it a very good place to bring friends or visitors to Chiang Mai, to share some new tastes and perhaps some old ones that might be more rare in local restaurants (like Chai tea or avocado). Scroll down to see photos of the food we could barely finish, the endless menu, and a map of the location.

Pun Pun Breakdown:

Prices:	Food: Ranging from ฿45 - ฿70 per dish. The most expensive dish is the Avocado salad at ฿90. Drinks: Starting at ฿20 for teas. Shakes vary from ฿30 - ฿45. Again, the most expensive drink is the Avocado shake at ฿60.
Location:	Drive into Suan Dok Temple, in the Suthep area. Pun Pun isthe first right after the "Monk Chat" sign. Very easy to find, and in a lovely setting.
Times:	Open from 9 am - 4 pm every day.
What makes Pun Pun special?	The menu offers almost too much variety, the food is original and bursting with new flavours, and the natural, quaint surroundings are refreshing. It's also nice to observe the monks and the daily happenings around the temple.

One of my favourite dishes in Chiang Mai: Yam Hua Blee, which is a banana flower salad of Vietnamese origin. ฿50.

The appetizer Tod Man Hed, which is deep-fried mushroom cake with a very interesting peanut sauce. ฿50.

The mega-rich Khao Soi, which is the most creamy one we've had so far. Delicious but dangerous for your waist. ฿60.

The contents of this veggie Khao Soi were a bit uncommon, but the mushrooms are always greatly appreciated.

Our table when we were done was still full of food! We took it all home though.

On another day, our friend had this simple dish: fried rice with cashews and vegetables.

The Pun Pun Pun Shake (yes, really) for ฿45. Pineapple, papaya, soy milk, honey, lime. Too good!

A modest outdoor location.

A very basic kitchen, where you can see the staff preparing the food.

Don't you know that touching your mouth is a no-no in Thailand?

Appetizers and Salads. Click the pictures for a higher resolution.

Noodles, noodles and more noodles (disguised as spaghetti).

Moving onto the less-healthy fried vegetarian section - yum!

What did I say about the menu being endless?

Creative shakes, tea, and vegetable juices.

My favourite page of the menu, which is also blurred, sadly.

View Market of Eden Vegetarian Restaurant Map in a larger map