NOTE: Khun Churn has another new location as of December 2015 (see the map below).

WARNING: This is the longest and most exhausting post I've ever made, and it's all about FOOD! So don't look if you're hungry, as I can't be held responsible for drool clogging up your keyboard. Seriously.

Now, when you have the combination of being a bit of a cheapo and a vegetarian, you might end up a Khun Churn local, as myself and my other half have become. Believe me, it's no achievement - in fact, it's rather easy to become addicted to the goodness you'll find there, from the lovely atmosphere in a dark wood building, to the impeccable service, to the fresh, interesting, delicious food and drinks, to the shockingly low bill at the end of your meal. Yes, it never ends!

And just so you know, my partner in crime is a recovering meat addict, and regularly raves about Khun Churn's mouthwatering Khao Soy (which is one of the few we know that uses meaty-like soy protein chunks) and their addictive tempura-battered crispy vegetables. Every single day, their buffet choices change, although you can always count on the regulars to be there, such as Khao Soy, Som Tam (papaya salad), and a huge table dedicated to making your own salads.

I can't recommend this place enough! You can probably tell that by this massive post, full of photos of the restaurant, the lunch buffet, and plates of food, as well as the entire menu and a map to their location. So let's get started...

Perfect Khao Soy at Khun Churn.

Evil battered sesame pumpkin strips!

Panang curry, Khao Soy, Tofu on Herbs, and Green curry in a coconut.

For my 23rd birthday, my boyfriend spoiled me to a cooking course at one of my favourite restaurants in Chiang Mai. Taste from Heaven is another vegetarian place that does all the classic Thai dishes without meat, and bulks up their dishes with delicious soy protein, soft and hard tofu, and unusual mushrooms.

There is a little restaurant that might be easy to overlook if you are in the madness that is the old city. Right next to the overpowering Black Canyon Coffee, and opposite the Thapae Gate which leads into the square, is a hole in the wall which resembles a tiny log cabin from the outside. Yes, a log cabin. Parking outside the restaurant is not allowed, and you can easily walk by it countless times without taking a second glance, so the little place known as Aum Vegetarian Restaraunt often gets neglected in the majestic food landscape that is Chiang Mai.

Aum offers something which many Chiang Mai restaurant owners have yet to catch on to: a vegetarian visitor to Chiang Mai still wants to experience typical Thai food. The sad truth is a lot of them simply don't, usually because they have a bad experience, are misunderstood, are judged or humiliated, or just flat-out rejected. I cannot count the number of times I have had meat arrive in my food, and always marvel at the disregard for my requests. I wonder, if I were deathly allergic to meat, would I be taken more seriously? I'm guessing not.

So many restaurants and road-side eateries have the means to make their meals vegetarian-friendly, but for some reason this concept seems to be an embarrassingly incomprehensible one in Thailand. Aum has managed to transcend all this anti-veggo-nonsense, and simply serves Thai food, sans meat. At Aum, you can order any Thai dish you would find on the street or in a restaurant, and they will happily bring it to you, full of fresh vegetables and bulked up with delicious local mushrooms and potatoes. Their drinks are particularly tasty, which include shakes with delightful combinations of ginger and fruit, and interesting Lassi creations like Mint and Mango. The place is not overly fancy, and neither is the menu, but to me that just says it's not pretentious either. If you're looking for unusual food, then Aum isn't where it's at, but if you just want delicious Thai food done right, and meat-free, then it definitely is.

Aum Breakdown:

Prices:	Food: Average prices are between ฿60 - ฿90 for a dish. The vegetarian sushi is pricier, ranging from ฿120 - ฿165. The most expensive dish on the menu is the California Maki for ฿195. Drinks: Starting at ฿20 for fresh juices, and up to ฿70 for shakes with Spirulina. The most expensive drink is the Avocado shake with Spirulina at ฿75.
Location:	65 Moon Muang Road, on the east side of the old city. A central location, opposite Thapae Gate, and next door to Black Canyon Coffee.
Times:	Open from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm every day. (Watch out - this place is a very popular lunchtime hangout, and as it's quite small, you might have to wait.)
What makes Aum special?	It's a laidback place, conducive to lazing around and paging through old books, or strumming the guitar. The Lassi's are addictive, the food simple yet delicious, and it's always a good place to turn to when you want any Thai dish done vegetarian.

Khao Soy, which some claim is the best vegetarian one in Chiang Mai.

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.