Almost every night of the week I get takeaway dinners from my local no-name restaurant, which is seriously lacking in ambiance as well as pretence, and is bursting with delicious, simple, cheap Thai food. I know there are lots of these around, and other people have also been lucky enough to find their own special no-name place, which are usually conveniently located to them or just housing some friendly cooks and other interesting locals. Mine has become a bit of a special place for me that I have grown to appreciate quite profoundly, and expect to miss more than many other places once I leave Chiang Mai.

If you've been in Chiang Mai for a while, there's a good chance you still haven't discovered the delectable hole in the wall known as the Burmese Restaurant and Library. And for those who have - you're a fan, aren't you? I've barely tried enough Burmese food in my lifetime, and this is where I should probably mention I've never even been to Myanmar. But Thailand is their neighbour (although not the friendliest of neighbours, if you do a smidgeon of research) and therefore, influences have crossed paths, cultures have entwined, and my favourite thing of all: a food fight of sorts has taken place over the long course of history, resulting in an abundance of unusual dishes that get me very excited.

Burmese cuisine is very much about influences, and share many elements of flavour from India, China and Thailand. Also, because of their diversities in religion and spiritual practices, much of Burmese food is missing beef and pork. Vegetarian dishes are common, although if you dig a little deeper, you will find they are most likely pescatarian, as Burmese cooking requires a heavy use of seafood products, such as fish sauce or shrimp paste. Another important note is that the bulk of Burmese soups are made of meat broth bases, yet the cuisine as a whole still contains very little meat - perhaps this is to do with the state of their meat industry? A little research led to me articles on frequent diseases among their pigs and chickens. Just a tad unappealing.

Anyway, let's get back to the good stuff. I've had Burmese dishes in Chiang Mai a number of times, and a few more times in Mae Sot, which is a town that sits on the Thailand/Myanmar border to the west. It's a place that is usually spoken of in the same sentence as Burmese refugees, as it has either 100k, 200k, or 300k, depending on which numbers you believe. Either way, there are a ton of them, and therefore this is a good place to experience the overpowering influence of Burmese culture, including their food. So, for someone who's had maybe twenty Burmese dishes in total, all of them in Thailand, it says a lot that I now call Burmese cuisine one of my favourites. I can't wait to get over there and explore more of their fresh, unique, creative dishes, but for now I'll just share the ones from the Burmese Restaurant and Library below:

Burmese Restaurant Breakdown:

Prices:	Food: Absolute bargain at ฿30 for a dish, and ฿5 for a serving of rice. Drinks: This is not that sort of place! You get free water, and there is a 7/11 next door where you could buy an iced tea or soda, which is what I usually do.
Location:	Opposite the entrance to Nimmanheiman Road, Soi 13, or otherwise opposite The Salad Concept. A great location, right in the middle of Nimmanheiman, but very easy to miss.
Times:	Open at random times, unfortunately. We've seen this place open until late at night sometimes, and then close at 4pm other days. It has also been closed without notice once or twice, but it is a popular lunchtime place with locals.
What makes the Burmese Restaurant special?	It's got authentic, delicious Burmese food, of course! The actual place (or plastic chairs outside a food stall) is not very impressive, but the food more than makes up for it. This is also a great takeaway place on the way home, when you're in the mood for something that isn't Thai, but still as cheap!

View Market of Eden Vegetarian Restaurant Map in a larger map

Tea Leaf Salad - we think it's the best dish at this place.

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!

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.