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Rachamankha Restaurant The Rachamankha Restaurant could win accolades for any number of things; its interior design, its sense of elegance and its menu are all top-notch. But what truly stands out is its willingness to venture into a cuisine territory, Shan and Burmese, unexplored by most other restaurants in the Chiang Mai area, or for that matter, in most of Thailand. The Rachamankha is the main restaurant of the deluxe hotel which goes by the same name. Newly opened in April 2004 (with a grand opening still to come in November 2004), the Rachamankha is an elegant place to stay and in the case of the restaurant, dine, tucked away in the small streets behind Wat Phra Singh.
Shan culture and food is part and parcel of the greater Northern Lanna culture and pieces of this can be seen throughout the north. The Lanna Kingdom at its height occupied parts of what is now Myanmar and Laos, but Lanna-inspired restaurants rarely cater to the Shan influence. Indeed, Shan food aficionados have traditionally had to seek out market stalls in places like Mae Hong Son (where there is a thriving Shan-Thai community) and the border areas of Chiang Rai. The idea of Shan cuisine at the Rachamankha percolated up during discussions between hotel staff and Rachamankha owner Rooj Changtrakul. Several employees came from families who could trace their roots to the Shan state across the border. "The family moved here many years ago and they became Thai," said Mr. Rooj. "They served this kind of food and I tried it. It's totally different, so I asked one of their mothers to teach the chef here."
Shan food can best be described as a cross between Indian and Chinese. The sweetness of Thai food is hardly there (the cuisine uses no sugar, little coconut milk and prefers salt to fish sauce) but the pungency and sharpness of cumin among other spices speaks volumes. It is a distinct brethren to Thai food, milder and yet finding its own piquancy and sense of taste. "Foreigners like it because it's quite mild compared to Thai food," opined Mr. Rooj. Head Chef Supawat Suwannosol laid out an impressive spread for our table. The most familiar dishes to me where the ones I had seen in the markets, the Shan breakfast noodles, similar to Ba Mee and the fried tofu (with peanut sauce). Under the skilful hands of Suwannosol, however, these have been upgraded to a premium quality, the fried tofu especially, all handmade and deep fried to a crispy yet not too oily consistency. Others were less familiar, but carried telltale signs of Indian influence. One of the main dishes was a Burmese beef masala dish, rich and chewy in its rich, red sauce. Another was a flaky chilli paste, quite different from the ever-popular green creamier "nam prik noom" chilli paste of the north. The filling meal included two vegetable dishes, a brothy vegetable soup and a tantalizing salad with mustard accompaniment.
It took three of us a good half hour to taste all the dishes before us and we were convinced to pursue dessert as well, fried bananas with steaming cups of coffee as finishing touches to a superb banquet. We retired filled and happy with our discovery of this unique cuisine. While the specialty of the house is Shan, there is a strong presence of Thai and international cuisine. All of this is served up in elegance. White-clothed tables and dark brown wood form the base while Chinese antiques, Lanna lanterns and Sino-Portuguese influenced architecture evoke a classy, comfortable atmosphere. Diners may choose either inside or outside and there are enough nooks and crannies to enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner. While dinner is an excellent choice for anyone, breakfast more than holds its own at the Rachamankha and is good enough to seek out on those days where one is looking for that "special" place to enjoy the morning meal. On the two days we visited, we were treated to a buffet bounty of breads and all number of choices of muesli and fruit. This, combined with a strong, fresh cup of coffee or tea, would have been enough, but the menu also included a choice of eggs cooked to any style, waffles, or pancakes. The Rachamankha is truly a place to seek out, for either meal and should soon garner attention for exploring the heretofore unknown world of Shan and Burmese cuisine. So much the better for the culinary diversity of the north.
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Benjarong Magazine - April 2005, Volume 8 Issue 4 |
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