Jok Somphet (restaurant): I may have finally found my spot
About dinnertime last night I took my rented bicycle out and just wandered in search of a cheapish place to eat that was out of the tourist area of Chiang Mai. As you may have experienced in past posts of mine, the food options in my very touristy neighborhood have been very underwhelming and overpriced. I think I got about 4 km out of my area when this beacon of awesomeness was awaiting me.
"Jok" is a type of rice porridge that I consequently never developed a taste for. However you can tell by the other signs that they have on the exterior that they also specialize in a lot of other things. I was here for the Khao Soi, which is a mainstay of this part of Thailand.
Khao Soi is difficult to describe but it has a very distinct flavor. It comes from this part of Thailand and often people from this area move to other parts of Thailand in order to replicate this dish in other parts of the country. If they have even half-an-idea of what they are doing, those restaurants tend to be quite successful.
"Northern Style" is probably a very vague way of describing the flavor of something and to be honest, you kind of need to try this dish before you can really understand what it tastes like. I highly recommend that you do if you are fortunate enough to find it anywhere. It is very mild as far as the spice is concerned so don't be overly concerned about that. I have never met anyone that it was too spicy for.
Anyway this entry isn't about Khao Soi, although that was immediately what I gravitated towards on the menu. There was about 12 pages in the menu and all sorts of dishes. All of the dishes were very nicely priced and the kitchen was BUSY and in plain sight of the dining room. This is always a good sign when you go to a restaurant anywhere.
I didn't see anything on the menu that was over 100 Baht and the dishes ranged from rice to noodles to porridge and there was even some fish fillet options that I fully intend to try in the future. I think one of the main things that should catch your eye and is usually a good sign of a quality restaurant in Thailand is that the customer mix was almost entirely comprised of Thai people. These residents probably have a much better idea than easily doctored TripAdvisor commenters, so that was a good sign.
My meal, which was awesome, and included a Coke Zero (gotta stay off that sugar!) was 75 Baht (about $2.35) and it was a large portion with a giant piece of chicken in it. I think that so far this is my best dining experience in Chiang Mai and I will definitely return.
ถนน ศรีภูมิ Chiang Mai, Thailand 50200
053 210 649 (no one is going to speak English on the phone)
reviews
Hours of operation: Always open (24-hours)
Jok Somphet used to be a regular venue of mine (it changed locations and used to be on the corner). It is open all night, so you would always see drunk people come and go in the small hours lol. Some funny people watching could be had.
I tend not to go into the main city anymore and Jok Somphet sort of became a bit more touristy (or well, the area did in general).
Have some fond memories of there though :)
I can see that happening. I move to the suburbs next month. Looking forward to it.
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Good luck. I am actually really enjoying your posts on Chiang Mai. Thanks for sharing.
They say eat where the locals eat and you wont go wrong. This sounds great and definitely one to return to. The prices seem really good and it included a drink. I knew it wouldn't take you that long to find something. You obviously don't eat much at home and I suppose these prices are cheap enough to anyway and no hassle.
Sometimes, it is just once in a moon i usually eat outside because there is always food inside but i am always happy when we want to go out to have a eat at a rrstaurant
The word "Jok" reminds me again of the movie Hangover 2 on how they portray it on someone that has no taste and everyone can digest.
yep, that is exactly what this is. It can be made to taste like something kinda like how oatmeal is pretty boring in its raw form.