Review: Chiang Mai0

★★★☆☆

Shanghai has been hot and humid these past few days, and the weather has been reminding me of one of my favorite places in the world – Thailand.  The people, the culture, and especially the food, keep me coming back to this place almost every time my China visa expires.  Finding good Thai eateries in Shanghai is no problem – they are pretty much everywhere.  But my search for a truly authentic and great restaurant led me to Kangding Lu’s Chiang Mai.

Greeted with the cadences of “Sawadee-ka,” and seeing the walls adorned with gold frames of the King and Royal Family (the mark of any true Thai eatery), I knew we were in for an authentic lunch.

We ordered a few dishes to share: the spring rolls (30元), the homemade Chiang Mai style sausage (40元), papaya salad (32元), grilled pork salad (38元), and a large plate of Pad Thai (40元).

The rolls were delicious and served with a citrusy peanut condiment.  The sausages, which are hand stuffed by the chef, were a little less palatable.  Although the flavors were great – lime, ginger, and chili – the meat was extremely dry.  Even when wrapped with the accompanying lettuce and cucumber, the appetizer just didn’t work.

Papaya salad is one of the greatest fruit salads – it is incredibly spicy, sweet from the added sugar (as is found in most Thai food), and salty from the crushed peanuts.  Although cool, the dish will make you sweat from the intense heat of the chili peppers.  Chiang Mai’s version was spot on and delicious.

The pork salad was equally tasty.  The combination of fresh cilantro and mint make this dish both clean and refreshing, and the same heat found in the papaya salad brings the ingredients all together.  With a dash of fish sauce, the flavors delight: this salad is the perfect melding of all of the tastes that I seek in good food – savory, salty, and sweet.

We probably could have thrown in the towel after the pork salad, but our Pad Thai – a huge portion of it – was on the way.  While Chiang Mai’s other dishes were pretty exceptional, their Pad Thai was fairly average.  Served with the traditional condiments of chili powder, crushes peanuts, and sugar, the noodles were a bit greasy, and the sprouts soggy.

I think I have found my new favorite place for good and hearty Thai grub.  Chiang Mai is definitely worth a visit on these hot and humid days that remind us of one of the world’s steamiest countries.

• ¥¥-¥¥¥
• Chiang Mai
• 1019 Kangding Lu near Yanping Lu
• Jing’an District
• 电话: +86 5228 1588