Going out on a hot date and writing about food and love for the Valentines issue sounded like a promising idea. 
However it was really a horrible date. The food was edible and hot, but he was not! 


Monarchy has replaced Joy Bong on the corner of K’Road and… the one where the female prostitutes wait for trade? The exterior looks the same as the Joy Bong days but it has had a slight interior face-lift. Monarchy is slick and trendy inside, not to mention filled with hot young Asian male waiters. If only one of them had been my dining partner!


We started with a carpaccio of coconut marinated salmon with a sweet lemon-soy dressing. This dish was really astounding in taste, much sweeter and creamier than a ceviche and a complete delight. Soon after that the atmosphere turned sour, though the mains were delicious.


We shared a couple of Issan dishes (from the Northeast of Thailand), shredded roast duck, grapefruit and mint salad and a Chiang Mai larb chicken salad. These we accompanied with sticky rice, which is also an Issan dish. The food was all fresh and beautiful (and better than I ever remember eating in Chiang Mai itself!). 


It was a Tuesday night and the restaurant was by no means full, however the staff were excellent and super friendly. And despite my companion, Monarchy is a Thai restaurant that I would certainly recommend.

| Master Bite