Taste from Heaven

I haven’t adjusted to the cold of Melbourne’s Spring weather. Spring is so overrated: there isn’t much difference between the first month of Spring and Winter, except for the presence of daffodils. Unlike Wordsworth, daffodils don’t make me feel gay or jocund, nor do I have time to lie on the couch “in vacant or in pensive mood” thinking about them!  A bunch or two of nodding yellow flowers improves the decor, but hardly makes up for the perennial grey of sky that seeps into the dark recesses of the psyche.

To counter this dullness of season and mood, I’m mentally returning to Thailand to complete some unfinished business. Let me introduce Nan, the proprietor of Taste from Heaven restaurant, in Chiang Mai.

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Nan, of Taste of Heaven, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nan owned a Thai restaurant in the Gold Coast, Australia for many years before returning to her home town to open Taste  from Heaven some years ago. She is a gracious front of house, keeping a careful eye on the flow of customers, engaging pleasantly with them, as well as being involved in the daily running of the restaurant. I returned to Nan’s “Heaven” at least 7 times whilst in Chiang Mai. To be truthful, I really didn’t want to go anywhere else.

If you are in need of sunshine, warmth or a metaphorical daffodil, these lovely dishes might offer consolation.

Grilled mushoom skewers, great with a Chang Beer
Grilled mushroom skewers, marinated with coconut oil, Indian curry powder, turmeric powder,milk and coconut milk served with peanut sauce. 85 Baht

We tried so many dishes from the menu and usually ordered far too much. The size of the dishes at ‘Heaven’ are larger than the usual Thai offerings. Often as a starter, to go with a chilled beer, we ordered Grilled Mushrooms with Peanut sauce. I never asked Nan about the mushroom species but they were large and ‘meaty’. The deep-fried Angel mushrooms   (below) were also rather ‘moreish’.

Deep Fried Mushrooms in a seasoned sesame seed tempura batter served with sweet chilli sauce. 75 Baht
Angel mushrooms deep-fried in a seasoned sesame seed tempura batter served with sweet chilli sauce. 75 Baht

We usually shared two or three mains after one entrée, along with rice. At ‘Heaven’ you choose between steamed jasmine rice, in white, brown or black. They are all good. Below, I have featured a few of the sensational dishes we tried. More can be found on my post here.

sirr frieed eggplant with garrlic, tofu, spring onons, chilli soya bean sauce and seet basil leaves. 75 Baht
Stir fried eggplant with garlic, tofu, spring onions, chilli soya bean sauce and sweet basil leaves. 75 Baht
Mushroom Larb- chopped angel mushroom, stemp mushroom with special sauce, mint, red onion, chilli powder, chopped tofu, roasted rice and lime juice.
Mushroom Larb- chopped angel mushroom, stemp mushroom with special sauce, mint, red onion, chilli powder, chopped tofu, roasted rice and lime juice.
Pad Se-Ew noodle, with garlic, textured soy protein,carrot, cauliflower and Chinese broccoli. 75baht.
Pad Se-Ew noodle, with garlic, textured soy protein,carrot, cauliflower and Chinese broccoli. 75baht.
Massaman curry, complete with deep exotic middle eastern flavous.
Massaman curry, potato, textured soy protein, root vegetables complete with deep exotic Indian flavours, such as whole cardamom pods.
Thai Green curry. Hmmmmm.
Thai green curry. Mmmmm.
Thai style eggplant salad, with tofu, oniion, chili, garlic topped with mint and served with boiled egg.
Thai style eggplant salad, with tofu, onion, chili, garlic topped with mint and served with boiled egg.

The eggplant salad was my favourite. I remember the first time I tasted this dish in Narathiwat in 1995; the taste has lingered all these years. The key element is the smoked Thai baby eggplant which are then skinned and lightly mashed, retaining their smoky juices which blend so well with the lime juice and herbal elements. I mentioned to Nan that this dish is slowly disappearing from Thai menus, or if it does turn up, it lacks the oomph provided by the smoke, raw garlic and mint.

Heavenly food from Taste from Heaven.
Heavenly food from Taste from Heaven.
Another smiling staff member form Taste From Heaven
Another smiling staff member from Taste From Heaven
  • They also run a cookery school, three hours, for 100o baht pp. Sadly, Nan’s assistant was away for a month and so I missed out. Next time for sure.
  •  At the time of writing, the exchange rate was around 25 Baht to the Australian dollar. Most plates cost around $3-4, with rice at around $1.

Thank you Nan for the delightful food memories.

Taste from Heaven Vegetarian Restaurant

34/1 Ratmakka Road,
T. Prasinhg A. Muang,
Chiang Mai 5020

Open every day from 9am to 10pm
(except Wednesday 9am to 9pm)

http://taste-from-heaven.com/Taste_From_Heaven/Home.html

28 thoughts on “Taste from Heaven”

  1. Thank you for the yummy colourful pictures Francesca. Although not a fan of Thai food (hate chilli, black rice & Thai green curry) I could certainly eat some of them with the sweet chilli sauce. The textured soy protein sounds good – where do you get that? The Pad Se-Ew dish and the skewered dishes are my favourite and I would always stick to them in a Thai Restaurant.

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  5. A little post trip despondency? That’s awful, I usually find it hard to settle back into the swing of things but its worse when the weather hampers the enthusiasm to get out. Those dishes look beautiful, I can almost smell them and feel the warmth on my skin. Yep, definitely still a bit wintery here. Tricked us on Sunday, that wasn’t funny 🙂

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    1. Oh no, that’s awful that you can’t even get basic internet services where you are and so close to Melbourne. Of course, Nan in Chiang Mai had them in a flash and has already commented via her iphone. Sad indeed brother.

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  9. Thank you Francesca for sharing the delightful food memories. Heaven indeed. I love Thai food, and sadly even what I’ve eaten and loved here in Sydney is likely no where near of the quality of Nan’s. But when I’ve had very the good Thai food it’s been an uplifting culinary experience, and sometimes modest but comforting (I’m thinking of my old neighbourhood’s Thai café which was almost like home/family)… and taste from heaven would quite describe it also.

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    1. There aren’t many good Thai restaurants in Melbourne. Most of the suburban ones here are formulaic and toned down to suit the Australian palate. Having said this, Narai Thai in Bundoora is quite good, and there are some excellent ones in the city but I am yet to try them. Your family Thai cafe n Sydney sounds good.

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  11. I love Thai food. It is a close 2nd to Italian food. Those dishes all look so fresh and delicious. It is unreal how much you get for your money in Chiang Mai

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