The Coffee in Chiang Mai

We learned very quickly that presentation is everything in Chiang Mai, and time and care was put into each beverage, and each meal that we had.

We watched as workers spent ten minutes masterfully preparing our kombucha at a breakfast restaurant, adding all sorts of ingredients, straining things, shaking things ...

And then there is the coffee culture; Chiang Mai is bursting with the most adorable, unique, and creative coffee shops.  They are absolutely everywhere, and we only hit a few of them.  There are some where you enjoy your coffee in a tree house, or at a table in a stream, or in tents around a campground-like setting.  Those we'll have to visit next time.

We did get to Chom, where it's like having coffee in a fairy garden.

And Ristr8o, where they take coffee more seriously than anywhere we've ever been.  They have placed and also came in 1st place in many world championships for latte art.

And now I see why ...

We stopped in a few times to try all sorts of delicious coffees.

And they are not the only place that takes coffee seriously - every coffee shop seemed to put extraordinary time and effort into each cup.  We also noticed that all the coffee shops served their coffee on a platter, saucer, or coaster, they always gave us water on the side, and sometimes a little cookie as well, and they almost always brought the cream/milk out steamed and frothed. 

Into the Woods:

The Barisotel:

Random coffee shop in the mall:

Sip and Repeat (Tea Tales):

We only ordered a cup of tea, and a cup of black coffee, but they also gave us welcome drinks (iced tea), and a slice of cake.  No matter where we went, the service was just unreal.

Fuu:

Manifreshto:

Rustic and Blue:

And Outside In:

There were also a couple more, but my phone crashed on our last flight home, and I lost everything on there, including some of our better photos from our trip, and loads of other pics 😩😭

We didn't see a single coffee pot during our entire stay.  Beans were always ground fresh for each cup of coffee, and brewed to order, using a variety of different methods, depending on where we went.

Of all the cities we have visited, we've never seen a coffee culture like there is in Chiang Mai.  There are so many cool coffee shops we still want to visit one day.  That being said, the locals love their Starbucks!  One guy told us it's just because of the brand name.

Getting back to the good service ... even the spa (which I visited six times - so cheap!!!) brought me a tray of goodies at the end of each treatment.  Tea, ice cream, watermelon and cookies:

So sweet.

What is the coffee scene like in your city?

What is your favourite coffee shop?

A New Breakfast & Coffee

This morning we tried some new recipes for breakfast.

 
We made a paleo/ gluten-free pancake, which has a bizarre ingredient list, but actually works - trust me on this.

Paleo Gluten-Free Pancake 

- 1 banana, mashed
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 T ground flax seed
- 2 pinches cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, or whatever)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp coconut oil, or cooking spray, or butter

Mix together the mashed banana and beaten eggs.  Add the flax, vanilla and cinnamon.  Stir.  Spray or grease up a small frying pan, and put it on medium-low heat.  Once hot, pour in the banana/ egg mixture, and let set in the pan for 10 minutes.  Don't touch it during this time.  Once firmed up, carefully flip it and cook about one minute on the other side.  It turns out very pancake-like.

We also made sweet potato shredded hash browns using this recipe.

They got pretty dark on the outside, but didn't taste burnt at all.  They're really delicious.  We dipped them in a bit of sriracha.  We topped the pancake with Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of coconut sugar, and cacao nibs.

To drink we tried some of the exclusive coffee blend that our friends' Bonnie and Warren had made for their new coffee shop, Mocha Grande Brew, which is located in Parksville, British Columbia.

I worked with Bonnie for many years, and she always talked about opening a coffee shop.  She had the wheels turning for a while, and has now made her vision a reality.  Her and Warren completely overhauled an old coffee shop in Parksville, re-branded, re-decorated it, and re-designed it to bring a new flavour to Parksville.  They are across the street from the water, and have a beautiful patio - a perfect place to grab a brew and relax.  They serve up a variety of hot and cold drinks, soups, sandwiches, and many different types of baking/pastries.  They also sell packages of their exclusive coffee blends, Ethiopian, and Valley Girl.

The coffee is fair trade and organic, which made us really happy to see.  It comes in both 1/2 lb and 1 lb bags to take away and brew at home.  We haven't actually got to visit the coffee shop yet, as it's a couple provinces away, so we're happy to be able to have a taste of it at home. 

I'll be honest, we might have squeezed the bag, with our noses up near the vent about a 100 times - smells so good.  Once we ground the beans, the aroma was even more enticing.

We ground the Valley Girl beans fresh this morning, and brewed a big pot to enjoy with our breakfast.

It was excellent!  We drank the whole pot up in no time, and are already looking forward to another pot tomorrow.  It was smooth, and not overly bitter like some coffees are.

If you're ever in the Parksville area, stop by Mocha Grande Brew and say hello to Everyday Foodie pals, Bonnie and Warren.

How's your weekend going so far?  

What did you have for breakfast today?

Java

he hubby always has coffee ready for me in the morning. I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee. I also love the sound of the coffee machine working it's magic.

I can't leave for work in the morning without my trusty coffee cup and water bottle.



Coffee out of a regular mug just doesn't work for me, as I find that it gets cold too quickly.

The one cup in the morning is typically all I have, unless I am out for breakfast, or we have friends over to our place. Then I drink a pot ... or eight.

Breakfast this morning was a Green Monster (1 cup almond breeze, 3 cups raw spinach, 1 banana, 1 T almond butter, 1 pack Amazing Grass Wheat Grass).



For any skeptics out there, you CANNOT taste the spinach. Not even a little bit.

I also had a piece of toast:



I went out for lunch with people from work to a Thai restaurant called Angkor. I was super original and ordered the Pad Thai :-)



I devoured most of it.

Dinner this evening was some fresh salmon, roasted zucchini and mushrooms, and bruschetta with yellow, orange, and red organic tomatoes.



Colourful Bruschetta

- 3 medium tomatoes (1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 red)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 tsp basil
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
- 4 slices of French bread
- Cheese to top (I used gruyere)

Mix the first 6 ingredients and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minute or more (to let the flavours blend). Toast the bread. Top the bread with the tomato mixture and cheese, and broil until melted.

Do you drink coffee? How do you take it?

I like it black!