Kao Soy Nimman

Overall Review: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Dickson's Fooday Food Review #231 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
🌟Michelin Star +1🌟

This time in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we arrived at one of the Michelin restaurants. However, it’s quite different from traditional Michelin restaurants; it feels more like a street-side snack stall. The main feature is curry noodles, and the menu shows a wide variety of curry noodles with various kinds of meat combinations. Aside from the famous curry noodles, this restaurant is known for its skewers as well.

Besides the curry and skewers on the menu, they also sell many traditional Thai dishes, like Tom Yum Goong, and others.

Since we came specifically for the special curry noodles, we had to order them. In addition to selecting the meat, we could also choose the ingredients inside. Furthermore, we could inform the restaurant in advance about our preferred flavors. The curry varieties are divided into yellow curry and green curry, catering to those who enjoy spicier or sweeter tastes.

It’s quite a flexible restaurant. But since it's very well-known online and Michelin-rated, is it really that impressive when you actually eat there?

Unfortunately, after personally enjoying it, I felt it was overly praised. Many people have expressed similar opinions in Google reviews. The curry here doesn’t have any special flavor and is not significantly different from typical Thai street food. The taste is somewhat flat, but it’s still worth trying. I suppose high expectations didn't meet Michelin standards.

Looking at it from another perspective, it’s like finding a beef soup stall everywhere in Tainan and expecting a Michelin-rated beef soup that’s exceptionally good, only to find it’s quite similar to the beef soup around the corner from my house. That’s a bit disappointing.

However, because it's a Michelin place, there were quite a few people. We went for lunch and had to wait about 15 minutes before getting a seat.

The advantage is that it doesn't feel like an ordinary street stall; there is an air-conditioned indoor seating area. If there are too many people, you might have to sit outside.

On a scorching summer day, sitting outside while eating curry noodles can be really hot!

I think if you are still interested in curry noodles and this Michelin restaurant, you can still come by. After all, the table turnover rate is very fast, so you won’t have to wait too long for a seat.

Additionally, each dish’s portion isn’t large, making it perfect to drop by for a taste.

Food: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Beverages: N/A
Atmosphere: 🌕🌕🌘🌑🌑
Service: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Price: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

⭐️ Food Part
👉 Braised Beef Curry Noodles
As mentioned before, the meat for the curry noodles can be selected. The menu states there is beef, pork chop, or chicken thigh, and as someone who loves beef, I naturally chose the braised beef.

But, as previously mentioned, I feel the curry here lacks any special characteristics, so there’s nothing particularly memorable for me, which is a bit disappointing.

Moreover, each portion isn’t too much. For an adult male, you might need to order two servings to feel somewhat full.

So I recommend pairing it with some skewers or trying some traditional Thai dishes here too.

That day I also had some skewers, and I feel their performance was slightly better than the curry, though it's still quite standard without anything special.

Thus, I think the food part is unfortunately not deserving of a high score; in terms of flavor, I don’t think this restaurant is a must-visit.

⭐️ Beverage Part
We didn’t order any specific drinks that day, so I won’t comment on that.

⭐️ Atmosphere Part
Although the restaurant sells more traditional curry noodles, the overall design and decor have a modern touch, so you won’t feel like you’re eating curry noodles on the street. The internal space is divided into outdoor and indoor areas.

The indoor area has typical restaurant features like air conditioning and tables, while the outdoor area is still under a roof but generally has an outside feel. If the weather is bad or too hot, it might not be very comfortable.

⭐️ Service Part
The menu is available in Chinese as well, so I believe there won’t be significant issues in ordering. The staff mainly provide standard service for delivering food and taking orders, with nothing particularly special.

⭐️ Price Part
For a Michelin restaurant, this is really a low-cost option. A bowl of curry noodles costs around TWD 150, which is quite reasonable.

So even though the portion isn’t large, I think the cost-performance ratio is quite high. It’s a low price for a Michelin experience!

⭐️ Overall
I feel that despite this being a Michelin restaurant, their curry noodles don't have any particular special characteristics.

Therefore, I don’t think this place is one that’s essential to visit. But if you want to enjoy the Michelin experience, it’s quite easy to achieve here. First of all, its location is very convenient. Additionally, you don’t need to make a reservation; just come and wait for about 15 to 20 minutes to get a seat.

Furthermore, it's affordable, and the portions aren't large, making it suitable for those wanting to try a taste.

Friends visiting the Nimmanhaemin area in Chiang Mai might want to consider this place!