010107 Rote Yiam beef noodle & sarim

Despite another bomb incident in Chiangmai this morning, the plan for those coming from Singapore via Chiangmai & from Laos via Chiang Khong to meet at Baan Bua Guesthouse went without a hitch. YT brought us to the 'Thaksin beef noodle' place she'd eaten at during her field studies trip to Chiangrai - photos are from the cat's return visit 3 years later in 2010:



Photo by man-maid

Apart from beef kway tiao, there's also ซ่าหริ่ม sarim - one of the cat's favourite Thai desserts - served with pandan ice cream:



Photo by man-maid

Sarim = fine pink + white + green mungbean flour 'vermicelli' (kinda like 冬粉 tang hoon or วุ้นเส้น woon sen) in coconut milk. Here only white sarim is served, & this is the only place (so far) where the cat has seen it served with ice cream. The cat once hunted down a sarim factory in an alley off the Wat Mahannop section of Tanao Road (behind the 14 October 1973 memorial) in Bangkok just to get its dessert fix :P

Sign of good Thai food - the เชลล์ชวนชิม Shell Chuan Chim (Shell recommends) porcelain bowl logo:



Restaurants that have earned a mention in a Thai newspaper column written by M.R. Thanadsri Sawadiwat (a cousin of the Thai King?) that has been running for almost half a century proudly display this award at their outlets:



The cat has also seen this logo printed on the packaging of Thai food products. Rest of the interior decor leaves no doubt as to the owner's political leanings:



Photos by man-maid

Thaksin was here in 2545 (2002), 2548 (2005) & 2551 (2008):



Upper left red & blue = คิดถึงทักษิณ khit theung Thaksin (miss Thaksin), & upper right top line = กึ๊ดเติงหาทักษิณ geut dtoeng haa Thaksin (geut dtoeng haa = khit theung in northern Thai/Lanna):



Upper left = เพื่อชาติ ศาสน์ กษัตริย์ pheua chaat saat gasat (for nation religion monarchy) & ด้วย พลังประชาชน duay phalang bprachachon' (with People Power Party), bottom right = พลังแดง สู้.สู้! phalang daeng suu suu (red power go go!):



Interesting how nation comes first, with the M-word in third place...

พรรค เพื่อ ไทย Phaak Pheua Thai (Pheua Thai party) logo in the shape of the Thai alphabets for P (พ) & T (ท) in blue & red on white:



Essentially just adding a 'T' to the 'P' logo of the People Power Party that the Pheua Thai party replaced. Slogans in between the party logos proclaim (left) ลดรายจ่าย lot raai jaai (reduce expenses) เพิ่มรายได้ phoem raai dai (incease income) / ขยายโอกาส kha yaai oh gaat (expand opportunities) / เชื่อมั่นเพื่อไทย cheua man Pheua Thai (have faith/believe in Pheua Thai), & (right) พืชผลราคาดี pheut phon raakhaa dii (good crop prices) / คนจนมีงานทำ khon jon mii ngaan tham (poor people have jobs) / เชื่อมั่นเพื่อไทย cheua man Pheua Thai. [220410 update: great post on what the Red Shirts are saying in Thai.]

In August 2009 there would be a shooting at this restaurant in the wee hours of the morning (long after it had closed for the day), & the incident was inevitably linked to tensions between the reds & the yellows. Quite fitting to be introduced to this place by someone doing her honours thesis on Thai politics ;)

For those who wish to hunt down this place:
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเนื้อวัวรสเยี่ยม Kway Tiao Neua Wua Rote Yiam
421/4-5 ถนนบรรพปราการ ตำบลเวียง อำเภอเมือง จังหวัดเชียงราย 57000
421/4-5 Banpaprakan Road, Tambon Wiang, Amphoe Muang, Chiangrai 57000
(west of the new clock tower, & opposite Suknirand Hotel & the yellow songthaew coffee stall)