The Spirit House Restaurant in Chiangmai

The Dining Out Group
Coordinated by Paul Schoenkopf

The next event will be Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 7:00PM. The restaurant will be Spirit House on 4 Viangbua Rd.

The Spirit House:
Review By Brian Baxter – Chiang Mai Mail
Atmospheric bar and restaurant on Viangbua Road
July 29, 2008
I woke up the morning after a visit to The Spirit House thinking of menus. A little odd you may think, but bear with me, please. Steve, who runs the restaurant with his Thai partner, and does much of the cooking, has a special way with a menu - something of a rarity in Chiang Mai compared with conventional places.
For example, take Café Nimmen or Mo’C Mo’L. They have huge, book-like offerings. A vast array of choices, bewildering on occasion. How many times have I heard a farang say in such places, ‘You choose’. Shifting the responsibility to a Thai. Then there’s Eat at U Hotel which I reviewed recently. They have dinky little boards held up invitingly by a member of staff. Nothing printed. At Krit’s they opt for a large menu and supplement it with a notice board for ‘specials’, St Germain des Pres is something of a model. They print their offerings (changing several each month or season) in French, English and Thai in clearly defined categories. On the other hand the otherwise commendable Arco’Baleno prints an extensive menu very clearly but offers no Thai translation. I wonder what an Italian would make of a Thai restaurant which opened in –say – Milan and chose to print off its offerings only in Thai. Clearly the French do not have a monopoly on arrogance.
I noticed recently whilst visiting Maze 2 that they had improved their menu. It was too bulky before and there were many duplications within different sections. Now it is clearly laid out and had photographs of the different dishes. Not a bad idea in a tourist area, although not much use in a place near Thapae Gate which I went to recently where the pictures did not match the words! That place has been around too long to change but Moxxie’s at D2, (which is a model of how to run a restaurant in a hotel), had the sense to change their menu from the wildly impractical silvery version with its self-coloured lettering—now the menu prints black on white. It looked elegant before. Now it is readable. The House makes no concessions to readability with its subdued, romantic lighting but they offer individual little torches which add a touch of camp, as does the even more subdued Chedi.
Anyway, by now you might have got the point that menus vary greatly, so I won’t list more. And what has this got to do with Steve at The Spirit House? Well, he doesn’t have one. A menu, I mean. He has a little board at the entrance which lists a few choices and once you are seated and have been given some iced water and offered one of the very inexpensive drinks, (best value is a large beer Singha), he offers a little scrap of paper on which are the day’s extra offerings. A home-made soup, a pasta dish, corn on the cob or one of his delicious puddings. He will then – rather over-optimistically I feel – assure you that if there is nothing on either the board or paper you fancy then he will prepare something that you ask for. I am not sure how many people take him at his word.
To be honest I think few people go to The Spirit House in search of haute cuisine. About the same number who look for spiritual enlightenment I guess, and probably with as much success. They might sensibly go there for one of the sweets. On the last occasion four of us chose, (actually, there was no alternative except fresh fruit which we also had), the latest creation. It was what we in England might call a trifle. In Italy a tiramisu and anyway in truth it was neither. Just a delicious approximation to both featuring sponge, liquor, cream, raspberries and chocolate shavings.
The Spirit House. Open daily on Viangbua Road.

So why go? Well it’s handy if you are heading for a drink at The Garden Bar or visiting friends at the near by Viangbua Mansions or are simply in the area. Or, if you want to buy one of the opera DVDs or second hand books on offer. Or one of the intriguing artefacts decorating the large space. Or are going to one of the occasional concerts which are held there.
Or, of course, if you want a cheap and cheerful meal. The staff are friendly, if mildly disorganised, the seating and rustic tables are reasonably comfortable and the background music wafting through decent speakers is usually from the baroque period, sometimes later. But not much later. With a beer and two courses and a tip you should spend around 200 baht and it would be churlish to complain about the cost. One member of the last group I went there with craved more organization and muttered something about computers and updating the ‘system’. I think he rather missed the point of this somewhat exotic eating place. And I’m 100 per cent sure that what the world does not need is a computer to take the place of any human being, least of all an amiable one trying to offer something just a little out of the ordinary in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai Chimes Review
The Spirit House Restaurant & Bar is one of those quite amazing places which take you completely by surprise. The Spirit House Restaurant & Bar is located in the bustling Chang Puak area of Chiang Mai but is a haven of peace and tranquility. The Spirit House has indoor seating and a delightful garden area, full of tropical plants and water fountains, which surrounds an old Chedi. Not much is known about the original temple, but the owner, Steve, told us that the temple is thought to have sunk below the ground many years ago.

From the moment you step inside the Spirit House you can't fail to be enchanted by Steve's collection of Antiques (for sale) gathered from Burma, Laos, China and Thailand. The multi-talented owner Steve sold Antiques in Chiang Mai for many years, is an accomplished musician and is also a qualified chef which will not surprise you when you taste the cooking from an extensive International and Thai menu including "Daily Specials"

As a refreshing change, the music is not Thai Pop but a selection of classical music with operas and ballets shown on DVDs. There are also occasional live performances.


Paul’s Ratings- 1-10
Food quality 7
Service 8
Ambiance 7
Value 8
The review is 3 years old but you should have no problem leaving with less than 300 baht per person including tip.

Directions:
Spirit House 4 Viangbua Rd.
Chiang Puek, Chiangmai 50300

From Kad Suen Kaew: Follow Huay Kaew east towards the moat. It turns in Maninoparat Road. Follow alongside the moat past the Jiffy gas station, past the Ford dealer and food court and make the first left turn onto Chang Puak Road. Follow 1.2 kilometers until you see an Orange colored sign on your left that says Lotus Hotel. That’s Viang Bua Road. Go past the Lotus Hotel on your right and it’s just before the large white condominium that will be on your left. Spirit House is .2 kilometers off Chang Puak Road on your right.