Pun Pun Organic Vegetarian Restaurant In the Wat Suan Dok compound, behind Monk Chat Building, Suthep Rd. Open daily: 9 am - 5 pm (closed on the 15th of each month) Tel. 086-1018508

What comes to mind when you hear the words, " vegetarian food"? Healthy but not flavoursome? So how can we stay healthy but still have savory dishes? No worries about this any more since Pun Pun Organic Vegetarian Restaurant has solved the conundrum.

Based on the philosophy that good health is mainly affected by environmental factors, the restaurant is strongly concerned with the quality of the ingredients of every vegetarian dish: the veggies are from local farmers who grow organic crops through all-natural methods. The place avoids all genetically-modified products and offers only homemade ingredients such as tofu and yoghurt.

The whole-food delights today vary from the Western tofu steak topped with creamy sauce to the oriental roasted Chinese mushrooms with glass noodles, wholegrain roti served with spicy Indian curry and many more. And especially for weight-conscious lady customers, salad with crunchy vegetables topped with sesame, and a wide selection of low-fat dressings with such flavours as pumpkin are strongly recommended.

Popular as Pun Pun is, making a reservation is advisable. There's also a within-the-city delivery service with a 5-baht extra charge for each ordered item.

Cafe de Lanna Soi 17 Nimmanhaeminda Rd. (Next to NES Language School) Tel. 053-894308, 086-3668838 Open daily: 7.00 am - 8.00 pm

Northern Thailand is a great location to grow Arabica coffee because of its climate and soil quality, and coffee beans from the North have been recognized as the best beans in Thailand. Accordingly, Chiang Mai’s visitors should not miss their chance to taste some original Northern coffee.

Cafe de Lanna is a small coffee house located on Nimmanhaeminda Rd., Soi 17. Due to its size and Lanna-style design, Cafe de Lanna is one of the best coffee houses to sip your favorite cup of coffee, while enjoying your day in privacy. Cafe de Lanna serves you several kinds of espresso-based coffee both iced and hot, such as Espresso, Mocha, Latte, amongst others. The espresso shot used here is brewed from Arabica beans grown in Chiang Mai, and roasted by the owner’s family’s company, so that all cups of coffee are guaranteed to have the best of Chiang Mai’s taste and aroma.

If you are not much of a coffee lover, Cafe de Lanna also provides several kinds of decaf options, many kinds of juices and smoothies. Different kinds of tea are also served here. Several kinds of desserts are available such as an assortment of cakes including blueberry cheesecake, brownie, pies, and cookies.

Wi-Fi internet is offered free for customers who have their own laptop computer. If you do not have one, don’t worry, many internet stations are available inside the coffee house at only 20 baht per hour.

IL…Buco 55 Kotchasarn Rd., T. Changklan, A. Muang, Chiang Mai Tel. 081-9499286, 086-0944656 Open daily: 10 - 1 am

Located in the heart of city, just metres off the Tha Pae Gate, Il Buco, run by the Italian chef who spent his early years working in Roma and Sicilian restaurants, provides its customers with the authentic taste of Italian cuisine within Lanna historic ambience, by the city moat along Kotchasarn Road.

Now what to eat? Let’s start with the appetizer dish of Bruschetta which is toasted baguette with a wide selection of toppings such as Siciliana (tomato, olive oil, salt and oregano) and bitter-salt Trittico, the black olive paste mixed with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and red chili. Choose the right one and have a bite. In terms of the main dishes, there are several gastronomic creations currently offered, including the Southern Italian Salsa di Pistacchio or pasta with pistachio sauce, for example.

Of course, today most people value health as a priority and regard Italian food as not especially friendly in this respect. Well, if meat - a steak - is too much for you, the easily-digested items like chicken breast in balsamic sauce and Allo Soglio seafood pasta can be the solutions.

And before returning home, don’t forget to taste the soft bitter-sweet tiramisu, Il Buco’s patisserie delight. And how about an aromatic brew of Bon Cafe coffee to round things off?