Gourmet Pad Thai in a Rustic Environment
by Padthai Aladin, Chiang Dao (Chiang Mai Province), Thailand
I found an incredible little restaurant in the most unexpected of places.
While on a trip to Chiang Dao, a small town in the north of Thailand in Chiang Mai Province, my wife and I stopped in for lunch at a tiny local restaurant.
The staff at our hotel recommended that we stop in for lunch at Padthai Aladin, one of the few local restaurants within walking distance of our hotel in Chiang Dao, northern Thailand.
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| crispy pad Thai wontons at Padthai Aladin, Chaing Dao, Thailand (Chiang Mai Province) |
Despite its rustic surroundings, a rural farmhouse setup with chickens pecking around the tables, the food was surprisingly elegant.
We started out by ordering a serving of pad Thai wontons to share. The deep-fried wontons were stuffed full of all of the traditional pad Thai flavors and ingredients.
I followed the appetizer with a plate of khao soi pad Thai, a lunch incorporating the "national dish of Thailand" with the signature food of northern Thailand. The dish combined the flavors of pad Thai with the crispy noodles, pickled greens, curry soup, and fried chili paste ingredients of northern Thai khao soi soup.
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| khao soi pad Thai with shrimp in Chaing Dao, Thailand |
We also tried the pad Thai with crispy rice noodles. Unlike traditional pad Thai, this dish was made with a block of chopped and deep-fried crispy rice noodles topped with shredded eggs, spring onions, mung bean sprouts, and shrimp.
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| crispy vermicelli pad Thai, Padthai Aladin, Chiang Dao, Thailand |
As we ate, we watched the chickens pecking around the yard. We even watched a chicken lay eggs right in front of us while we ate. The staff hurried forward and collected the eggs, taking them back to the kitchen. I guess it's good to know that the eggs we had with our pad Thai are literally as fresh as they can be!
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| Pad Thai Aladin, Chiang Dao (Chiang Mai), Thailand |
Pad Thai Aladin is open from 10:30AM until 2PM (closed on Wednesdays). However, the restaurant closes as soon as they sell out. We arrived around 11AM, and they were beginning to shut down by noon, before we had even finished eating! I recommend arriving as early as possible so as not to risk missing out on a great meal.
Menu
The menu is simple: you can order either plain pad Thai noodles (35 baht, or $1 USD) or pad Thai with shrimp (60 baht, or $1.75 USD). There are several different options for your pad Thai order, including the ones that I tried. Additionally, you can order the egg noodle pad Thai, wheat sandwich pad Thai, or small noodle pad Thai.
Location
This restaurant is located in Chiang Dao (Chiang Mai Province), Thailand at 363 Chiang Dao, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai 50170.
Pad Thai Aladin is open from 10:30am until 2pm Thursday through Tuesday, but the restaurant closes as soon as they sell out. Note that we arrived by noon, and by 12:30pm they were already closing up for the day. It's a popular restaurant, so I recommend arriving as early as possible.
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