วัดสวนดอก & พันพรรณ / Wat Suan Dok & Pun Pun Vegetarian Restaurant - Chiang Mai, Thailand

I want to start off this blog highlighting a place I went to yesterday that is one of my favorite places in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  It's a restaurant called "Pun Pun," located on the grounds of Wat Suan Dok.  I love this eatery for its food and its philosophy.

   

     First - the food!

Rather than tell you all about Pun Pun's appetizers, stir fries, fried rice dishes, curries, salads, desserts, really wholesome smoothies, teas, coffee, etc., let me just begin by showcasing my favorite dish:

Flower Salad!

I had never eaten flowers before I ran across this menu item, but I have now ordered this salad three times in the last few months!  The plate is topped high with red, yellow, green and brown flowers, all light and crispy.  I had to look closely to distinguish actual "flowers" from the heap of colors.  Here's a little yellow one that maintained its shape through the deep-frying.

The salad also has corn, carrots, tomatoes, red cabbage, onions and black sesame seeds.  Oh, and a good portion of greens too - but they're hiding beneath all the flowers!  And what do deep fried flowers taste like you may ask?

They're not really sweet, or salty, or bitter.... They have something like an airy green-leaf-vegetable flavor.  Crispy and a little chewy.  And fun to eat!  They also take on the flavor of whichever dressing you choose.

The dressing in the picture at the top of this post is Banana.  The ingredients in this dressing added a little bit of sweet and tang to the flavor.  Most recently, I tried the steamed pumpkin dressing, which had a nice bit of sweetness and flavorful herb-iness.

Here are the other salad dressing options.  So far the Avocado dressing has not been available, but I will keep asking.  Avocado - one of my favorite foods!

The Pun Pun menu has a bunch of other creative salads, all presented very decoratively and usually quite colorfully (such as Mixed Fruits Salad and one that includes homemade black sesame tofu).  So far the Flower Salad is my favorite, but I haven't tried them all yet.  Try them yourself if you can, and let me know.  :)



Here's a sampling of a few other dishes I or my friends have had:

Massaman Curry

Deep-fried Shiitake Mushrooms

Panang (Red) Curry Fried Rice

You can see the mango smoothie in the background of this picture - definitely a winner.  I wasn't expecting the fried egg on the side, so I just gave it away to my non-vegan friend who was eating with me.

I know I'll be going back soon to try more dishes and enjoy the quaint outdoor setting.

It's mostly shady, with the table umbrellas and the shade of the ancient Boddhi tree towering at the center of all the tables.  Monks walk by, birds sing, and you have a view of some temple buildings.

Now that you've seen some of Pun Pun's unique and tasty food, here's some background information that will make you appreciate it all the more.  And I say this with the hope that you have the chance to go away from this blog and visit the area and try some of the dishes for yourself!

Chiang Mai is a small city with a long and rich culture, beautiful sights, wonderful fun-loving people, and some of my favorite food in the world.  It's located in northern Thailand, with the Mae Ping river on the east side of the city and a view of Wat Doi Suthep (Suthep Mountain Temple) to the west - very Feng Shui.  A square-shaped old city is located at the center with a moat and remnants of the protective stone walls.

This is Suthep Road - where Pun Pun Restaurant is located - with a view of Suthep Mountain in the background.  Look closely and you'll see Wat Doi Suthep located on the top.

There are about 36 Buddhist temples located inside the old city alone.  Wat Suan Dok is a temple that lies a few minutes to the west of the old city.  Its name means "Flower Garden Temple," and it is not only beautiful, but meaningful to me personally.

I first came to Thailand for a cultural immersion study abroad program during college.  It was an amazing program led by a gracious American couple.  During my time in Chiang Mai, I lived with a Thai family, had wonderful Thai language and culture professors, and spent my afternoons doing a service internship.  Wat Suan Dok was the location of my internship, namely, the Buddhist University located on its grounds.  The college students here are Buddhist monks and novices studying within various majors to earn Bachelors Degrees.  I remember walking through the white stone monuments with a few monks as they explained the temple's history and whose remains were preserved inside them.  They practiced their English, I learned about Buddhism.  I think we both learned about lives very different from our own!

This year I came to Thailand as an Assistant Director with the same study abroad program.  While I was a vegetarian when I came here as a student, I did let loose and eat a bit of chicken, pork and fish in order to try all the variety of dishes and flavors.  But about a year ago I decided (again) to stop eating animals and animal products as much as possible.  So this time around in Thailand, I've harnessed my language skills, as well as a deeper conviction about not participating in animal cruelty, and it's been a rewarding journey of seeking out vegan food in this country that I love.

There may be some exceptions, but as far as I know, Buddhist monks in Thailand don't have any stipulations about not eating animals or animals products; they eat what is offered to them by faithful Buddhist laypeople each morning during alms collecting.  That said, I greatly appreciate and respect the fact that Wat Suan Dok has a vegetarian restaurant on its grounds: Pun Pun.  It's actually a "project aimed at supporting local organic farmers, networks, and propagating biodiversity" - quote taken from this first page of the menu:

Here are a few quotes from the menu:

• Pun Pun is an organic farm, seed saving operation, and sustainable living and learning center.
• By producing organic produce on our own farm as well as buying from farmers producing organically, we support farmers' transition to sustainable food systems.
• Vegetarian - we use no meat products but offer eggs and dairy in certain dishes (clearly marked on the menu).

So many good reasons to eat at Pun Pun.  I'm sure I'll be going back soon and probably posting a few more pics of the food and surroundings.  For now, I hope that this "first post" has given you an idea of what this blog will be about.  Thanks for reading!