What began as a one-night-a-week hangout among friends has evolved into one of Chiang Mai’s most personal dining experiences. Chefs Patsorn ‘Nick’ Vilaihongsa and Nont Panayanggool now helm Friend’s Table six nights a week, alternating as leads in the kitchen. Seating a maximum of 14 guests, the restaurant feels like dining in someone’s living room – except the ‘living room’ is the kitchen itself. Board games still line the shelves, a nod to its casual origins, but the menu is all ambition.
The current 10-course tasting leans on street food inspiration elevated with luxury ingredients: a charcoal-grilled tamarind prawn, wagyu steak frites with duck fat potatoes, and snow fish bao with crab tamarind reduction. Dishes shift every three months, and add-ons like a smoked salmon rosette or wagyu sirloin make the experience even more indulgent. With a mostly female team running both kitchen and floor, the atmosphere is warm, precise and unpretentious – an open-kitchen concept taken to its most intimate.
Friend’s Table by Nick and Nont. 10-course menu B2,990. Nong Khwai, Hang Dong. Open Wed-Mon, 6.30pm-10.30pm.