Kuma

Kuma leans into a more contemporary expression of Chiang Rai’s ingredients, but without the rigidity of a formal tasting menu. Instead, the experience is built around a structured à la carte offering, with dishes grouped into cold, warm and main sections that encourage a more flexible way of ordering.

The menu reads like a conversation between local produce and modern technique. Ingredients are clearly doing the heavy lifting, but they’re handled with precision and a willingness to push into less familiar territory. You see that in combinations like smoked rice paddy eel with gooseberry jelly and crispy chicken skin, as well as a rich, perfectly cooked raw beef heart paired with Chiang Rai tomme, pea eggplant and fried acacia.

There’s a strong sense of play across the courses. Pumpkin mochi tempura sits alongside river prawn mousse stuffed into sesbania flowers, while a cup of dancing shrimp bisque brings in long pepper and wild almond milk. Even the mains carry that same balance of control and curiosity, from grilled catfish presented in multiple expressions to wagyu picanha with mustard green relish and umami-rich jus.

Kuma. Rop Wiang, Chiang Rai. 5pm-10pm, closed Monday-Tuesday