A very small and very hungry Dining Out team recently visited
the Green Oasis, and was delighted by the evening. Michael Nitzsche, the
proprietor, warmly greeted us, offering seating both indoors or out. This small
restaurant has only been open a few weeks, but we had noticed the message board
proclaiming daily specials as well as weekly events.
Every
Monday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. onward there is an ‘all you can eat’ steak
and salad buffet for 139 baht. Every Friday, starting at 7 p.m., there is a
candlelight dinner with a five-course menu for only 299 baht. And this one
really attracted us - every Saturday starting at 6 p.m. the staff of the Green
Oasis serves up a 149 baht ‘all you can eat’ barbeque grill party
We haven’t tried the specials, but if the food we were
served on our visit is any indication, they should be fun and tasty. Check ahead
of time to see if the special events have changed or if you need reservations.
We enjoyed talking to the staff, and delighted in the
opportunity to give feedback and hear about the formation of the menu.
Restaurants that are in their nascence are great fun. If you want good German
food, not regional, but the kind you would find in a village or on your German
grandma’s stove, this is a restaurant you will enjoy. The restaurant also
offers Thai selections. The menu is large, and written in both English and
German. Breakfast is also available, with prices ranging from 25 baht for
buttered toast to 95 baht for the jumbo special.
The
drinks menu begins with soft drinks and juices, coffees, teas and hot
chocolates. They are modestly priced at 20 to 40 baht with one exception –
John’s Special. John is apparently quite a fellow. His 85 baht special is hot
chocolate with rum. Red and white house wines are 120 baht a glass, wine coolers
are 65 baht each, and beers range from 55 baht for a small Tiger to 95 baht for
a large Singha. The restaurant offers a large selection of spirits priced from
45 to 90 baht, and a fun offering of cocktails. Gina’s former CEO found the
scandalously named, five liquor combination, “Sex on the Beach” to be
delicious. This was quite amusing since the CEO happened to be a nun. A
six-liquor concoction known as a “Swimming Pool” is also listed, along with
many other favorites. The cocktails cost 100 to 140 baht each.
We began our meal with a lovely salad topped with roasted
chicken. Two salad dressings were served with it, classic vinaigrette and
slightly sweet yoghurt. This is a meal in itself, priced at 120 baht. Multiple
soups are also listed, including a “good, solid goulash”. They are priced at
80 to 95 baht. This was followed by tender roast pork served with saut้ed
potatoes and onions with light pork gravy. We couldn’t resist the mashed
potatoes. They are the creamiest we’ve found in Chiang Mai, absolutely not a
lump in sight and very smooth. The meat specialties are priced at 80 to 160
baht, and the sides range from 25 to 40 baht. I will confess that we almost
became stuck on the ‘Auflaeufe’, or bakes. We ordered the potato and
vegetable bake at 125 baht and nearly scraped our bowls. The vegetables were
fresh and perfectly cooked, then topped with a delicious b้chamel sauce
and baked. This is a dish worth trying. We loved it, and so will our vegetarian
readers.
We were happy that we saved room for dessert, and what a
creative dessert it was! Not listed on the menu, banana pancakes were served
with slices of fresh banana, mango and saut้ed apple with a lovely
strawberry sauce drizzled around the plate. On the side of each plate was a
slice of hot pepper. The combination of sweet and spicy, soft and crunchy was a
delicious end to our evening.
The Green Oasis, open daily from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., 6/1 Kochchasarn 1, T.
Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50000, telephone 06-911-5976 (English and German),
06-181-8982 (Thai), email zur.gruenen.oase@freenet.de. Parking is available on
the street. Phone for directions.
