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Long time Chiang Mai favorite
Chez Marco
By Shana
Kongmun
While I have only been in Chiang Mai for a year and a half,
Chez Marco quickly became a favorite. Not just for the
outstanding food at reasonable prices, or the attentive wait
staff, or the handsome and smiling chef but for the
convivial atmosphere the restaurant has.
 The
duck with apples is tender and delicious with the right
touch of tart and sweet.
Somehow, I assumed everyone knew of Chez Marco and the
delicious French food he served but was quite surprised to
find a friend of mine who lives on the outskirts of town
asking me, “Where is it? I’ve never heard of it.” So, I
detailed my dinner for him. We started with the raw oysters
that Marco gets flown in and that are available only on
Fridays (if you are keen its best to call up and pre-order).
Then we had the amazing pan fried foie gras for a starter.
Delicious and tender, and yes, heart attack on a plate as I
called it.
I ordered my favorite, the duck with apples. The duck is
tender and not greasy, the apples add just the right touch
of sweet and tart to the dish. It comes with mashed potatoes
and at only 250 Baht is a bargain for the quality of the
food. Another popular dish is the beef filet with chocolate
sauce, and while it sounds a little odd, the taste is
divine. The Beef Carpaccio is tender and flavored nicely
with a good mix of tart and savory.
Another friend had the Coq Au Vin, and while I am not a big
fan of chicken, it was tender and the meat came off the
bone. The meat was a rich brown color from the wine and the
plate, while generous was not too much.
 Scott
Taylor of Soho Bar gets ready to enjoy his Beef Carpaccio.
We didn’t have dessert as we were too full from the meal,
but I have eaten the chocolate mousse there in the past and
always enjoyed it, but then I am the person who never says
no to chocolate!
All in all, the food at Chez Marco has been consistently
good, the service mostly hit and a few times miss but, be
warned, even on weeknights, reservations may be required.
Are there drawbacks in Chez Marco? Well, it does not have a
quiet, romantic atmosphere, but rather open and a bit noisy
from the groups the meet to dine there. It’s a popular place
for friends to gather and it feels more like a village
restaurant with the happy buzz of satisfied customers.
Another drawback is its location on Loi Kroh where parking
can be troublesome. I tend to hop a songthaew or tuk tuk
there since its just as easy to get one back.
Located at 15/27 Loi Kroh Road, Chez Marco can be reached at
053-207-032 and is open from 5 pm to late, closed on
Sundays.
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Iced Pepper Soup
This is another
recipe given to me by the inventive Chef Santo Zoppis. With
the rising temperatures, cold soups are very attractive.
Santo says there is 20 minutes of preparation time, another
20 minutes of cooking time and then there is almost 3 hours
in cooling and then chilling. There is also the “secret
ingredient” prepared the day beforehand!
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Ingredients Serves 4 to 5
Thai basil
15 gm
Red bell peppers
230 gm
Onions
100 gm
Ripe tomatoes
200 gm
Chicken stock
900 ml
Fresh milk
150 ml
Tabasco
Salt and pepper |
Cooking Method
Chop the basil and place into an ice cube tray, top up with
water and freeze. (Ice cubes with basil to be prepared the day
before).
Clean and slice the red bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Place
bell peppers in a large pot with the onions, tomatoes, chicken
stock and the milk. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat,
cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables
are tender.
Pour into a blender and blend at high speed until smooth, then
strain.
Adjust the seasoning with the Tabasco, salt and pepper. Cool for
30 minutes then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
before serving. Finally, place a sweet basil ice cube into each
soup cup and serve.
Chicken in Orange/Soy sauce
This recipe is
based on an old Indonesian dish known as “Ajam berkuah jerik
manis dan soya”. A true stir-fry, it does however take some
time in the cooking stage, as you have to make sure the
chicken drumsticks are cooked through.
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Ingredients
Serves 4
Chicken drumsticks
12
Vegetable oil
3 tbspns
Onion, chopped
1 large
Garlic, chopped fine
1 clove
Chilli paste
1 tspn
Orange juice (no pulp) 5 tbspns
Lemon juice
2 tbspns
Chicken dipping sauce 4 tbspns
Palm sugar
1 tbspn
Corn flour
2 tspns
Salt as required
Water as required |
Cooking Method
Rub the chicken drumsticks lightly with salt. Heat the oil in
the wok and add the onion and fry until transparent. Add chicken
and stir-fry for eight minutes. Now add garlic and chilli pastes
and add the orange and lemon juice, chicken dipping sauce and
five tablespoons boiling water.
Stir and add the palm sugar then bring to the boil and simmer
for three minutes.
Mix the corn flour with two tablespoons of cold water then add
to the liquid in the wok, stirring thoroughly as it thickens.
Make sure you move all the drumsticks through the thickening
sauce and simmer for another two minutes.
Arrange the drumsticks on a warm serving dish and pour the sauce
over them and serve immediately.
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