Bingsu at Cheevit Cheeva Chiang Mai
Ever wondered what it's like to eat a cloud?
Come on, I know you have. How about when you're sat in a plane looking out the window, or lying on a blanket outside finding cats, dinosaurs and narwhals in the clouds? It's crossed your mind. You've wondered what that the consistency would be like.
Well, it has to be something like bingsu, one of the most delicious desserts in the world.
I cannot believe I've only just discovered bingsu. You guys know I can be prone to hyperbole when I'm enthusiastic and excited about something, but seriously - bingsu rocks.
I know what you're thinking. What the hell is bingsu, Amy!?
Bingsu is a Korean dessert dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392 – 1897, in case you didn't know). It's so good because of the fluffy, cloud-like texture achieved by shaving ice very very finely and packing it lightly together to form a big sphere. Traditionally, it's doused in syrup or flavoured milk and topped with fruit or red beans. But they put much more exciting things on top of bingsu these days.
Bingsu at Cheevit Cheeva in Chiang Mai is special.
They don't shave ice at Cheevit Cheeva. They shave milk-ice, and that makes it more melty and delicious than you ever thought possible. Six friends and I ordered the Chocolate Lava bingsu and the Strawberry Cheesecake bingsu. The milky-white spheres are served with fruit, tasty treats, a side-serving of sauce and/or cream on top... AND INSIDE.
I felt like I was excavating at an archaeological dig-site.
The Choco-Lava one was topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder, served with chocolate sauce to pour on top and when we excavated we discovered more chocolate sauce and coco-pops hidden inside! The Strawberry Cheesecake one was sooooo creamy, and came with strawberries on top, strawberry sauce and something kind of like cornflakes/biscuits inside.
Magnificent.
Cheevit Cheeva is in the trendy Nimmanhaemin area, and was full when we arrived - we were lucky to get a table. The cafe design was white, airy and with that stylish, cozy-industrial atmosphere that's so popular in Chiang Mai. You can sit outside or in - I recommend in, so your bingsu doesn't melt in the Thai heat.
Here's a map to Cheevit Cheeva:
Did you try bingsu yet? TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET MORE AND WHAT I SHOULD ORDER!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI am traveling to Thailand in September for my honeymoon and will be spending 3 days in Chiang Mai and 3 days in Phuket. I checked out your IG account yesterday and love love everything! Your blog and IG account are so great and have helped me try and figure out where we would like to explore! :) I was hoping you could help me with a few suggestions if you have time. We are big explorers, hikers, adventurers, and foodies, like to go off the beaten path so are not really into guided tours but are looking to hit up the must see areas and gain cultural perspective!
We are planning on spending 1 day at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. I think this is a responsible sanctuary as they do not ride the elephants. Do you know anything more about it? I was going to do the overnight stay there which would really be 1.5 days but since we are limited on time with only 3 days here I was hoping to figure out how much time we wanted to spend doing other things in Chiang Mai with your help.
We really like to go hiking/exploring, so I thought we would go to Doi Suthep. I read that you stopped at temples along the way to your climb to the top! How much time should we budget for this trip? I am assuming it would take up our whole day. How many temples are there along the way to see? I know there is Wat Pha Lat and the Doi Suthep Temple. I know you said in one of your IG posts that you drove to the top and stopped the car for the temples along the way. Is it possible to hike up? Better to drive? How would we go about getting transportation?
Any places you recommend to grab food in Chiang Mai for a traditional cultural meal? Or good coffee? Or good drinks?
I guess transportation and how much time we should budget for activities among the short 3 days we will be staying are my main concerns.
Do you recommend visiting Bua Tong (Climbing) Waterfalls?
Thank you for any and all advice my dear!! :) :)
Melissa
Melissa! Thank you so much for this comment and CONGRATULATIONS!
DeleteYay I'm so glad you love my blog and IG account - I've been working hard on it :) What's your IG @username?
Elephant Nature Park is repeatedly cited as the most ethical place to spend time with elephants. I'm afraid I don't know about Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. It's good that they don't offer elephant rides, though.
To go up Doi Suthep I'd suggest you start early (before it gets too hot!) and leave about two - five hours, depending on how much time you want to spend at Wat Palad and Wat Suthep. Right now, it's rainy season and the hike may well be very muddy and slippy. Right now I think it's better/safer to drive up. If you want to hike, it's probably better to go into a travel shop and ask where's good to hike at this time of year. You can get transportation up Doi Suthep by hiring your own motorbike from Mr Mechanic, or flagging down a red car and asking to go to Wat Palad and Wat Suthep. If no red car in your area will agree to this, get a red car to Chiang Mai Zoo. Outside the zoo entrance you will see lots of red cars waiting to take you up to Wat Palad and Wat Suthep - and beyond if you want!
I'm really loving Ristr8o Lab's coffee right now - many people claim it's the best coffee in Chiang Mai, and I probably agree with them! They certainly have a very exciting menu. Dash is a very popular Thai food restaurant, and it's in an old teak house so very atmospheric. For a taste of traditional Northern Thai food that's been cleverly updated into creative, delicious versions of traditional food, go to Mixology. I recommend their sticky-rice burgers - a pork burger with Northern Thai spices between two round "buns" of sticky rice - no bread! - and served with a side of local Thai herbs. Man, I love that place. I'll write about it soon. They do really good cocktails there too.
I DO recommend Bua Tong waterfall! But this is a day trip, so up to you if you think you can fit it in ;)
My recommendation is to not try and cram too much in. Pick your favourites, and take your time. If plans change, never mind - you'll have a great time no matter what you do.
How about this itinerary:
Focus of Day One: Elephant Nature Park day trip. Dinner at Dash.
Focus of Day Two: Morning ride up to Wat Palad and Wat Suthep, and maybe beyond to the coffee research station and hill tribe village. If you have time when you get back down, go to museums, temples and art galleries in the city. Dinner at the best-Tripadvisor-rated restaurant near you when you get hungry - or sampling whatever street food is nearby is always fun :)
Focus of Day Three: Day trip to sticky waterfalls. Your hotel will help you arrange transportation, but if you can drive a motorbike it's a beautiful ride. Dinner at Mixology.
What do you think? Let me know!
Amy
Wow Amy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to write me back!! My IG username is nutrition_nut. I think this sounds like a fantastic itinerary!! I agree with your recommendation to not cram too much in. I am a very go with the flow person, but I like to have an idea of what there is to do before visiting. I usually stick with half of our original plans and make up half as we go :)
It looks like the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is relatively new, but has great reviews for responsible visiting. I was actually between that and the Elephant Nature Park. My sister-in-law to be works at the Columbus Zoo with the animals and has educated me on the mistreatment of animals. She wasn't aware of this new sanctuary either so I thought I would ask. I feel as if more people knew that elephants aren't meant to be rode then less people would be doing it!
Thanks a bunch for the food recommendations! I will keep reading your blog/IG posts to learn more :) Looks like you are having such a great experience in Thailand. I so appreciate you helping us make ours great as well :) So excited!
Melissa
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