I first heard about Khum Khantoke from Samantha Brown’s Asia series on the Travel Channel in 2010. I bought the series on Amazon and rewatched the Thailand episode again was inspired to go where she went for an evening of eats and entertainment. I thought an immersive cultural experience would be a fun midweek break during our week of classes so I booked a reservation online.

From our Airbnb, the Grab took about 15 minutes to get to the location which is northeast from city center.

On arrival, we marveled out how exotic and beautiful the the grounds were.

Once we entered the pavilion, you could see that the dining areas to the sides also served as seats for the performance. There was a stage and an entrance so the perimeter was essentially a square.

Our reservation was at 6:30 p.m and though we were a few minutes late, we were immediately served with coconut juice

and what would be round 1 of food which arrived in a circular rattan tray or “Toke” with two tiers of food. 

Chiang Mai Style Banana Fritter    

Clear Soup

Chiang Mai Style Pork Curry with Ginger & Tamarind Sauce    

Deep Fried Chicken

Grilled Young Chili Paste With Steamed Vegetables    

Minced Pork in Tomato Sauce

Crispy Pork Skin    

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables

Crispy Rice Noodle    

Sticky Rice or Steamed Rice

Seasonal Fresh Fruit   

My husband complained that the food was cold but was pleasantly surprised that we were offered another round of everything which arrived much hotter and fresher than the first serving. 

Because we ordered the premium Khantoke, we also received a side of what I believe was a fried cod dish.

For dessert, we also were served something I made in cooking class on Monday, water chestnuts with sugar syrup and coconut milk which is so incredibly easy to make and is ridiculously delicious. I was happy that I recognized it and could appreciate its flavor and simplicity. 

At exactly 7:30, the show began.

The performance commenced with a parade, a welcome dance previously used to greet guests.

The next dance hailed from the Mae Hong Song province and was an interpretation about the animal legends of the region.

This was followed by a war dance with drummers.

Then next performance was a tribute to the princess for her cultural influence and for being such a strong role model to the Lanna culture.

The Khone performance was a reenactment of a section from a book by Ramakian which is renowned as the greatest literary work in Thailand.

Then there was a sword dance/demonstration which was followed by a segment about Thai fighting.

The evening ended with a dance performance by a group of women using coconut shells and the finale was a large group of dancers performing a simple dance which hailed from the central part of Thailand prior to WWII.

They brought in members from the audience to join them in the finale which was a nice touch. 

The Khum Khantoke cultural center provided a beautiful ornate setting for an immersion in Lanna culture through its delicious and simple food, stunningly exotic setting and strikingly visual performance dedicated to its history. 

This is definitely on my top recommend for anybody visiting Chiang Mai. It’s expensive compared to Thai standards but for dinner and a show, by American standards, it’s a bargain.

Khum Khantoke

http://www.khumkhantoke.com