Jay 99 Youta - Chiang Rai

We arrived with a party of 3 and the restaurant was about to close, which we only noticed upon arrival. However, they kindly kept the restaurant open for us for an hour and were very friendly. All of our meals were incredibly delicious! We ordered pad thai, sweet rice porridge (with very nice rice), and a dish called "up with vegetable sauce" from the menu. The portion sizes were good, especially the thick and flavorful soup.

After trying pad thai in various restaurants around Chiang Mai for a few days, I stumbled upon this small and unassuming restaurant in Chiang Rai that really stood out. Their pad thai was simply extraordinary. While the ingredients may not be extraordinary, the dish was expertly made. I particularly enjoyed the twist of using tofu scrambled like eggs, which added a sweet touch and a perfect softness. The ratio of noodles to veggies was just right and everything was well mixed, without feeling greasy. At 50 baht, this dish was the best value I've ever experienced in a restaurant. It definitely deserves a generous tip. I also ordered the basil fried rice. It was slightly salty without being overwhelming. Next time, I'll ask for tofu instead of the meat, though it won't be called basil fried rice anymore.

We tried a variety of dishes at this restaurant, including pork belly, morning burgers, and sweet fried plantains. Everything was excellent. I highly recommend this place.

Easy to find if you look for the jay symbol. There 's a handwritten English menu with all the classic rice, noodle and stir fry dishes. I had the pad see ew, which was good but full of mock meat, plus the vegetarian sausage. The sausage tasted fine but didn 't come with any sauce or salad, which would have been nice. Everything was cooked fresh. Owner was lovely, prices are cheap.

Listed under various names, I think Youta (the name on the yellow banners) is actually the brand or supplier of its veggie protein ingredients, as it 's on other restaurants around town, including a calendar hanging in more than one place. Jay or jie just means vegetarian, and the owners just called it something else when asked in Nov. '19. In summary, Chiang Rai 's veg restaurants will make you work to try them, and 99 is the prime example of a place whose great food and friendly service will lead one to overlook irregular opening days and difficulty ordering in English. The first time I went, I got a nice fake fish filet dish with banana flowers and red sauce, which may or may not be what I pointed to on the city 's most concisely amusing English menu. Had to buy a bottle of water, which would have been on the need to improve list. The second time, I really enjoyed the pad Thai and sausage survive. They threw in some tea even though there 's now free water up to local standard, and some Asian fry bread donuts. All for just 40 Baht, the value for made-to-order dishes rivals Green by the bus station, and with more variety and flavor. I 'll definitely go back and try something more adventurous, and if it 's closed just keep biking to a diffrent place and try here another time. There 's only two large tables, the kitchen is in front so you can see exactly how they prepare your dishes. Definitely a mom pop operation worth supporting. After four months in the city studying Thai, it can be discouraging how well most people speak English in the city. So this is probably the best veg place in town to get some high stakes language practice, and the owners are very patient, friendly, and willing to teach the farang how to speak correctly. Veg options on Sundays and Mondays and for dinner in CR are limited, so I was happy the first time on a Sun. dinner, but it was closed then when I tried again. The second time was lunch on a Mon. Maybe there 's a pattern, and I hope another reviewer can figure it out. It 's worth trying at random anyway. Call this a 3.5-star place due to the unpredictable opening days, but again spin Thai practice positively, and the food is great.