Tasting the Flavours of Thailand at Mak Mak and Chachawan Hong Kong

During my trip to Hong Kong last month, my brother brought me to two Thai restaurants owned by the JIA Group, the same company that manages good restaurants that foodies like such as 22 Ships, Ham and Sherry and Duddell's. 

One restaurant is called "Mak Mak" located at the upscale Landmark Atrium mall and the other one is "Chachawan" located on Hollywood Road.

The two restaurants are different since they offer different menus. Mak Mak offers dishes from Central Thailand which is a mixture of sweet, sour an spicy while Chachawan offers Northern Thai dishes inspired by street food from the Isaan region which is a combination of sour, salty and spicy flavours.

Mak Mak's restaurant facade was inspired from a traditional Thai grocery store. Various Thai products such as coconut milk in cans, fish sauce in bottles, etc. were displayed on the shelves. What is interesting about this restaurant is the secret door on the right side that functions as an enclosure with product shelf. The restaurant staff opens the secret door for customers and brings them to the cozy and dimly lit dining area.

We tried several dishes at Mak Mak which included some of our staple Thai dish orders such as Pomelo Prawn Salad, Tom Yum Goong and Pad Thai.

Pomelo Prawn Salad

Tom Yum Goong soup

An order of the Tom Yum Goong Soup is good
for 2 to 3 people

Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaves

Pad Thai

Stri fry brocolli leaves

Omelet with pork

Condiments on the table for adding more spice, sweetness
 or salty flavour from fish sauce

 We opted to go to Chachawan for lunch a few days after we had our dinner at Mak Mak.

Chachawan facade

We had the flattened, grilled chicken thighs on stick which is juicy, tender and simply delicious. We also had some veggie dishes that we paired with fresh and sweet Thai coconut juice.

Gai Yung(Grilled  chicken thigh with sweet and
 spicy Thai sauce)

Stir fried morning glory

Som Dtum (green papaya salad) and fresh young
Thai coconut juice

If you prefer to have more street food type Thai food in that is affordable it would be good to try Chachawan. They also have  a bar that serves various drinks and cocktails which would go well with the spicy dishes they offer.

If you like a more relaxed ambience and quiet dinner while enjoying Thai dishes then Mak Mak is a good option. Plus, it is located at the Landmark Atrium and is also near the shopping area on Queen's road so it is quite convenient to go there.

Next time I'm in Hong Kong I will probably go back to Chachawan for dinner and drinks with friends. Their lunch menu is not as extensive as their dinner menu and it would be good to try their other dishes too. Cheers!