Nearby to Twin Peaks there are numerous food stalls serving noodles, curries, seafood and specialty dishes located within the old city walls. International and Thai food buffets are available at local restaurants.

Northerners like their food with a bitter edge and a sharp tang – not sharing the sweet tooth of central Thais. Acacia leaf, sawtooth coriander, and eggplants for example, all appear in kaeng khae soup, while tamarind juice and pickled bamboo provide a mouth-watering sourness to dishes like kaeng ho. Uniquely northern is sai ua; a tangy fried sausage of pork, lime peel, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and chilies stuffed into pork intestine.

Since the north was home to the country’s first city-states, it became an early commercial and cultural hub for Yunnan, Myanmar and Laos. As in both Laos and northeastern Thailand, sticky rice is preferred – eaten with the hands.

With the influences of Yunnan, Myanmar and the Shan, Chiang Mai boasts the country’s best noodles. Try khao sawy – flat egg noodles in a thin but delicious chicken curry with pickled cabbage and one of the region’s famous chili sauces on the side.

Most visitors to Chiang Mai enjoy at least one kahn toke style dinner, where diners sit on the floor around a low table in traditional style and serve themselves from several dishes.