On visiting Chiang Mai, and walking the back streets of the inner city, the less observant visitor, might not be able to read the ‘tell tale signs’ that indicate the difference between the traditional ‘Khao Soy’ restaurants, and the run of the mill noodle shops.

The thing that gives them away of course, is the small group of uniformed drivers, smoking furtively as they chat in the shade, constantly glancing over their shoulders ever vigilant for the approach of their employers.

The cars they watch over, late model imports, the pride of German engineering, would be empty. Their exhaust pipes gently spewing fumes whilst their smooth engines powered the air-conditioners that are set to maintain the cab temperature at a level preferred by the absentee owner.

Inside, in the dark recesses of the traditional Khao Soy restaurants, the wealthy, impeccably dressed car owners (moneyed elite or penniless, but landed gentry) would be seated on cheap plastic stools. The stools set around shaky Formica topped tables adorned with the proverbial toilet paper roll dispenser, and tacky condiment sets in bright topped plastic.

Typically, they are seated near a grimy kitchen in which a greasy faceless man in a tattered, sleeveless more grey than white Man U Tee shirt, squats on a low wooden stool inches above the rough finished concrete floor.

From his lowly station,he monotonously hacks at recently slain chickens with a blunt cleaver, passing their now quartered and splintered bodies up to a female clone of himself. She, bathed in a ‘spa’ of cooking odours smoke and steam, adds them to the mix she is concocting.

The observant visitor, on casting his eyes around the gloom of the restaurant may detect the bank workers sitting peacock like in their spotlessly crisp white shirts.

Further back, near a wall invariably displaying posters of nude hour glass shaped women that make your heart go faster, promoting motorcycle lubricants that make your bike go faster, secretaries in high heels and colour coordinated, mini-skirted outfits, sit flamingo like.They too are waiting for their meal.

There in the corner, steering clear of the ‘tourists’ is the inevitable long term resident foreigner or ‘Farang’, clad in a faded ‘Mor Hom’ shirt. This, his own badge of residence, worn with pride as it sets him apart from the tourist hordes.

In the dark recesses of the narrow corridor leading to the toilets beyond the concrete and refuse strewn parking lot, those displaced souls who have missed life’s opportunities, speed wash dishes in large plastic bowls of cold grey water.

This typical third world ‘lunch time’ eatery was until recently, the only reputable type of establishment in which one would have found genuine Khao Soy.The sheer number and diversity of diners here, attesting to the incredible popularity of this dish that truly reflects the culinary evolution of Chiang Mai. Khao Soy apparently owes its complexity to mixed Shan Burmese and Yunnanese Muslim origins.

Shan settlers were brought in to occupy the region when Burma took control of this part of Siam and ruled it for more than 200 years, starting in the middle of the 16th century. The Yunnanese Chinese traversed this part of Southeast Asia, beginning in the 15th century, in horseback caravans engaged in transporting spices and other commodities between China and the Indian Ocean ports of western Burma.

Born of a mixture of these influences and combining Shan, Yunnanese, Muslim and local northern Thai flavors and styles of cooking, Khao Soy is one of the ultimate "fusion'' foods of the world, and has become the ‘signature dish’ of northern Thailand.

And it seems to keep changing as cooks add their own touches, though the main characteristics of the dish remain intact - a contrast of the soft and chewy texture of boiled wheat-based egg noodles with the crunchy texture of crisp-fried noodles, in a rich and spicy coconut milk curry broth.

The meal cooked with either chicken or beef, and served accompanied by fresh shallot chunks, chopped pickled cabbage, fresh lime wedges, and a thick dark paste of crushed dried red chilies fried in oil.

What distinguishes one noodle shop's Khao Soy from another's is mostly the flavor of the curry broth. The best ones successfully blend roasted dried spices, reminiscent of those used in Indian cooking, with fresh herbs.

Ironically, this stunning dish, that combines such an extravaganza of tastes and textures into a single one dish meal, has for years been presented to the public as a ‘cheap lunchtime meal’ and because of this, falls well short of its full potential.

Quite simply, roadside vendors, seeing it perhaps as only a popular curry and noodle dish have in the main, prepared it using cheap and/or low quality ingredients. They have then reduced the portion size year by year, to keep production costs and therefore sales price down. They have had to do so to match the ever-shrinking budget of their mainstream client, the ‘street food’ diner.

Hotel and restaurant operators, have either declined to serve it because of its ‘street food’ status, or have failed to prepare, present and market it in a way that shows it at its best.

Shane and Sriphan Beary of Track of the Tiger, and Maekok River Village Resort opened their new restaurant venture in Chiang Mai, ‘Just Khao Soy’ on Charoenphratet Road, because they believed that this delightful dish had huge potential. As they explain it, they felt it had lain quietly undiscovered by the gourmet, amateur or professional.

That like a work of art, camouflaged by its crusted, and chipped exterior, hidden in the dark corner of someone's attic, it begged to be rediscovered.They set about the restoration project, bearing in mind that the taste of the curry base was of paramount importance.

First they restored the dish to its original taste by using only the finest ingredients, in making the vegetarian curry base to a much earlier, simpler recipe.

Then choosing only the finest cuts of meat, they set the precedent that all the meat should be marinated for 12 hours before use. Carefully selecting and preparing the other ingredients, everything was put together in a spotless kitchen, in accordance with the highest standards of hygiene.

Then they considered the presentation.

As food is an art form, presentation is important, and they wanted to encourage the diner to create his or her own, culinary masterpiece.

For these reasons they chose to serve the meal on an artist’s palette, with the numerous condiments arrayed in custom designed ceramic dishes around the main deep-bellied noodle bowl.

Amongst lovers of khao soy there is always great debate about the ‘ideal’ consistency and thickness of the curry base.

The ‘Just Khao Soy’ older recipe version of the curry base allows that the two ingredients that dictate how thick, or how spicy the curry base (coconut milk and a chili, oil, and shallot paste) are actually served as condiments.

This combined with the fact that the diner can choose between mild, medium or spicy versions of the curry base when ordering, means that for the first time, the gourmets may ‘design’ their curry base to suit their own fastidious tastes.

Combining the ‘artist palette’ style presentation with a menu / placemat ‘Just Khao Soy’ has hit on the perfect formula allowing them to introduce the uninitiated visitor into the ‘art’ of eating khao soy.

First, in reading the menu / placemat set before you on the table, you are invited to choose between 3 different main ingredient options, chicken, beef or vegetarian. The chicken is all free range and grain fed either: