AUM Vegetarian Restaurant – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Delicious mango smoothies, one with spirulina

With its prime location at Tha Pae Gate, we had passed AUM vegetarian restaurant countless times, but had never really noticed it. The hustle and bustle of the area, with throngs of tourists and touts crowding sidewalks and streets alike, always instills the fight or flight instinct in us.

But on this particular Sunday, we decided to embrace the face that we can, indeed, still be tourists in Chiang Mai. Since Tha Pae Gate marks the eastern edge of the Sunday Walking Street, a 1.5km long market where you can find souvenirs, crafts, textiles, paintings, clothing and tons of street food, we perused the market stalls for birthday gift candidates as we worked our way eastward.

Front Entrance of AUM

Just south of Tha Pae Gate, having not crossed the moat, AUM vegetarian restaurant is rather unassuming amidst the chaotic corner. The menu is definitely intriguing with its wide selection, especially the fusion-style of sushi.

Although the cashew nut sushi caught our eye, we opted to try the sweet pumpkin maki set. We were happily surprised to see that the rice used is the purple Thai variety. With the bright pink of the pickled ginger, the plate was a delicious feast for the eyes as well as our tastebuds!

Thai pumpkin sushi

Ligeia’s meal consisted of most of the sushi (since Mindy’s still acquiring that taste!) and an order of the Chinese dumplings. These, as well as their accompanied Asian-style dipping sauce, were quite delicious. We also liked the fact that the filling had some tofu in it, so Ligeia was able to get some protein.

For Mindy’s main course, she was craving something a bit more Western. In particular, a veggie burger. Finding a city’s best burger suitable for vegans is always ongoing. Sadly, AUM’s attempt is nowhere near that prestigious title. It seemed as though the burger was pre-made and reheated when our order arrived at the kitchen. The bun was way too big, and it seemed as though the world’s largest leaves of lettuce were used to blanket the bottom bun. Even the side order of fries were soft from sitting in a heating way too long. Had the meal been served fresh, like the other dishes we ordered, we’re sure it would have been an extremely different story!

 Have you ever been to AUM? What did you order?