Even the most adventurous eater yearns for the food of home. Here are our experiences in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.
At Phil’s Diner, we found a hearty breakfast, soft food for after dental surgery and recovery food for the days following. There is a nice outdoor area out the back though they were never busy when we visited. Dinner sized portions of mash and gravy aren’t on the menu anywhere, but when I saw that bangers and mash were at Phil’s Diner, I begged Phil to whip up some. Phil especially prepared a dinner-sized portion of mashed potatoes and gravy for the post-surgery Koala.
Phil’s Diner is not gourmet, it’s decent, familiar food. We loved local food but sometimes exotic local food can get too much and you yearn for the food back home. Comfort food can be particularly important after surgery.
Our first breakfast in Chiang Mai was eaten at Phil’s Diner. I loved the look of my Shakshouka eggs (quite similar to my beloved Bus-Stop Eggs) and The Koala was pretty chuffed about his breakfast grill.
The next day, after a brutal, two and a half hour tooth extraction, The Koala needed something akin to mashed potatoes and gravy. Not an easy thing to find in Thailand, but luckily, Phil came to the rescue with a big order of mashed potato and gravy.
Over the next 2 weeks, The Koala spent about 10 hours in the dentist chair.
With so many travelers getting dental work done while visiting Thailand, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to set up post-surgery menu at cafe/restaurants near the dentist. Dental is really good in Thailand and a fraction of the price that it is in other countries.
We searched for foods that were soft, just warm (sufficiently cooled), non-spicy and easy to eat. The Koala got by on soft and liquid food.
Tips for eating after a tooth extraction
- Avoid straws as the suction can aggravate your blood clots. Blood clots are important for healing.
- Make sure food is sufficiently cooled. Room temp is fine.
- Avoid spicy food.
- Avoid frozen food.
Top 10 foods to eat after dental surgery/tooth extraction
- Soup
- Mash potato and gravy
- Shepherd’s pie (or cottage pie)
- Lasagna
- Scrambled eggs
- Risotto or rice porridge
- Yogurt and milk based puddings
- Jelly
- Ice cream
- Fruit smoothie
While The Koala doesn’t look happy in this photo, it’s not an ungrateful expression, it’s a post-surgery expression.
Perfect post-surgery food.
When he was feeling well enough to go out, we visited Phil once again. This Shepherd’s Pie from Phil’s was delicious squishy food.
And because he convinced me that he didn’t mind if I got a burger, I got a chicken burger with chips.
Phil’s Diner
227 Thaphae Rd, Tambon Chanklan, Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bunny Eats Design 
The first photo of mash and gravy wrapped up in little gladwrap pockets cracks me up so much!
Fill your pockets! They’re actually plastic bags and lots of food in Thailand came in bags. Even drinks! The drinks have handles and a straw. I saw drivers hook their drink bag up to their mirror. No need for a cup holder.