Nong Hoi is a perfect example of a typical Royal Project, being situated on a 1,400m-high mountain ridge slightly above the Hmong village of the same name. The project grows strawberries and certain temperate fruits and vegetables as well as herbs and aromatic plants such as lavender. An additional form of income comes from the tourists that visit these sites and Nong Hoi is particularly popular with Thai tourists — it doesn’t seem to have cropped up on the farang map yet. Yes, it seems Thais are as inclined to drive a way to see a field of brussel sprouts as many Westerners are to photo a pineapple plantation! You can stroll around the herb, flower and vegetable gardens — check out the myraid butterflies — but there is much more to Nong Hoi
Firstly the view! It’s worth getting to the top of the mountain for the tremendous view alone but also worth it for the awesome and vertiginous restaurant that Mon Cham have constructed right on the ridge line in the centre of the project grounds.
Most products are fresh out of their garden and as well as the usual classics such as fried rice and fried pork with chilli and basil there are some imaginative offerings, such as “UFO eggs” or the dish we sampled, aubergine tempura in spicy black-bean sauce. All are excellently prepared and, with prices from 40 to 100 baht per plate, also reasonably priced. (If you’re not hungry just check out the view with a fruit juice or cold beer.)
The camping part of Mon Cham refers to their “VIP” tents situated just below the ridge line. They go for around 2-3,000 baht a night. The price is a bit steep as is the ridge, but they’d be frequently booked out for weekends and holidays with local tourists anyway. The restaurant can get very busy, particularly at weekends — it is open in the evenings if they have guests staying but otherwise it’s open lunch and afternoon only.