Chern Chim – Quality Western Food in Udon Thani
If you’re planning on becoming an expat in Udon Thani or have intentions of renting a house or apartment in the area for a long stay then Chern Chim is the place to go for quality western food. Chern Chim Foods in Udon Thani is the ‘King of Cholesterol Sin’ for its top of the range sausages, bacon, fresh and frozen meats, bread, pies, pastries and many other wholesale imported brand foods and alcohol. The ‘Cholesterol Sinner’ is a big time winner among Udon Thani’s expat community and restaurant businesses.
Chern Chim first opened its doors for business at a central location in Udon Thani in May 2009, but last year owners Jon and Dao moved to new premises overlooking the picturesque setting of Udon Thani’s Nong Sim Lake.
Chern Chim is home to big name brands Heinz, Fray Bentos, Branston, Bisto, Crosse & Blackwell, Marmite, Blackthorn, Bulmers and many others. Jon and Dao’s business incorporates a freezer/chiller section, a mini-mart area, a deli/sandwich bar and an alcohol off-licence on the premises.
Chern Chim’s lay-out combines new-fashion and old-fashion with its stylish delicatessen café, modern freezer and chiller section ringing in the new, and as you can see in the photograph below (source Flo), its Arkwrights Emporium mini-mart, themed on BBC TV’s classic comedy series Open All Hours, perfectly fits the old.
I’m sure many of you can remember stammering middle-aged miser and corner shop owner Albert Arkwright (Ronnie Barker) and his young nephew Granville (David Jason) who haphazardly delivered goods on a bicycle in the hit BBC TV series (photo right, source Wikipedia).
Chern Chim’s charming imitation of Arkwrights corner shop has pedal power too.
Small orders in the local area are delivered Granville style on an old bike complete with wire basket and Chern Chim’s delivery staff also don a brown knee-length shop coat just like Albert Arkwrights put-upon overworked nephew. You can also take up a photo-shoot opportunity in the shop by having your picture taken next to life-size cardboard cut-outs of Arkwright and Granville. Absolutely brilliant.
You can enjoy breakfast, brunch and lunch at Chern Chim’s in-house café and take your pick from a menu which includes English breakfast, bacon rolls, cheese on toast, porridge, boneless kippers, Cornish pasties, freshly cut sandwiches, Melton Mowbray pork pies, pizzas, ploughman’s lunch, ice cream, desserts and cakes. Reading that lot is a mouthful in itself.
Freshly ground coffee, tea and soft drinks are served and draught Fosters Lager and Magners Original Irish Cider are available too. Arriving soon (May or June) is draught Speckled Hen Real Ale and Chern Chim sports an outside beer garden, affectionately named ‘The Drunk Buffalo’, which has an impressive view of Nong Sim Lake.
Business is booming at Chern Chim. Aside from providing Udon Thani’s hungry expats with kitchen comforts and supplying many of the city’s bars and restaurants with quality stock, Chern Chim’s mini-bar service has one foot in the door and its other in the elevator of many Udon Thani hotels . It also provides stock to Udon Thani’s airport and hospitals, and plans are afoot to boost business revenue with healthy snack options for school and university canteens.
Chern Chim is stocked chock-a-block with quality imported western food and is ideal for anyone on a long stay in Udon Thani in need of high standard western food. Its delicatessen café and outdoor beer garden are perfect for short stay visitors too, with Nong Sim Lake making it an ideal setting for a snack or meal and a cool refreshing drink. And coming soon there’ll be a few Old Speckled Hens on view too.
Chern Chim
Website: Chern Chim
Address 11/1-2, Nong Sim Lake , Ban Dua, Amphur Muang, Udonthani 41000.
Tel: 042-241138 or 086-0991667 (Eng) 089-8618695 (Thai)
Martyn, trust you to hunt down another farang food venue 😉 I imagine the it’s a bit understandably pricey being imported goods and all? BTW, do you know how many expats there are in and around Udon? Just curious.
Snap – The prices aren’t too bad. They offer many promotions and do very good business in the city which points to their prices being fair.
I think there are about 2,500 expats in and around the city.
Martyn, a lot of expats are fond of eating local, but I don’t aim to live without my western favs. Just yesterday, at Tesco Lotus, I saw they had a new international section with a weird selection on offer. The only mustard they carried was French’s yellow (only good for hot dogs). Boring. I looked around for a suggestion box but there was none.
Open All Hours is great fun. What we need is a Thai version – it’d be brilliant!
Catherine – Having a few western foods in the fridge and cupboard acts as a safety net. A feel good factor. A bit like wearing a thick pair of socks to bed on a very cold night.
Open All Hours would be an appropriate title for Thai restaurants and food stalls. Some never appear to close.
Martyn, I usually have a stock of goodies but the perishables died along with the fridge. Gun-shy, I haven’t topped up to normal yet. I’m still waiting for the fridge to break again (other ‘fixed’ bits are in the process as we speak, so why not?)
Catherine, you appear to be having your own mini Bangkok flood. Let’s hope your kitchen is as worse as it gets water wise this year. Cans of soups and things are always dependable items to stock.