My mom grew up in Thailand. She lived there from age 3 to 21 because my grandfather was an aircraft engineer who got stationed there. As a result, she can speak Thai fluently and she can be quite judgmental when it comes to Thai restaurants. She's based in the States but she comes here once in a while. During those trips, I've taken her to at least three Thai restaurants, none of which impressed her.
Anyhow, we were recently invited to the newly opened Thai Bistro at Robinsons Magnolia. I grabbed the above photo of the interiors from their Facebook Page. A lot of the decors were actually handcarried from Thailand.
We started off with a couple of drinks. We ordered Thai Pearl Milk Tea and Thai Green Tea (P110 each). I found the Thai Pearl Milk Tea a tad too sweet, I liked the Thai Green Tea a lot better. The Thai Green Tea is actually jasmine tea with milk. It's light, milky, and refreshing at the same time.
Then we had Herbed Roti with Spicy Tomato Dip (P190, pictured above). Wow, this has got to be the best roti I've ever tasted. The spicy tomato dip is made with lime so it's zesty at the same time. The roti is also freshly baked and not oily since they don't cook it with butter. I love this dish!
Now this is the roti most of us are used to, Choo Chee Roti (P195, pictured above) which is buttered roti with curry dip. It's also very good since the roti is very chewy.
That evening we got to try a traditional Thai appetizer that I've never seen in other restaurants -- Mieng Kham (P180, pictured above). You roll up the leaf and eat it as a whole. The center has peanuts, chili, shallots, small dried shrimp, and garlic among other ingredients. It's very good!
Then we had salad -- Soft Shell Crab Pomelo (P395, pictured above). Deep fried and battered soft shell crab and fresh pomelo are seasoned with honey roasted chili jam and basil slivers. Delicious!
Then we had Pad Thai (P320, pictured above), one of the more commonly ordered dishes in Thai restaurants. Rice noodles, pork, shrimps, egg, and bean sprouts are all stir-fried together and served with a wedge of lime on the side. So yummy... the noodles are chewy and the overall sweet-savory flavor of the dish is perfect.
The Pad Thai comes with all these optional condiments too.
More appetizers came in the form of Prawn Fresh Rolls (P310, pictured above). Rice noodles and herbs are wrapped in mustard leaves and then topped with a big piece of steamed fresh prawn. It comes with a peanut vinaigrette dip that goes so well with the rolls. I find this reminiscent of Vietnamese cuisine.
Chiang Mai Khao Soi (P295, pictured above) is a noodle dish in that half the noodles are crispy while half are submerged in the chicken curry. Creamy, coconut-y, and slightly spicy, it's a different kind of noodle experience you must try.
Then we had this dish simply called Kha (P260, pictured above). It's actually fish fillet in caramelized ginger chili sauce.
Another outstanding dish was Sala Daeng (P268, pictured above). Lemongrass florets are stuffed with ground chicken and served with sweet chili sauce. It's just... wow... delicious beyond words. You have to slice it open so you can eat up all the chicken inside but the amazing flavor makes the effort worth it!
Moo Op (P270, pictured above), or grilled cinnamon pork belly, was so melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender it just made everyone go Mmmm... gosh, I'm making myself hungry and it's already so late at night while I'm typing up this post. O_o
We also tried Fish Cakes (P285, pictured above) which comes served with peanut vinaigrette on the side. Yummy!
Then there was dessert. We had Sticky Rice with Mango (P210, pictured above). It's a bit like the Filipino suman except that it's not quite as compacted. The slightly sweet rice is complemented perfectly by the fresh ripe mango slices.
Takhoo Thai (P180, pictured above). Chewy tapioca pearls are topped with coconut milk cream. Love how it's both smooth and chewy. It's not overly sweet too. Winner!
I loved my dining experience at Thai Bistro. In fact, I loved it so much I brought my high school friends along a couple of weeks later. Aside from coming up with the restaurant's diverse Thai menu, the owner Chef Cecille also makes everything from the sauces and dips to the sweet sticky things in the Thai Halo Halo from scratch. Everything is just nothing short of amazing.
I really do think this is one Thai restaurant here in Manila that my mom will actually like. :)
Thai Bistro
G/F Robinsons Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. cor. Hemady St.,
New Manila, Quezon City
+639178381696 / +639231003530
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