If there is one Thai Restaurant that makes me reminisce my good old days in Bangkok, it must be…read moreMuang Thai. Decorations in Thailand are unique and the restaurant here in Malakas street in Quezon City just makes you feel you are in Bangkok. I like their pad thai. It is similar to that pad thai in Tesco Lotus. It's rich in flavours and it is really oily! the bean sprouts still have the crunch in it and the nuts are sprinkled on top without making tipid on it! Their tom yum is just the tom yum a Thai friend cooked for me: it tastes like the tom yum mix they usually use. hihi. Chicken pandan has the pandan aroma and taste in it. What sets this Thai restaurant apart from any Thai restaurant in Manila is that they sell goodies from Thailand. So, if you miss you favourite tamarind candy or you want that ointment or get some trinkets from Thailand, its almost sure they have it there. Dine and shop and experience Thai flavour!

Banana Leaf restaurant serves a variety of Southeast Asian dishes such as Thai, Malaysian and…read moreSingaporean. There are no dinner plates here; instead, the wait staff will lay fresh banana leaves (hence the name) at each place setting. Servings are definitely good for serving, which makes dining with friends a more satisfying culinary encounter than eating alone. I recommend starting off your meal with some Roti Canai. Roti are warm and chewy pieces of flat thin bread (something like a tortilla except more 'slouchy') that you are meant to tear into pieces for dipping into creamy curry sauce. Follow that up with some pad thai --- this dish will drown your taste buds in an explosion of salty soy sauce and sweet, crunchy peanuts. And if you are feeling the need for some warm soup, you might as well have a pot of Tom Yam Kung; don't snooze or you might find yourself all out of the juicy prawns that lurk underneath the red-orange broth. A word of advice: this is a place for those who love spicy food. Steer clear if you wimp out at the slightest hint of capsaicin.

I've been missing char kway teow, my favorite food in Penang (definitely one of the best places to…read morefood trip!) and I was happy to find it on the menu of Banana Leaf - but would it meet my expectations? I took one bite and immediately I was transported to Penang. I've tasted not-so-good char kway teow in the past, but this one really hit the spot. We paired the char kway teow with roti sans the sauce, and it was perfect to balance the savoriness and richness of the char kway teow. The restaurant ambiance is nice and relaxing, too, and quiet enough to have conversation. My only nitpick is one of the staff, who looked at us with a measuring, scrutinizing gaze. With our backpacks and casual attire, to him we must have looked like students who could not afford the food there. I would have rated this Banana Leaf branch five stars if not for that.

I had just returned from a trip to Thailand, and felt like seeing what Manila had to offer. I got a…read moreMetroDeal for this restaurant, so we went. It's in the Block section of SM City North Edsa, but it does have waiter service and tables. Jatujak's menu seems to be more of Filipino Thai fusion than authentic Thai. The MetroDeal had to be used all at once, so we ended up getting a lot of items on the menu. We got the steamed lapu lapu, crispy pata in red curry, crispy noodles, fried snapper, pad thai, pork spring rolls, glass noodle salad, papaya salad, tofu salad, and catfish salad. I can't say that most of these are straight Thai. They were all pretty good, but most of them were much sweeter than I would have liked, especially the pad thai. I would say that the pad thai was bad. The pork spring rolls were definitely just extra large lumpia shanghai. But i did enjoy the Crispy Pata in Red Curry. The crispy pata was cooked well and the red curry had a touch of heat. Jatujak stood no match for anything in Thailand, but I wouldn't be opposed to eating here.

I really find it weird that there are so few Thai restaurants in Manila. Given how much other…read morecuisines are represented, you'd think that Thai food would be more commonplace. It's sad, really, as I love the interplay of flavors associated with it. One of the bastions of hope in serving up decent Thai food in the Metro is Jatujak. They've been in business for a couple of years already and thankfully haven't shut down their doors. Throughout the years, even at different branches, Jatujak has been consistent in delivering the goods. I usually order the red curry beef. It could be a tad spicier but I guess it is tuned more for the local palate. The chicken pandan is also good, although I find them to be a wee bit small. The pad thai noodles are always cooked al dente and they don't scrimp on the toppings, which is always a good sign.

Best pad thai so far. Very balanced in terms of flavor. Not too much tamarind paste, sourness and…read moresweetness is not that powerful. Also ordered the grilled pork, seafood fried, not sure what the shrimp dish was but they were really generous with the servings. Seafood fried rice had lots of squid and shrimp in it that ordering the shrimp dish made it redundant. The pork was so soft and savory. Classic. Not sure if a chicken dish was ordered but I think we did and it was really great. The pricing and quality of the food will have me go back to this place on top of the authentic pad thai they serve.

One of the best Thai food place in the heart of Marikina City!! Authentic taste, flavorful with…read morejust enough spice to whet your appetite. A must try is the surprisingly good green papaya salad, and the green mango salad with a thai twist did not disappoint. Try also the pork satay, pad thai with shrimps, stir fry kangkong, bagoong rice, the famous Krung Thai fried chicker and sticky rice with mango abd or banana and camote fritters for dessert. There is also a souvenir and knick knack shop and some groceries and a dance hall upstairs. Nice ambience, plenty of parking. I highly recommend this place if you are craving Thai food.

The best Thai restaurant I've been to, so far (based on the many I've been to San Francisco, Los…read moreAngeles, New York City and Manila (sadly, I haven't been to Thailand)! Everything here is delicious! Our server is awesome! I wish there's one in California! The one I could google here in the US is located in Philadelphia (which I'll put on my list, the next time I'm there.

3.5 - decent place but I wouldn't classify it as Thai. Tasted a lot like Filipino food…read more Overall, the flavors were good! Pork belly was tender enough and the dipping sauce added even more flavor. Same thing to be said about the bagoong rice- just good. Due to the saltiness of the entrees, that veggie plate was definitely necessary. Got a complimentary sangria from spending a certain amount. Service was just sub par.

I'm only giving it 3 stars because I haven't tried everything on the menu yet!…read more That being said, Me Love You Long Time is one of the more interesting food spots at the Z. I love the homage to Stanley Kubrick painted on the wall (Full Metal Jacket is one of my favorite films!), and I find myself mentally replaying the scene where The Joker and Rafterman are having afternoon beers while the Vietnamese prostitute saunters over and delivers her now immortalized spiel, to the tune of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'." The only food I've tried on the menu is their Pad Thai (which isn't Vietnamese, BTW), which for less than 150 pesos is an excellent plate of vegetarian pad thai. I prefer my pad thai to balance the umami of patis with lots of citrus and maybe a dab of sweetness. Me Love You Long Time's pad thai has a great recipe for it, and trust that I always make a bee line for MLYLT whenever I'm at the Z Compound (if I'm not lining up for Meshwe instead!).

Won't you satay with me, 'cause you're all I need?…read more I admit I got horribly punny while eating at the al fresco dining area of Me Love You Long Time. It was our anniversary night and we decided to go adventuring along Maginhawa and because of budget constraints, we ended up sourcing food from the different establishments in Malingap's Z Compound. One of these was Me Love You Long Time, and despite my lobster nodding conspiratorially at the name and insisting that it's from Full Metal Jacket, nothing clicked. I stopped caring when the food arrived, though. I had pho ("pho you!" I chuckled, as the waitress glared at me disapprovingly) while my Bicolano lobster had the spicier Thai chicken curry and chicken satay. The food was hot in more ways than one, so I balanced it out with their delicious Thai milk tea (if it's a Thai place, should I just call it milk tea?) We capped off the meal with their highly-recommended (by another Yelp scout, no less) langka ice cream. The owners make it themselves, and it was langka-mazing.

We walked around after baby shopping. Thinking about all the choices in the mall, what shall we…read moreeat? The wife wanted xlb but unfortunately it was closed. Oh well, what's next on the list? None of the restaurants were attractive enough until I told her, let's do Thai. It's been a long while since we sat in to eat. Post covid.... Basil was empty but we have eaten here before and it was never a disappointment. Let us see if anything has changed. First dish was crispy spring roll and two sauces, sweet&sour and garlic chili. 10/10 Second, third and fourth dishes all showed up at the same time. Shrimp paste fried rice (bagoong fried rice), pad thai and bbq pork skewers. Out of all 3, the best were bagoong fried rice and bbq pork skewers. Having some nice suka (vinegar) with the skewers hit the spot! Pad thai was ok but not too crazy about it. The noodles were a bit chewy and my guess is the cook didn't toss and stir it enough. The taste though was spot on. Overall, 8.5/10 As for overall decor, ambiance was nice. Quiet was also a bonus and nobody around due to covid. That's a bonus. 8/10

Basil is one of the top 3 places that immediately come to mind when I'm in the mood for Thai food…read more It's become a sort of family staple, since it's such a short drive from our house, and I can say without exaggerating that the food is excellent. (I would have given it 5 stars if the prices were a bit more student / young adult friendly, and if it were a bit easier to park.) The interiors are very well done. I think the look they're trying to go for is Indochinese nature spa complete with subdued lighting and the ever present smell of incense. They even have a waterfall type fountain that drains into a koi pond. That is beside the point, because you forget all about the ambiance once you start eating. They seem to have perfected the flavor and texture of each dish I've tried. I'm usually not big on spicy food, but lately I've been finding myself craving a lot for their Tom Yum. The broth is just the right mix of creamy sourness and spice. Other favorites are the Crispy Catfish Salad, the Prawns Wrapped in Noodles, the Beef Short Ribs and the Chicken with Cashew. If you're feeling extra sinful, the Sticky Rice with Mango or Thai Halu Halo make good choices for dessert.

Stars for their appetizer spicy eggplant dish and delicious complimentary starter soup!…read more Crispy fried chicken was on the dry side but supposed to be their best selling dish, and my sister swears that last time she had it there--it was amazing. So consistency seems to be an issue so minus stars for that The rice they gave us definitely tasted from the day before, and it was not even fully warm. I'm particular with my rice and would love freshly cooked rice. (I know my rice! Lol) Tofu Kangkong was alright nothing to remember by. I did not like the taste of tofu on this dish. If you love goat, their kaldereta kambing my dad loved! Their single dessert of mango gulaman was approved by all of us. Better than the mango dessert from Savory we had the day before. So it's a must order after a spicy meal. Parking is a hassle since they only really have space for 2 cars to park and they tend to tow around that area. Stars for: service, spicy eggplant appetizer dish (must order!) Kaldereta Kambing and Mango Gulaman Cons: old cold rice, dry inconsistent chicken, blah tofu *Would I come back? I would definitely come back for the eggplant dish! I just hope they work out the consistency in their cooking PS: took a picture of the menu for everyone!

I have travelled to Indonesia several times in the last few years, and I have come to grow fond of…read morethe food and the food culture. I was glad when I ran across Indonyaki a few months back because I would always crave for traditional Indonesian dishes such as satay, nasi goreng, ayam goreng and gado gado. Indonyaki doesn't disappoint with the flavors and the colors of their food, which the owner and chef Rodgie has studied extensively during his job postings as a resort worker in Indonesia and Malaysia. The small street-side diner which is inspired by the traditional Indonesian warung or small family-owned restaurant serves Indonesian favorites that are sold by food carts and peddlers in the streets of Jakarta, Bali and Yogyakarta. The long lines and the crowds that overflow to the curb are indicative of the restaurant's success. They are quite busy most of the time, and it could be a tad difficult to land a seat without waiting a while, but the servers are very prompt with the orders. I particularly enjoy the ayam goreng combo meal, which comes with fried chicken, fried rice, soup and iced tea. I also love the chicken satay doused with Indonesian sticky soy sauce and served with coarse peanut source. Rodgie admits to toning the spice profile down to something that the Filipino palate could readily appreciate, but if you are feeling adventurous, ask for their extra spicy sambal, or chili sauce. My recent favorites include the mie goreng (stir-fried noodles) and the kang kong and tofu stir-fry. The place also sells shawarma, which may be a bit of an identity crisis, a lovable identity crisis at that.

Vietnamese food is a wee bit hard to find in the metro. Among the Asian delicacies that's available…read morein our country, Chinese food is the most common and Thai follows second. Third, Korean (I've been noticing they have been popping all over the metro!). But Vietnamese -- they're not so prevalent in the country. Even Banoi's a little hard to find. This place is located near the office, just a 10 step walk from dela rosa street to Perea . If I ever need a quick fix of pho noodles, I go here. Me and my officemates are very fond of the restaurant -- In fact, It has become one of our favourite spots to have a office lunch out. If you are ever here, don't ever ever forget to order their Cha Gio. It's like our very own lumpia.. but XL in size. The dipping sauce that comes with it won me over. And their curry chicken? Two thumbs up. As for Pho, I always order their Pho ba, their beef noodle soup with herbs and spices. I can't get enough of their sweet savoury broth and tender slices of beef. Yum! Coffee's strong too. I tried it during lunch time and I was awake and alert till late at night. Vietnamese coffee is one the best things about Banoi. :)

First tried Ba Noi's when they first opened at UP Town Center and immediately, I was blown away by…read moretheir delicious take on Vietnamese food. The serving size is good for sharing between three people - even their soups are good for sharing. You can have it split up before serving. I very much recommend the Goi Cuon, a fresh spring roll with shrimp, vermicelli and pork wrapped in rice paper and served with Ba Noi's delicious peanut sauce. Another dish that I really love is the Bo Luc Lac, a stir-fried spiced beef dish served with a side of fried basil; the Vietnamese fried rice; and the Vietnamese iced coffee. I particularly like the Bo Luc Lac and order it every time because the beef is really soft and tender and the taste goes well with the side of fried basil. As well, the Goi Cuon remains a mainstay in my order because I really like how healthy the dish is. That being said, I think every visit at Ba Noi's promises a nutritious and healthy meal that is filling and best enjoyed with family or friends.