I hate to be so brutal on a first go-around, but this 'Thai' restaurant chain with many branches in Manila, one in Cebu, and one here, could be at least 3 stars, but...
Overcooking, again!
Gross overcooking!
The shrimp appeared to be old to start with, not fresh. And then they cooked the nutrients and texture out of it, with mixed seafood sauce all curdled, and next to tasteless, and you get the picture.
Unless you think you are eating safe food - but it's not much like food after the kitchen's finished with it! - just don't go here. As you can see, part of my ongoing frustration is the over-cooking issue in most of the country. And paying good money - 200-300p/dish - over and over again is just too frustrating, a waste of time and money! A 12 year-old child would do a better job under supervision.
Details?
The red curry fish dish had an uncurdled sauce but the fish batter covered a small pulpy fish mess (whew!), the lumpia was good but overdone, and the mixed seafood stir-fry with horribly curdled 'sauce' had old-looking limp shrimp, soft tasteless squid, and whatever else kind of thrown together in this curdled mess that ... oh, yes, did I say curdled beyond recognition.
The bottled plum sauce for the lumpia tasted good, and the garlic aftertaste was real and quite okay, but brushed my teeth quickly after getting home.
We didn't drink the water as it and the ice were only filtered and could render us helpless with lbm over night.
Presentation was good because we didn't spot the curds at first.
Gotta hurry and finish this review.
Told the young 'manager' about it, but it seems hopeless as in general they're managers in name only, with little power to change things.
We considered refusing to pay for this glop, but we also know that most owners stiff their staff to pay for the bill!
Do we protest too much? Not at all. Took hard work in our careers to afford this mess. For shame, owners, for shame!
Our young server was playing with his cellphone when we were ready to order: when we got the attention of the cashier, she spoke to him after which he dropped his texting/surfing/chatting, and came over.
Ah well, never return, and not ever recommend this place...!
Too bad this kind of thing is normal in this country...
Instead, see if the other 4 Thai restaurants along Diversion between Plazuela and Sambag are any better: Peppy, Sukhumvit, Siam and Nam Prik? It's quite possible that they will be as bad as this pretender in SM City, where almost every other resto seems happy keep them company! read more