I LOVE Thai food. It’s what I always looked forward to whenever I visited Thailand in the past upon the invitation of then Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Philippines marketing representative Dave de Jesus. I joined a number of TAT Philippines’ culinary tours, and Dave did a really good job at promoting Thailand and presenting the myriads of flavors that Thai cuisine had to offer – from its street food to its upscale plated versions in hotels and restaurants.
Even in Manila, I welcome every opportunity to have a really good Thai meal, and so I said yes right away when Edsa Shangri-La Manila’s communications manager Claire Hernandez called to invite me to the press launch of Amazing Thailand, a Thai food festival ongoing at the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, HEAT, until Sunday this week (September 22, 2013). The 10-day food promotion features the rich and diverse flavors of Thai cuisine as presented by Thai guest chefs Thitiya Boonjaras and Vathanyu Toruen.
Together, the two Thai guest chefs lay out a good spread of Thai appetizers, fish, fowl and noodle dishes for HEAT’s lunch and dinner buffets, and the taste is so authentic that diners would feel as if they’re dining right by the Chao Phraya River of Bangkok, Thailand.
During the media launch held Wednesday last week (September 11, 2013), the lunch menu included pass-around selections of Pla Pa Salmon (spicy salmon salad with roasted rice), Thung Tong (minced chicken and sweet corn in crispy bag), Kway Tiao Muan (spicy tuna, shrimp and chicken wrapped in rice paper), and Khao Tang Na Tang (crispy rice with minced shrimp and pork sauce). A salmon lover by nature, my favorite was the Pla Pa Salmon.
After welcome remarks by Edsa Shangri-La Manila’s general manager Patrick Schaub, who revealed that he had actually lived in Thailand for 12 years, and a short opening speech by Minister Thanis Na Songkhla, deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Thailand, everyone was served an Appetizer Sampler Platter consisting of Hoy Shell Takrai (scallop with lemongrass), Krathong Tong (minced chicken and sweet corn in crispy golden cup), Sakoo Sai Moo (steamed tapioca balls with pork filling) and Po Pia Tod (deep-fried vegetable spring roll with plum sauce dip). I cleaned my plate with a chuckle of satisfaction.
The soup course was served next, and it was, just as I expected, Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour soup with shrimp and lemongrass), the signature soup dish in Thai cuisine which everyone loves.
Then the entrées came, served family style per table – Kaeng Phed Ped Yang Kub Arng-Ngoon (curry of roasted duck with grapes), Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan (stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts), Nam Tok Nuea (Thai beef salad), Nam Prik Ong (Northern Thai meat and tomato dip, served with boiled egg wedges, lettuce and carrot sticks), Phad Phak Kana Nam Man Hoy (sautéed kale with oyster sauce, with mushrooms and sliced carrots on the side) and Phad Thai (stir-fried noodles with shrimps) with Khao Ham Mali (steamed Jasmine rice).
Leaning more towards vegetables, seafood and chicken, I had my fill of Phad Thai, kale and chicken, and I was pleasantly full and satisfied, not bloating.
Dessert, my favorite part of the meal, came in the form of Khao Niaow Ma Muang (sticky rice with mango and coconut ice cream). It’s another signature Thai dish that I love, and Edsa Shangri-La’s version was one of the best I’ve tasted. Although it had gata (coconut cream) splashed over the sticky rice and mango slices, my tummy didn’t react violently as it sometimes does – and the coconut ice cream, which was made from scratch by the hotel, was pleasantly refreshing. It was even served over a small piece of coconut biscuit. Exquisite.
So, Thai food lovers out there, you’ve got until Sunday (September 22, 2013) to enjoy HEAT’s Amazing Thailand food spread. You even get a chance to win a two-night stay at a Deluxe River View Room in Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, complete with roundtrip tickets for 2 persons from Manila to Bangkok courtesy of Cebu Pacific.
(Edsa Shangri-La Manila is located at 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City; with telephone number 633-8888. HEAT is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with breakfast from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.)
