Thai-licious

I watched our friend Rob’s show 2 nights ago, Chef To Go, and he was cooking Thai recipes inspiring me to write this post. One of the many things that I have learned through my stay in Manila, and through the influence of my spice-loving man, is to love Thai food. The stylish People’s Palace in Greenbelt is one of my favorite places when I crave for Thai flavors. We usually order Tom Yam soup, Pad Thai, chicken Pandan and a curry, usually red or yellow. My favorite however is the pomelo-shrimp salad; it is often copied yet never matched. I also like the fact that all the food is extremely fresh and MSG-free and the staff is amongst the friendliest and best trained I have encountered. But… yes, there is a “but”… There’s a strong competitor in town. And I don’t mean the often raved about Som’s. Through my numerous hours spent reading various Manila food blogs, I found out about Thai Pad, which has recently been renamed Thai Sticks ‘n Steaks. Don’t expect anything fancy. The setting is extremely simple, the menu far from sophisticated, the ambiance non-existent. But, and here it comes, the food is simply yummy and above that it is a steal. The Tom Yam soup (P 120) beats People Palace’s, the chicken Pandan (P45/piece) and the Pad Thai (P130) too. The curry (P140) is good, but not amazing. I still order the yellow one every time. We have yet to try the other dishes on the menu. But whenever we plan to, we fall back into our old habits and stick with the staples. Unfortunately, Thai Sticks ‘N Steaks can’t match the famous pomelo salad of PP. But who am I too complain? D and I spend around 600 pesos on our dinner. For both of us. With rice. And yes, we eat a lot. Such finds remind me that living abroad has a lot of advantages! Thai dinner for two for 10Euros in Munich or Paris? Impossible!

Thai Sticks ‘N Steaks
G/F Marvin Plaza Bldg.
2153 Pasong Tamo cor V.A. Rufino St.
Makati City
Tel 815-1329

People’s Palace
G/F Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel 729-2888