Soi!

Lyn and I went out one weekend and found ourselves in MOA. Nowadays, going out just the two of us is a rare opportunity and it has been a while since we went out just the two of us and without our daughter. Years ago, we make it as a weekend habit to discover new things, trying out new restaurants and staying away from the usual stuff. And this is not an exemption.

But since I am no longer that updated as to what is happening to the food world (as if I was lol), I have no clear idea what to try so, we just scanned the area and look for something new. And in front of us, there's Soi! And our Thai-food lover stomach agreed.

We entered the restaurant with no expectations but of course we're hoping to be satisfied. The place is relatively small, with no more than 10 tables that can seat about four or five persons each but the large mirrors on the wall make the restaurant look bigger. It also help that the surrounding, from floor to ceiling, has a nice touch of earthy colors that gives Soi Fine Thai Cuisine a classy feel.

The staffs were attentive. The moment we sat down, they gave us the menu and handed us a free appetizer of spicy peanuts and chips. The peanuts are big and really spicy! Can you see the chilli on it? Hot.

It didn't take long before our orders came. They first served us Thai Iced Tea (P85.00). I was looking for the herb-y taste, it's there but only as a hint, it maybe overpowered by the milk and the exaggerated amount of ice on it, which after a while, make the drink less like tea but more of a watered milk with a hint of tea.

Thai Iced tea (with abundant supply of shaved ice) P85.00

Next came the Pomelo Salad Vegetarian. The pomelo chunks are a bit bigger to be called bite size, but it is a generous serving. Aside from being juicy, it also smells good. It doesn't have a complicated dressing and presentation as it does not need one. It is a refreshing way to start the meal. I am not really sure of the other ingredients, but this is quite different from other pomelo salad that has shrimp (it is vegetarian lol)

Pomelo Salad Vegetarian (P158)

We were almost finish with the salad when the Pad Thai Chicken and Fried Spring Roll were served. If the pomelo salad serving was enormous, I cannot say the same with the Pad Thai Chicken. It can still be shared by two persons but it has that bitin-look into it.

But one should not be deceived by how it looks. The moment we dug into it, fat and sticky noodles came out and layer of chicken strips underlying it promised a very filling meal. It has an unusual amount (and size) of togue that competes with the noodles as you put them in your mouth. The sticky feel of the noodles and the crunchiness of the togue is quite a surprise. The chicken strips has its own flavor and this part of the meal is the bitin one, as you can count on your fingers its number. A spoonful or two more of peanuts would also be a delight. Other than that, it was a heavy meal but not that extraordinary.

 The Fried Spring roll is different. And not in a good way. Though served nicely in a glass with the dipping sauce on the side, the pleasantry ends after the first bite. I am not saying this is bad, but it can be (it should be) better. The wrapper is thick, the veggies are thin, and we can taste more extenders than meat. Lumpiang shanghai is way better than this.

 Fried Spring Roll (P148)

With the exemption of the spring roll, our first time in Soi Fine Thai Cuisine is a satisfying one. Not the type that deserves a second look in a week's time, but we can eat here again, maybe, in a month's or a year's time.

Soi Fine Thai Cuisine
G/F North Parking Bldg.
Mall of Asia 
Tel. No. 9111584

it's a Thai!

along with Japanese food, Thai food is one of the best chows i've discovered in recent years that made me a convert, and made me realized there are better, way better, choices than those fastfoods that i thought were comfort foods.

my love affair with thai food started when i was first introduced to THE bagoong rice of sukhothai (i miss this restaurant!) and then it flourished when i worked in a restaurant that serves thai-malaysian-curry themed foods and there i met chicken pandan and it was love at first bite! and with tom yam soup? whoa, i was enthralled by its hotness!

i am, in a way, engrossed with trying different thai restaurants which, by the way, should also be affordable (with emphasis on affordable) and this has brought me (and lyn) to Som's (they now have a branch in morato, the reposo branch which we used to frequent is now closed, and we are yet to set foot on the original carinderia somewhere in the Rockwell area) and Jatujak. but not every thai food we've tried were good, some are also not commendable (take sukhothani and oodly's as examples).

one gloomy afternoon, lyn and i craved for something spicy, tired already of glorietta, we trooped to the Mall of Asia and our feet brought us again near the Entertainment Plaza to Jatujak! The attentive staff immediately attend to us and table and the menu came in next.

as lyn was raving about the pomelo salad in somer palace (or was that sommer palace or summer palace in greenbelt 3, i don't know), we tried the restaurant's version of Pomelo Salad with shrimp. it was my first time to try it and it was just a so-so for me and i thought it was very expensive (P220.00) for such an ordinary taste! and the serving was also small, just a few slices of pomelo, TWO pieces of shrimp, dash of shallots (onions) and other spices plus some lettuce and the thai dressing (which i thought was just a viniagrette). i am not going to order this again.

and the tom yam (shrimp) came. this never fails to amaze us. hmm, i think the taste is better compared to the last time we went there and the price (P195.00) is now more expensive as compared to P172 on our previous visit. we ordered medium size and mild hot, and yet our ears were burning! and we love it. hehehe.

the favorite bagoong rice came in next, nay! before it was only P110 and now P146!!! the serving is still good for three, and still has that porkbits and chicharon and the not so strong bagoong (shrimp paste) after taste. the green mango and cucumber also add some chunkiness to it and make the eating enjoyable.

for the first time, we tried ordering Red Curry beef (P245), and even for its mild hotness, this one is hoooot! i am not really a fan of curry but this got a really nice creamy taste (maybe because of the coconut milk) that compliments the beefy taste (hey, it's beef!). this is a good dish, and you need to stir it well before serving/eating as the sauce has this hobby of staying at the bottom. and one more thing (and possibly the only downside), it should be paired with a plain rice and not with bagoong rice, the taste don't really mixed well.

to down what we've eaten and to combat the spiciness, lyn and i got each other lemon mint iced tea at P45 each, and has that herb taste which is different yet cool and refreshing!

the above prices are still subject to a 10% service charge (this is expensive na ha) but a 10% discount (5% for card-users) for SM Advantage card users can offset it, so happily ever after pa rin. :)

our tummies were full and we still have a take out that is good for one more meal!


i love life! :)

side note: all taken with my camera phone so the details may not be that sharp and the colors were on the distorted side, as usual i did not used the flash.