In Memoriam: Thai Bistro

During my last visit to Robinson's Magnolia, I learned that Thai Bistro has closed.

As a lover of Thai food, I'm sad that another Thai restaurant has bit the dust. Posting the food we had there in its memory lol:

Herbed Roti with Spicy Tomato Dip 

Thai Ravioli

Prawn Cakes 

Black Pepper Soft Shell Crabs

Crispy Catfish Salad

Green Chicken Curry

Tom Yum Soup

Pad Thai 

Bagoong Rice

Mango Sticky Rice 

Now for some good news: The owner of Thai Bistro, Chef Cecile, has opened a new Thai restaurant at the Fort called Silk Road! 

Thai Bistro was located at Unit 187 G/F Robinson's Magnolia Town Center cor. Dona Hemady Aurora Blvd. Quezon City. 

Authentic Thai at Basil

I have said it before and I'll say it again:

 I LOVE THAI FOOD!!! 

Which is why I was thrilled that we had dinner at Basil, a lush and uniquely designed Thai restaurant located near White Plains.

Stepping inside Basil transported me to a tropical resort.. its relaxing vibe made it a perfect place to unwind and catch up with old friends.

We ordered a mix of traditional and not so traditional Thai dishes:

Fresh Spring Rolls (220php)

Fresh and light. 

Pomelo Salad (295php)

I love coconut milk so this was a winner for me.

Crispy Fish with Green Mango (325php)

Familiar flavors that hit the spot.

Pad Thai (325php)

Not a fan of Pad Thai in general but friends appreciated Basil's version.

Tom Yum Soup (298php)

Authentic stock with generous serving of seafood.

Thai Bagoong Rice (295php)

I've never had a bad plate of bagoong rice because I just love it so much.

Fish with Three Flavor Sauce (750php)

One of Basil's bestsellers. It's crunchy outside and soft inside with sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. 

Lemongrass Steak (495php)

The only dish I didn't care for. Average steak. 

Pork Ribs with Honey (235php)

Oh-so-tender! Wished the portion was bigger.

Creamy Pork Curry (325php)

Would have preferred if the curry was spicier.

Coconut Ice Cream (95php)

Did I mention that I love everything with coconut milk?

Thai Halo-halo (165php)

I still prefer the Pinoy version.

Mango Sticky Rice (130php)

A Thai meal isn't complete without Mango Sticky Rice. 

Happy that I can add Basil to the short list of authentic Thai restaurants here in the Philippines. 

Basil is located at White Plains Ave cor Katipunan Avenue Ugong Norte, Quezon City. For more information, call 911-4158.

Jatujak at the Food Court

While I haven’t featured a lot of Thai restaurants in this blog, let it be known that I’m a lover of Thai food.

Unfortunately, Thai food is not as popular as American or Japanese cuisine here in the country.

Times are changing though and I will not be surprised if Thai food soon goes mainstream with Tom Yum Thai setting up shop at Mall of Asia’s food court.

Tom Yum Thai is managed by Jatujak, a relatively established Thai restaurant found in SM malls.

Tom Yum Thai has a limited menu offering the essentials of Thai cuisine at affordable price points.



I had lunch at Tom Yum Thai on two separate occasions with contrasting results.

Bagoong Rice (80php)

Everything fell short with this bagoong rice. Rice was needing more bagoong and the few meat pieces were too sweet. This was one big fail and I wasn't satisfied.

Meal of Chicken Curry, Bagoong Rice with Papaya Salad (90php)

Good thing I gave Tom Yum Thai another chance as my second meal was much better. While the bagoong rice is still bland, the red chicken curry has the right consistency and spice level albeit a bit oily. The star of the show though is the papaya salad which has the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spice. Unbelievably good that I am willing to brave the crowds of Mall of Asia just for the salad.

For a quick fix of cheap Thai food at a more comfortable location, head to Tom Yum Thai.

Tom Yum Thai is located at SM Mall of Asia's food court.

Thai Time at Mango Tree

I love Thai food so I didn’t wait long before trying Mango Tree Bistro, a restaurant chain from Thailand which recently opened at Trinoma.

It’s refreshing that this restaurant didn’t have a Thai inspired theme. Décor was modern and hip.

We weren’t feeling too adventurous and mostly ordered Thai staples.

Catfish Salad (280php)

Crunchy and hits the mark.

Chicken Pandan (280php)

Tender and very flavorful. One of their bestsellers.

Shrimp Fried Rice (250php)

Rice is imported from Thailand and it shows. Moist and filling.

Pad Thai (350php)

A dynamic dish. Has a lot of ingredients that made this dish very rich and flavorful.

Beef Curry (380php)

Loved the consistency of the curry. Beef was also very soft.

We also made room for dessert!!!

Sago in Coconut Cream (100php)

Warm dessert which was very comforting to eat.



Sago with Langka in Coconut Milk (150php)

This one’s a winner. Refreshing!

Mango Sticky Rice (150php)

My favorite Thai dessert of all time. Generous portion from Mango Tree.

For a restaurant that just opened, I’m pleased with what Mango Tree Bistro offered. I'm looking forward to bigger and better things to come from this exciting new franchise.

Mango Tree Bistro is located at Space 3030A near Powerbooks Level 3 at Trinoma.