flan – Jellybeans in the City

Explosion of colors and flavors at Sala Thai Kitchen, Greenhills

Thai food remains one of the world most popular and influential cuisines in the world. From the humble street food that can be enjoyed in Thailand’s marketplaces to the Thai-inspired dishes served by high profile chefs, Thai food continues to entice, titillate and satisfy the imagination and taste buds of foodies throughout the globe.

Its appeal can be attributed to its wide range of flavors and textures – combining fresh and crisp veggies, bold spices, sweet coconut and earthy savory peanuts. Aside from incorporating many nutritious ingredients and employing mostly healthy cooking methods, Thai food also offers a lot of delicious options for people with dietary restrictions and preferences.

This is why the opening of a new Thai restaurant in one of the metro’s busiest shopping areas is happy news to me and my foodie friends.

Sala Thai Kitchen welcomes its guests with a chill yet elegant vibe which also integrates elements of Thai culture and aesthetics from its backdrop of knick-knacks to its delicately designed tableware.

We immersed ourselves in a delicious flavor journey with these scrumptious dishes:

Starters

Crispy Spring Rolls (Php195). Also known as paw pia tod, these are flavorful rolls made with chopped veggies, ground pork and glass noodles encased in translucent rice paper wrappers then deep-fried to a crispy golden brown and served with chili sauce for dipping.

Pomelo Salad (Php220). Also known as yam som o, this is a bright and fresh mix of green leafy veggies, aromatics and chunks of pomelo tossed in citrusy dressing along with ground peanuts and garnished with mint leaves.

Rice & Noodles

Shrimp & Pineapple Fried Rice (Php370). The Thai put a special spin on fried rice through the use of shrimp, stock, seasonings and pineapple bits. This dish is also as khao pad.

Thidin Pad Thai (Php330). One of Thailand’s most well-known dishes made with stir-fried noodles and chicken bits in a sweet-savory-sour sauce garnished with an omelette, crushed peanuts and cilantro.

Siam Chicken Noodles (Php340). Noodles flavored with a coconut turmeric sauce topped with black pepper chicken.

Meat

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (Php320). Grilled boneless chicken breast marinated in coconut milk and seasonings and served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce.

PatPong Wings (Php320). Crispy fried chicken wings covered with a sweet-and-savory glaze and garnished with chilis, chopped green onions and cilantro.

Beef Green Curry (Php380). Tender strips of beef and eggplant braised in Thai green curry paste and coconut milk. This dish is also known as gaeng keow wan.

Dessert

Creme Flan (Php140). The Thai version of the creme caramel which incorporates coconut cream.

Mango Sticky Rice (Php160). Also known as khao neeo mamuang, this is a popular Thai dessert made with glutinous rice mixed with sweetened coconut milk, topped with slices of fresh mangoes and drizzled with a coconut milk sauce before being garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

Drinks

Thai Milk Tea (Php120). An earthy and nutty take on the milk tea made with strong assam black tea sweetened with condensed milk.

Thai Coffee (Php120). Coffee sweetened with condensed milk and flavored with spices. Available hot or iced.

With these beautifully presented and delectable offerings, you can be sure that your meal at Sala Thai Kitchen is a feast for the senses.

So drop by while you take a break from your shopping spree or make this new restaurant your prime destination for a wonderful flavor journey to Thailand without having to leave the metro.

Sala Thai Kitchen is located at Ground Floor, O Square 2, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan, open daily from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries, reservations and delivery orders, call +63 977 2186165 or +63 919 2836155.

It also delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

To stay updated on its promos and offers, follow Sala Thai Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant where food items were served at no cost to the attendees.

The Jelly List: Father’s Day gift ideas for your foodie dad

They say a dad is a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love.

There’s no doubt that our fathers play a very important role in our lives. With Father’s Day coming in a few days, it’s time to think about what to give our dads as little tokens of our love and appreciation for all they have done and continue to do for us.

This task is even easier if our dads have a great love and regard for good food. Luckily, we have an abundance of great food choices that can be delivered straight to Dad’s doorstep to delight him come Father’s Day.

Let me share with you my top picks:

Pampanga’s Famous Cheesebread from LBS Bakeshop

If Daddy ever tasted Pampanga’s famous cheese bread, I’ll bet that he will be craving for more. As luck would have it, this delicacy is now easily available in the metro. At just Php299 for a box of thirty pieces of cheese bread, he can eat his fill of this yummy pastry from Pampanga’s LBS Bakeshop.

To order, just send a message through Facebook or Viber +63 999 8233340.

New ube flavors from What’s Your Flan?

Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly find a new way to enjoy ube, here comes What’s Your Flan? with two ube flavors to tickle your palate.

Ube, or purple yam, has been a trending food item since early last year, expanding its use from the halayang ube and ube ice cream we grew up with, to new confections and concoctions including ube cakes, ube pandesal, ube donuts and even ube frappes.

Today, I was able to taste two new custard-based desserts flavored by this versatile veggie from What’s Your Flan?

The brainchild of former OFW Princess Rosario, What’s Your Flan started out in 2009 as a home-based business centered on creating leche flan “with a twist.” Today, the company can boast of a myriad flavors of leche flan – including green tea matcha, strawberry with cashew, and more – as well as an expanded lineup of products including ice cream cakes and cheesecakes. (Recently, I was able to check out its Avocado Dalgona Gelato. More on that here.)

This time, What’s Your Flan? took the classic ube and applied it to two delectable flans desserts.

Ube Pandan (Php380). One of the company’s Premium Flantasy Cakes, it combines the flavor of ube and the appetizing aroma of pandan. Surprisingly, Hubby, though not a dessert-lover like me, excitedly dug into this flan as soon as I finished taking pictures. Apparently, it reminded him of the ube bars he enjoyed so much as a kid. (Creating a mental note for Father’s Day, hmm…)

Ube Peruvian Inspired Flan (Php450). Similar to us Pinoys, the people of Peru also have a love affair with sweets which start with their version of the leche flan: the Crema Volteada. This Latin dessert is given some twists through a special process that gives it a smooth and creamy mouthfeel as well as the subtle addition of the ube flavor to its rich milky taste. My daughter #ExhibitA, who is not an avid ube fan, loved how the ube in this dessert is not overpowering.

These flans are best enjoyed chilled, and consumed within five to seven days. (Well, they didn’t last a day in our household.)

With these ube-flavored flan creations, it sure looks like our collective obsession with ube won’t be going away anytime soon!

To get your hands on these ube flan confections and more, send a message to What’s Your Flan on Facebook or Instagram or call +63 916 497 8876.

Interested in starting your own business? What’s Your Flan is accepting applications for resellers and franchisees.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business: