spring rolls – 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.

Fuss-free Chinoy dinner at home, thanks to North Park Noodles, Cainta

This year’s Valentine’s Day dinner at home was easy and fuss-free, thanks to a nearby branch of North Park Noodles.

That Friday came at the end of a very busy work week and I was in no mood to worry about elaborate food preparation.

Well, technology came to the rescue. At that time, North Park Noodles offered a special Sama-Sama Bundle – a combination of dishes good for sharing available at a discount – to orders made through GrabFood.

For the past twenty-five years, North Park has been serving freshly cooked Chinoy comfort food – Pinoy takes on popular Chinese dishes – to its clientele.

For only Php888 (+Php45 delivery fee), the fam and I were able to feast on some of its best-sellers which included:

Yang Chow Fried Rice. A mainstay in many Chinese meals, this fried rice is made with white rice, char siu barbecued pork, shrimp, green peas, green onion, and eggs, which all come together to make for a filling rice dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork. Made with marinated pork pieces lightly covered in cornstarch, deep-fried to a golden brown then doused with a sweet-sour sauce.

Shanghai Rolls. The lumpiang shanghai we all know and love, served in bite-size pieces with a sweet chili sauce.

China Chicken. A half-serving of the simple Chinese-style fried chicken with crispy skin and tender meat.

All of these dishes – though Chinese in origin – feature familiar flavors that that we grew up with.

The fam’s Valentine’s Day dinner at home may be lacking in polish and pizzazz, but it allowed me to spend more time talking and bonding with the people I love.

This North Park branch is located at SM Hypermarket Cainta, Felix Avenue, Barangay Santo Domingo, Cainta, Rizal.

North Park Noodles delivers through its delivery hotline +63 2 87373737, through its website, and through GrabFood.

Download the Grab App on the App Store or Google Play. Get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.

Other branches in the metro are located at:

Pasig: The Strip Commercial Complex Ortigas
Mandaluyong: Greenfield District
Quezon City: SM Hypermarket Cubao, Tomas Morato, G. Araneta Avenue, Trinoma Mall, Banawe, Tandang Sora, Ayala Fairview Terraces, Eton Centris
Taguig: Market! Market!, SM Hypermarket FTI
San Juan: P. Guevarra Street (opposite Petron)
Makati: Makati corner Kalayaan Avenue, Glorietta 3, Salcedo Village, Legaspi Village, SM Hypermarket Market
Paranaque: SM City Bicutan, ASEANA Square
Manila: Manila Ocean Park
Pasay: Mall of Asia Arena Parking Building
Valenzuela: South Supermarket
Alabang: Alabang Town Center, South Supermarket
Muntinlupa: SM Center Muntinlupa

Check out my reviews of other Asian restaurants:

Zomato Tagaytay Food Crawl Second Stop: Lime and Basil Thai Restaurant

The second stop of our Zomato Food Crawl was held at the Lime and Basil Thai Restaurant, tucked away along Sicat Road in a residential area off the Aguinaldo Highway on the way to Mountain Ridge.

Surprisingly, despite the location and the rainy weather, it was still filled with families who want to enjoy a more exotic cuisine for lunch.

Its grounds are surrounded with greenery and garden decor with an Asian, Zen-like feel. Sadly, due to the rains, we were not able to dine outside (but we did hold our flat-lays there, though). It would have been quite enjoyable to feast on the Thai dishes while enjoying the refreshing Tagaytay breeze.

The resto’s interiors also has a distinctive Asian decor, from the bric-a-bracs that line the walls, the proliferation of indoor greenery, and the colorful accessories that accent the place.

Some items in one of the inner rooms are also for sale. These include small mortar and pestle sets, decorative jars, local raw wild honey and more.

Thai cuisine is characterized by the intricate balance of five flavors: sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy. An emphasis is placed on the strong aromatic elements and a spicy edge. These flavors came into play with the dishes served to our group which included:

Fresh Spring Rolls (Php270). Rolled herbs, carrots, cabbage, tofu and noodles topped with a sweet chile relish. A hit for those who want to eat something light, fresh and healthy!

Tom Yum Goong (Php410). The dish’s name translates to “lemongrass shrimp soup.” It is a hot and sour soup with large shrimps. It is reminiscent of the Pinoy sinigang but with more complex flavors owing to the herbs and chilis mixed in.

Lime and Basil Salad (Php340). The resto’s namesake salad contains fried egg, basil, lettuce, peanuts and shallots lightly doused with a sour tamaring dressing. I find it a good palate cleanser after tasting the more flavorful dishes.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews (Php380). Sauteed bits of chicken cooked with cashew nuts in a salty sweet sauce.

Kao Pad Saparod (Php360). Fried rice served in a bowl made of pineapple which adds some sweetness to the salty rice.

Pad Thai (Php350). A sweet-savory noodle dish, most commonly served as street food in Thailand.

Kaeng Deng Kha Moo (Php770). The Thai version of the Pinoy Crispy Pata with a red curry sauce. The crackling skin was very crispy while the meat was quite tender. It went well with the pineapple rice.

Kao Neiw Mamaung (Php220). A beautifully presented dish, it consists of glutinous rice, coconut milk and luscious slivers of ripe mango. It is doused with condensed milk for some added sweetness.

Thai Iced Team (Php110). What Thai meal is complete without its signature iced tea? This refreshing beverage is made from strongly-brewed tea with some additional spices and sweetened with sugar and condensed milk.

The dishes were tasty and well-presented, quite excellent representatives of Thai cuisine. These will help in broadening the horizons of the Filipino palate.

Lime and Basil Thai Restaurant is located at 9104 J. Rizal Street, Barangay Sicat, Tagaytay. It is open weekends from 11am to 9pm and weekends from 10am to 10pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 915 627 6393.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.