JM and I rarely go to SM Mall of Asia, maybe because it is too crowded for us. Though, last Saturday we made an exception because we wanted to watch the 2011 Pyromusical Fireworks display. After braving the traffic along Buendia and the unexpected re-routing of traffic near the World Trade Center, we finally reached our destination. After invading some of the racks in the boutiques with my sister tagging along we decided to have a mid-afternoon dinner. Since we are near the activity area, we saw Jatujak. We have seen this restaurant quiet a number of times but it was always that time that we have eaten already. So it was the best time to try it.
Jatujak (pronounced as Chatuchak) is the name of the largest weekend market in Bangkok, Thailand. I’m not a big fan of Thai food but it’s worth a try sometimes. The interior of the restaurant is far from the looks of a weekend market since it looks more modern and I liked it. It is small and cozy. Once you set foot inside, you’ll be welcomed by the smell of tanglad leaves (lemon grass).
For appetizer, we had the Vegetable Spring Rolls (P125 for 5pcs). I like the crispiness of the spring rolls. The sweet chili sauce was not even spicy at all and was more on the sweet side which I liked.
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| They even have different spices! |
We also had Pad Thai Chicken (P175), it looks small inside the plate but we managed to split it for 3 persons. It was my first time to try pad thai and I’m glad that I was not disappointed at all. I like how the nuts add crispiness to the noodles with every bite. Actually the chicken bits are just an added bonus for me because I’ll like the pad thai even without it.
Since we already had veggies and chicken, we decided to get some Pork Sate (P180 for 6 pcs). Sate (or Satay) actually originated in Indonesia and was even considered as their national dish. It was later made popular to other neighboring South East Asian countries. In simpler terms, it is popular in our country as Pork Barbeque (Surprised?).
Since it was burning hot outside, we decided to try the Thai Iced Coffee (Php75) and the Thai Iced Tea (Php85).
From the menu, the Thai Iced Tea looks really yummy. It looks more of a samalamig (Iced sweet drink). Thai Iced Tea is usually made by mixing Thai tea leaves, water, sugar and evaporated milk. Though, after taking my first sip the horror creeps in – it tasted like a leaf! Yep I know it is supposed to taste like that since it is made from TEA leaves and I should not be surprised but since I’m not fond of the taste of leaves I had to give it up. Could you blame me if I thought that the added milk looks yum?
So I had to exchange my Thai Iced Tea with the Thai Iced Coffee of JM. From what I’ve researched Thai coffee is made by mixing strong black coffee with sugar, heavy cream and cardamom. The coffee tasted better but I’m still not satisfied – maybe because it has a leaf in it and I can really taste it.
That was our little Thai food experience. Maybe we could visit Bangkok in the near future to taste some authentic cuisine. How about you, do you like any Thai food?
Some added information on the little bottles of seasoning you'll see per table:
ReplyDeleteJatujak has pickled green peppers (pretty mild), pickled red peppers (quite hot and strong), some sort of chili powder (the Goldilocks spice - just right) and sugar.
:)
Yay! I've been wanting to try Thai foods ever since. 'Di ba super spicy? And sana walang Indian-ish flavor. Haha!
ReplyDeleteHaven't eaten anything Thai. Reading your post makes me want to try other cuisines other than Filipino and Western dishes. I wish I were as adventurous as you are when it comes to food.
ReplyDelete@The Resting Nurse:
ReplyDeleteThere are Thai dishes that are spicy...and there are those that aren't. All of the entrees featured in this post are friendly to tongues that won't tolerate chili.
One example of a tried-and-true Thai dish for the chili lover is tom yum goong - think of it as sinigang na hipon with a distinct Thai kick of chili and lemon grass. Lucky Me's instant noodle version is a pale shadow of the real thing.
@Sheng:
Thanks for the kind words! One of our aims with SFTG was to generate interest in other, less popular cuisines and dishes, so it's nice to know we're hitting that spot.
Naku I love Thai food with tolerable spice (of course). Heheh! sis, I'm not a fan of drinking anything that taste like leaves too :)
ReplyDeleteOh, what a coincidence since I just posted awhile ago about the Chatuchak Market, hehe. :D
ReplyDeleteI did not know there was a restaurant like that in MoA. The pad thai serving is nice. Unfortunately I do not eat Pad thai.
Aww..its such a shame you did not like the Thai Iced Tea. Maybe the iced tea in Jatujak is different because in Thailand, the Thai iced tea did not taste like a leaf. :( It was milky and delicious. I hope there are other Thai restaurants that serve the Thai iced tea like in White Rock. :)
I like some Thai foods but sometimes it is too spicy, hehe.
@Karla:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment!
When I took over Mabie's Thai Iced Tea, I thought it was fine but then I understood why it might be an acquired taste. Maybe we'll just have to visit Thailand for ourselves to see how the real thing tastes.
Jatujak!
ReplyDeleteTheir pad thai and others, mejo for me pero version nila ng Crispy catfish salad, super sarap for me!
You like Thai Food din pala. Apir!