Thai Bistro: A Taste of Thailand in Robinsons Magnolia

When I first got a taste of Thai cuisine, I liked it but was worried that I won't be able to immerse in it as much. You see, the beau isn't a fan of it, and I only have very few friends who like it. Even my family isn't too used to the distinct flavors of Thai cuisine yet, but fortunately, I successfully convinced them to try out Thai Bistro in Robinsons Magnolia.

Located in the upper ground floor veranda, Thai Bistro is a one-year old restaurant owned by Chef Cecille Chang who's also behind Thai at Silk and Simply Thai. And like the latter restaurant, Thai Bistro also has a bar area just outside its doors. I'm not sure whether it's functional or not though, as no one was manning it the evening we visited.

Like Chef Cecille's other Thai restaurants, Thai Bistro has been receiving really good reviews since it opened. However, I feel like this new venture is definitely the more popular among its siblings as it really made a buzz in the foodie scene. Anyhow, with positive feedback among fellow foodies, I knew I just had to try it out. That's why when Deal Grocer offered coupons, I didn't even think about it and just went ahead to click buy.

The space at Thai Bistro is pretty intimate and tastefully clad in a beautiful cerulean color with some golds and browns. There are Thai ornaments which add more character to the place too. Anyhow, as much as I wanted to take a photo of the interior, it was quite packed (and it didn't seem right to snap that time), so this shot was all that I can manage.

The Food

Thai Bistro's menu is pretty straight-forward. They have the dishes one will usually find in a Thai restaurant here in the Metro. And while we ordered some tried and tested dishes, we also got a taste of something very new for our palates.

✓ Tom Yum Kung (P145)

To start off our dinner, we first had the Tom Yum Kung which is a hot and sour prawn soup spiked with lemon grass, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, chili peppers, coconut milk and other fragrant herbs. It's pretty good and very comforting, and also reminded me of Simply Thai's tom yum. An important thing to note is its portion size though. We were advised that it's only good for 1 person, and it did come only in a small bowl.

Choo Chee Roti (P195)

Then we had a serving of Choo Chee Roti while waiting for our other orders. It came as a platter of buttered roti with an accompanying curry dip. While we don't normally go gaga for roti, we actually liked this item. The roti itself was enjoyable and the curry dip was flavorful with earthy and a little nutty hint to it. If we were to nitpick though, I guess we would've preferred if the roti were thinner and flakier.

✓ Green Chicken Curry (P325)

After a few minutes, our Green Chicken Curry with basil and eggplant was served. We were asked how spicy we wanted our dish, and we chose to have it moderately hot. When it comes to restaurants serving spicy items, I appreciate it when they give guests the option to choose for hotness level. As for the taste, I really liked how this green chicken curry dish was flavorful and creamy. It was spicy with hints of zesty and refreshing basil and lemongrass, perfect on top of hot steamed rice. Yum!

✓ Kha (P260)

Next, we were served the Kha which is a stir-fried fish fillet dish in caramelized ginger-chili sauce. The fish fillet pieces were first fried before coated with the sauce which made its crunchy skin very enjoyable. The sauce itself was flavorful too, with just the right combination of sweet, savory and a tinge of spice. To be honest, this dish tasted more Chinese than Thai, but we really enjoyed this especially with our fried rice.

Khao Pad (P285)

Our rice for the night was Khao Pad or Thai fried rice which can come with a choice of chicken or pork, together with egg, kaffir and nam pla prik (traditional Thai sauce). If not for the fish sauce and coriander, this rice dish can easily be mistaken as a Chinese fried rice as it tasted very familiar and quite nostalgic, even. It was pretty good though. Our only qualm? Every spoonful is as oily as one can expect from a Chinese restaurant.

Our server forgot that we also ordered these 2 other dishes. Even I forgot about it, actually. But my dad who's very alert noticed that all the dishes above were served in just a few minutes after we placed our orders. So, there's a big chance that these 2 were missed. After calling our server's attention though, these dishes were served in no time.

✓ Mieng Kham (P180)

This 6-piece Mieng Kham is a traditional Thai appetizer with shallots, chili, garlic, ginger, peanuts, shrimp and coriander drenched in a sweet sauce. It's served on top of Betel leaves which Chef Cecille grows in her backyard. Our server even added that the leaves are freshly-picked every morning. Anyhow, this is something very new for us. Wrapping the filling with the leaf and eating everything in one mouthful would really give off an interesting combination of flavors -- savory, spicy and zesty with hints of sweetness from the sauce and minty-bitterness from the leaves.

✓ Pad Thai (P320)

Then our most-awaited item was served, the Pad Thai encased in a beautiful egg net which we found hard to destroy. This plate of sweet, savory, tangy and springy rice noodles with tamarind, lemon juice and fish sauce didn't fail to get all of us digging in. The noodle itself was already very enjoyable. But of course, the eggs, shrimps, beansprouts and crushed peanuts make every forkful all the more foodgasmic. We didn't get to finish everything though, but I found out it tastes even better when reheated! (I know, I'm weird.)

✓ Takhoo Thai (P180)

When it comes to Thai desserts, the Takhoo Thai is definitely my favorite, and I'm glad Thai Bistro's rendition didn't fail to satisfy. This pandan leaf-encased coconut custard topped with a ruby-colored water chestnut have chewy and addicting tapioca pearls at the bottom. It's somehow similar to our local maja blanca (coconut pudding), but better in my opinion. My little sister who got to try this for the first time, got hooked too! We voluntarily gave her 3 pieces while dad and I only had a piece each.

✓ Thai Green Tea (P110) and Mango Shake

As for drinks, I had the Thai Green Tea which tasted almost the same as Simply Thai's Thai milk green tea -- refreshing and creamy with a strong matcha flavor and a tinge of coconut milk. The little sis on the other hand, had a glass of Mango Shake which price I failed to take note of. Sorry. As for the dad, he probably had iced tea.

THE VERDICT

I've always wanted to visit Thai Bistro ever since it opened, and I'm glad I got to finally try it. Every dish we had that night was good, but I think the most memorable selling point for me was their service. Sure, they had a boo-boo when they forgot to serve our Mieng Kham and Pad Thai. However, they were prompt and very courteous to attend to everything we needed. I can't believe they got to serve our first 5 dishes plus drinks in such a short time too. Most of the time we had to wait for 15 minutes or more. But at Thai Bistro, they bring out food every 5 minutes or less! This just shows that they value their guests. So Thai Bistro, we'll be sure to visit again soon!

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4.5/5
Price - 3.5/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Thai Bistro, Robinsons Magnolia
G/F Robinsons Magnolia, Aurora Blvd. cor. Hemady St.,
New Manila, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 703-6910; (0917) 838-1696; (0923) 100-3530
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