Many years ago, I had a friend who lived in Thailand but had to go back home when her working contract ended. She loved the culture and the food there that whenever she can she always checks out every place in Manila that offers Thai dishes. I happened to join her in one of the newly-opened restaurant offering Thai cuisine that time. That was actually the first instance I tasted food from Thailand and I did not liked it at all. I couldn't remember what we ate but all I can say is that the taste is too strong for me. Since then I never tried another Thai resto thinking that every establishment that serves this particular cuisine are all the same.
Ever since I learned to travel, I learned to appreciate different cuisines and my taste buds are now able to adjust to different flavors. As a matter of fact, my trip to Vietnam this October is all about pho noodles and to meet a food crawl of a famous Candian blogger who calls herself a professional soup-eater in the streets of Saigon. I had no problem eating noodles many times when I went to Singapore and the fried chicken made by the locals of Malaysia is just too good!
A few days ago, I had a chance to dine at Just Thai, a restaurant in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) that offers authentic Thai cuisines. Though a bit hesitant thinking I might have the same taste of the first Thai resto experience, I still said yes. Do you know what happened? I went home super full. I will definitely eat Thai food again especially at Just Thai.
 |
| At the second floor |
Though the dishes are not the typical ones we eat everyday, the taste is somewhat near to our palates but still exudes of what is in the plate of a typical Thai family . Overall, the food at Just Thai is within the standards of the Filipino tastebud which is everything that is "not so" like "not so spicy" , "not so sour", "not so sweet" et cet. Let me share the dishes we savored:
Main dishes
1. Gaeng Leuang, Php 260
Vegetables and tofu in yellow curry. This is the one I first took a bite because I personally love any dish that has a lot of vegetables. It is tofu in curry sauce together with chopped carrots, string beans, eggplant, bell pepper and my favorite broccoli.
Main dishes
 |
Vegetables and tofu in yellow curry. This is the one I first took a bite because I personally love any dish that has a lot of vegetables. It is tofu in curry sauce together with chopped carrots, string beans, eggplant, bell pepper and my favorite broccoli.
 |
2. Gai Pad Gaprow, Php 290
Stir-fried chicken in basil. This reminds me of our adobo though instead of soy sauce and vinegar, the soup has a nutty sauce. I like how the chicken are cut in a relative small size. It gives enough combination of the rest of what is inside the bowl.
 |
3. Bplah Pla Kru Kratiem, Php 300
Squid with garlic and pepper. This year I turned 30 and I have become careful of what I eat. I prefer eating seafood from the usual red meat so this is a winner for me. One thing I like is the squid meats are thicker and softer. They are not the usual ones I buy in the wet market so I guess the price is just right for the quality.
 |
5. Kung Kratiem, Php 500
Prawns in garlic and pepper. OMG, my all - time favorite prawns! I love this really. I can eat 3 bowls of this.Like the squids, the size of the prawns are way bigger than the usual I buy in the markets so this is definitely a winner for me. The soup very well compliments the prawns. It is sweeter and thicker but still just enough to let you bite more.
 |
6. Pla Rad Prik, Php 430
Crispy fillet of fresh tilapia with your choice of sweet chili or tamarind sauce. This is one of the reason why I love Just Thai, they know how to get close to the stomach of the Filipinos by making a dish of our very own tilapia.
Soup
You know what I was rushing to get to the restaurant from a heavy rain, so I feel really cold when I arrived. The first one I grabbed is their soup. I prefer the Tom Yum (Php 190) which reminds me of our sinigang. Best served while hot in the bowl. The sour blend with all other ingredients defintely took the coldness away from my body. Sorry no photo, I drank it up to the last drop.
 |
The other one I was able to try as well is the Tom Kha Gai (Php 190), it is chicken soup cooked with coconut broth and lemongrass.
 |
Paid Thai (Php 280) is one of Thailand's national dish of stir - fried rice noodles with eggs, tamarind juice, chili, peanuts, coriander and lime.
Khao Krok Kapi (Php 250) is fried rice with shrimp paste, sweet prok and green mangoes.
Eating these are enough for your stomach to go heavy in no time. What I love about these is the combination are just right to not to feel you are just eating a plane rice or a plane noodle. The mango, tamarind, chili and peanuts et c. are there to give a twist to the plane taste.
Also the presentation is really great just that it had to be mixed in order to be eaten.
Desserts
1. Khao Niaow Ma Muang, Php 260
The darling of the table and everyone's favorite! Sweet and Fresh mango slices over sticky rice, then smothered with coconut sauce. I love the presentation, no doubt. Thinking on how to do this design at home. Hmmm...
2. Tha Kho, Php 140
Coconut pudding wrapped in pandan leaves. Actually the first time I saw it I thought we are going to eat a white cheese, no kidding! This is actually very similar to our very own majablanca. 
Drinks
I feel really when I arrived so instead of ordering cold drinks I opted for a camomile tea to warm me up aside from the soup I mentioned. However I would suggest drinking the Thai Iced Coffee, Tamarind Juice and Lemongrass Juice for that authentic drink taste of Thailand. I mean you don't go to a particular place just to drink Coke right? You chose the one that you don't get to taste every day. Just Thai restaurant really know how to adjust to everyone's taste buds. They can cook/prepare the food according to the level of spiciness, the amount of sweetness or sourness of the dish you order... in whatever you want to customize your food so long as it can be done, they will do it. The price is very much affordable. From the menu I see that the most of the rates range from Php100+ 300+, you can already have a hefty serving of any of the main dishes. The ambiance gives you a peek of Thailand too. I love the scent of lemongrass oil in the first floor where there are small statues of monks. I love the design of the lanterns in the second floor. Just Thai has two branches. Here are the addresses:
Bellagio 2, Forbes Town Center
Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
Tel Num: 63024038718
Business hours: 11AM - 2PM then 5PM onwards
Just Thai Alabang
Molito Commercial Complex
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel Num: 6302808.4058
Operation time: 11AM - 2PM th 5:00PM onwards
|
No comments