An Evening in Muang Thai

half serving of pad thai noodles @Muang Thai

Just finished a session of Aikido at the Philippine Heart Center dojo and we were so hungry. We thought of eating in the nearby concessionaires like Jollibee and Chow King but felt we needed something new, something different on our palates. Thus just a few strides behind Philippine Heart Center, along Malakas St. I think, we found a resto, Muang Thai, that looks like a cute house. It's just close to McDonald's (which is currently on renovation) and just right beside Pancake House. They serve authentic Thai cuisine as well as sell embellishments that bear Thai influence like pots and serving bowls as well as other goodies. 

We ordered half binagoongan rice, half pad thai noodles (yes, although not stated in their menu, they do allow you to order just half-a-serving), and grilled pork. We also had house iced tea for their drink.

half serving of binagoongan rice @Muang Thai

grilled pork on a hot plate @Muang Thai

Location: Muang Thai, Malakas St.

Food Ordered: 1/2 Pad Thai Noodles, 1/2 Binagoongan Rice, Grilled Pork, 2 Bottomless Iced Tea

Cost: Total of P508 (Can't give you a breakdown, my apologies)

in my favorite corner spot...

She says...

I loved Pad Thai noodles. The texture of the noodles was just right, 'al dente' perhaps. It was really flavorful and had a certain nutty taste owing to the crushed peanuts that topped the the noodles. The binagoongan rice was just as yummy. It was topped with caramelized pork, strips of green mango, and strips of egg omelet. The different textures and tastes was just perfectly in harmony with each other. The grilled pork on the other hand tasted like any other marinated pork, however, when we poured the sauce over the pork, which was served in a sizzling pan, there was a significant difference in taste, a bit sweet, a bit salty, and truly meaty taste. The iced tea on the other hand was just your normal sweet cold iced tea.

third refill...

What I like about the place on the other hand was its homey feel. It was like an old house with tables and chair made of hard wood (seats were not cushioned). The large water fountain on the side added a relaxing feeing to the total ambience of the place. The people there were pleasant and most of all, they give additional discount to PHC employees!

She rates: Pad Thai: 5/5, Binagoongan Rice: 4.5/5, Grilled pork: 4.5/5, Iced Tea: 3/5, Place: 4/5, Service: 4/5

He says...

I love this place. The food is very compatible with my taste and yet so unique in its own way. The Pad Thai noodles was especially delicious. I cannot recommend it enough. It is one of the most delicious pasta-like food stuff out there, even better than our own pancits.

The Grilled Pork was also delicious if you mix it with their vinegar mix. Without the vinegar it tastes just like an average steak but with it, it becomes the most delicious.

He rates: 5/5 for the food. 3/5 for the iced tea.

Lamb Chops @CIBO

Costello d' Angelo @CIBO

We were in Trinoma to meet an online seller for an item when we landed in CIBO. It had lots of empty chairs, just a perfect setting for closing the deal. We were then so full after having a heavy lunch and some treats as well but since I was going to work that night, we decided to take home an order of their lamb chops---- Costello d’ Angelo. It’s a meal set with lamb chops with grilled zucchini, bell pepper, and tomato sidings and a cup of basmati rice with chopped parsley.

at another angle

Location: CIBO, Trinoma

Food Ordered: Costello d’ Angelo

Price: P420 per set

She says…

The lamb was nicely cooked--- medium well. It retained the rich and flavorful juices. Ithad the right amount of tenderness and was not very difficult to slice. I did not like the taste of the vegetable siding though. It had a charred and sour taste. The rice with parsley was perfect for the chops. Parsley gave it a different twist on the taste and was very aromatic. Basmati rice was just as sweet as expected.

She rates: 4/5

Anne's Laboratory: Rhum Ribs

I saw I pack of short ribs lying around at the fridge for almost a week now thus I though it might be nice to cook something up. I've always like eating ribs as I find the meat really succulent. Just the thought of it makes me hungry. I'm not really sure how but the thought of cooking up rum ribs just stuck to my thoughts in a repetitive rhythms... that is, I just can't stop thinking about it.

So where did I begin? I searched online for recipes of rum ribs but I found them to be really complicated. I also do not have grilling equipment making it impossible to cook up rum ribs as their recipes have shown. So what I did is checked out all the ribs recipes and came up with my own version of rum ribs.

Ingredients:

1kilo short ribs

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup dark rhum

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (439g) pineapple tidbits

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp cornstarch

dash of black pepper

Directions:

1. In large pot, boil ribs in low fire until tender.

2. Mix ketchup, soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, garlic, black pepper, and dark rum. Warm mixture but do not let it boil.

3. Place juice from pineapple tidbits in a bowl. Add in cornstarch and dissolve.

4. Add juice and cornstarch mixture to sauce mixture. Keep on low fire until mixture thickens.

5. Place tendered ribs in a pan. Add in the pineapple tidbits. Cover with sauce mixture.

6. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

She says....

This recipe reminds me of steak we had at Rack's. The sauce turned out to be really spicy hot. It you want a milder flavor, you can lessen the amount of chili sauce you add to the mixture. Happy cooking!

He says...

YUMMY! It is surprisingly similar in taste to my favorite steak house's specialty sauce. Only spicier. The sauce has a very full taste and not watered-down like most that are commercially available. Considering that the sauce itself was handmade by Anne. This is probably Anne's best cooking yet. Time will tell if and when she's gonna be able top this one on her next experiments.

The only problem I had with this dish is the use of Beef (it's the only meat available at that time). There are too much ligaments (the rubbery stuff) between the bones and the meat making it harder to separate the juice bits. Maybe pork would have been better..