Authentic Thai food from Bangkok comes to Manila
It’s a common misconception among Filipinos that only people who love spicy food enjoy Thai dishes. But did you know, for instance, that a Thai curry noodle dish presents different flavors—not just from chilies—that are in perfect harmony?
“The secret to cooking Thai food is balancing spicy, sour, sweet, and salty flavors,” says Monnipa “Ying” Rungthong, chef de cuisine of Thiptara at The Peninsula Bangkok and a visiting chef at The Peninsula Manila.
Perfectly demonstrating this fact is Som Tam, a green papaya salad. With the first forkful, the spicy base assaults your taste buds. It’s the bird’s eye chili at work. But then, as you go along, you discover the slight sweetness of the palm sugar; then the saltiness of the fish sauce and finally, the sourness of the lime juice. All these flavors come to the fore with just one bite. Imagine the flavorful explosion after a few more!
Like Filipino cuisine, Thai food likes to involve all your taste buds. It is a gustatory celebration not to be missed.
Spices at The Peninsula Manila recently invited chef Ying as guest chef, to put her stamp of approval on Spices’ genuine Thai dishes. As a fitting culmination of her stay, Spices is holding the White Elephant Kingdom Degustation Dinner just for one night tomorrow, May 30.
For this extraordinary meal, chef Ying will present her signature menu of four courses packed with traditional Thai flavors but tweaked with her modern style of cooking.
“When people think of Thai food, they automatically think of Pad Thai or maybe Tom Yang Kung,” says Katsuma Tokitsu, director of Food and Beverage at The Peninsula Manila. “Those are already in the Spices menu. But after chef Ying’s visit, we will include more of her dishes in our menu.”
At the dinner on May 30, expect some exceptional Thai dishes.
Among these is the Pla Tod Yum Mamuang, a crispy sea bass served with a green mango salad. While chef Ying brought over some Thai ingredients, such as Thai fish sauce, she makes use of a few local ingredients, including green mangoes.
The Nua Yang Jim Jeaw impresses with its melt-in-your-mouth grilled beef tenderloin, and its flavors complemented by cherry tomatoes, mint, and chili lime dressing.
A fitting finale to the meal is the Khao Niew Mamuang (mango sticky rice). With her signature touch, chef Ying adds a hint of smokiness to this sweet delight, distinguishing it from the Filipino sweet sticky rice with mango slices.
Accompanying chef Ying’s Thiptara-inspired menu is a selection of handcrafted cocktails and bespoke beverages infused with Thai-inspired flavors.
Following the special dinner, Spices will be including more of chef Ying’s authentic dishes to its menu this June.
“We try not to adjust our Southeast Asian dishes to suit traditional Filipino tastes because we want to be authentic as much as possible,” says Tokitsu.
The White Elephant Kingdom Degustation Dinner at Spices, The Peninsula Manila is set on May 30 at 6 p.m. Prices start at P3,500. For reservations, call +63 8887-2888 loc. 6694, email diningPMN@peninsula.com or visit peninsula.com.