Thai restaurants are now all over Metro Manila where everyone claims of serving the most authentic Thai gastronomy. Recently, another restaurant opened in The Fort with the aim of offering a different way of enjoying Thai cuisines. Silk Road Thai Bistro brings classic Thai recipes that were perfectly blended with their market’s palate.
The moment you enter the place, you will immediately feel the great ambiance of the restaurant: soft light and music on the background. They want the restaurant to be the finest place to offer Thai cuisines in Manila so they designed it that way. Aside from that, they also ensure that food to be served are still affordable and worth for the price.
We were offered drinks right away, so I ordered a Thai Milk Tea. The milk tea that has the right amount of sweetness was served with a Thailand purple orchid. While waiting for others, I went over their menu and found out that it was divided on parts: Soup | Starter | Salad | Curries | Fried, Stir Fried and More | Vegetables | Noodles | Rice | Something Sweet.
To begin the sumptuous meal were the four starters served: Mieng Kham, Salmon Cone, Son-in-Law Eggs, and Thai Ravioli. Mieng Kham, a traditional appetizer in Thailand, is actually a filling of some spices and a shrimp with a sauce wrapped in a fresh and crispy leaf. Salmon Cone is salmon cubes infused with lemongrass, lime and herbs and filled in ice cream cones.
We also found out from the owner that the Son-in-Law Eggs is also a traditional dish being cooked by Thai mothers for their soon-to-be-son-in-laws. It is slightly deep-fried eggs drizzled with a sweet sauce. Highlight of the starters was the Thai Ravioli which is a must have as per their menu. The sesame beef and shitake mushroom wrapped in freshly made steamed rice paper really blended well with the vinegar.
For the noodle, their version of the famous noodle dish of Thailand was served, Pad Thai. The food presentation was really astounding as the stir-fried rice noodles, pork, shrimps, egg and bean sprouts was hemmed in a cheese net garnished with crushed peanuts on the side.
It was then followed by the Lamb Shank Massaman, Siamese Pork Ribs, Chicken Basil and Crispy Tilapia. I was puzzled at first with the Lamb Shank Massaman since it is under the curry section. The shank was delicately cooked for 8 hours and served with crispy noodles and sweet potato chips and shallots. I was expecting it to be spicy because of the color of the sauce but I was wrong. The meat was so tender but the taste was a bit sour.
Chicken Basil is minced chicken, string beans, basil and fried egg. Dish was good with the spices used savored and mixed well the ingredients. I like the taste of their Crispy Tilapia which was properly seasoned with the puree wasn’t too sweet. I felt though that the dish is comparable to Filipino’s Sweet and Sour Tilapia. Siamese Pork Ribs is grilled cinnamon caramel pork ribs which I have nothing to say about its tenderness and the way the cinnamon and the caramel blended with the meat, it’s just that I’m not a fan of sweet pork recipes.
Last were the Thai desserts: Sticky Rice with Mango, Takoh Thai and their homemade Coconut Ice Cream. The Sticky Rice with Mango was superb that I wanted to have another order. The rice has exact stickiness and the milk that comes with it will make the ripe mangoes melt in your mouth. The Takoh Thai which were served in teacups were small tapioca pearls covered with coconut custard. The homemade Coconut Ice Cream was great but it has an aftertaste that seems to be toasted dried coconut meat or sesame seeds.
If you’ll notice, the consistent garnish on all the food sampled is the cilantro (coriander leaves) known as wansoy, a common ingredient in Thai food. I don’t like the leaf so much but I love how they incorporate it to all their dishes because it really adds a certain flavor on the food. For the plating and presentation, every dish is a work of art. Overall, the dining experience was really great: ambiance was very soothing, prices were affordable, food were delicious and lastly, the staff were very accommodating and always willing to assist you.
SILK ROAD Thai Bistro
Net Quad Corporate Center, Shop H
4th Ave. cor 31st St. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Mobile No.: 0923-4218294
Email: silkroadglobalcity@yahoo.com
