Som's Thai Food

Location: Mandaluyong City, Makati City

Thai food is one of the things that excite me to no end. I love Pad Thai, I love pandan flavored anything, and ever since I had them at S.R. Thai Katipunan (which unfortunately no longer exists), the longing for similar tasting Bagoong Rice and Seafood Rice has always been at the back of my mind. I know, I know.... I could very well blame this Thai and Indian food fixation with the inner Englishwoman in me. :PI was ecstatic when B first told me about Som's, a cheap Thai eatery near Rockwell. It was exactly as I pictured it too, like a hawker's place with open air seating and cheap looking menu. The owner of the place is a Filipina who had married a Thai national. It's quite a success as everynight, Makati office workers and students filled the place so that parking is always hellish. An added bonus is you can head right over to Rockwell after eating.

My first visit was a long time ago. Recently I had a chance to see the Mandaluyong branch which reportedly had air conditioned seating.

Pad Thai, no doubt, was the order of the day for me. But when I looked at the menu, I wanted to try everything and pad thai was the least exotic sounding of them. We went for Bagoong Rice or Khao Kluk Kapi to share (pictured above). You can see what a surprise it was because it's only for one person. In S.R. Thai, it's served on an elongated plate, with the rice mixed with everything, just like how Chinese fried rice is prepared.

Apprently, this is the usual way of making Bagoong Rice or Shrimp Paste Rice. The shrimp paste is mixed with rice and some fish sauce. Som's rice had a hint of fish sauce, but I thought it could've benefited from more shrimp paste. The salty rice would have been nice with the mango, but as it was, it's just fried rice. The pork reminds me of tapa; sweet with the texture of being cured. The scrambled egg could've come from anyone's kitchen. I wish they made an effort to make it a real omelette, with shallots and all. But most disappointing was the mango which turned out to be ripe. It looks green but it isn't. The grated green mango is supposed to contribute a tangy kick and contrast with the saltiness and fishiness of shrimp paste.

This is Thai iced tea. It's supposedly an orange beverage, but Som's has a weak yellow-brown thing that comes in a recycled bottle. Thai tea is made of, well, Thai tea leaves, evaporated milk, water and sugar. Som's tea is rich with evaporated milk, and very sweet that I had to pour water on my glass to dilute it. Remember to stir before drinking as there is a tendency for the flavor to be concentrated at the bottom.

The beverage is nothing very special. B said the instant Thai tea you can buy in sachets in Bangkok is so much better. He promised to bring home some for me on his trip at the end of this month. :)

The only highlight of the meal was the dessert, Mango and Sticky Rice (Khao Nieow Ma Muang). I like the taste of coconut milk with sticky rice, but I don't get the mango combo. The sticky rice can very well stand on its own. This seems to be the cousin of a local snack, palitaw. The dessert is very heavy because of the coconut milk.

B told me that the original creator of SR Thai is actually in Banawe with a placed called Muang Thai. I always pass it but the dodgy looking place never incited a desire to visit. I must give it a try while B is in Bangkok. It's the next best thing for a non-motoring media like me.

Update: Info above on SR Thai is not factual. See post comment. :)