For the Love of Thai Food

I love spicy food. That makes me love Thai food. The strong aroma of Thai food is what makes me love it more. 

One of the best Thai restaurants my J and I have tried is Som's Noodle House (I'll do a separate post about it next time). But since it's a little far from our place, we decided to check on Banana Leaf in Greenbelt.

The place was full when we got there but because we were really into Thai food that night, we waited for about 20 minutes to get a table.

At Banana Leaf, you don't eat on a plate. You eat on a banana leaf. Well, I like the idea because it is so Filipino and it adds a relaxed feel to the dining experience.

On our table:

Deep Fried Pandan Chicken (P168)

This is actually an appetizer but we prefer to eat it with rice. Haha! It is not spicy but I like how the pandan leaves keep the chicken soft and juicy. Also, pandan leaves have a sweet aroma which adds flavor to the dish. This should be an easy-to-prepare dish for us Filipinos since pandan leaves grow extremely well in our climate. By the way, this dish comes with a sweet-chili sauce but trust me, the chicken is flavorful enough on its own.

 

Pad Thai (Thai Style) (P188)

There are two kinds of Pad Thai on the menu. The other one is Pad Thai (Banana Leaf Style) which has wider noodles and cooked with mildly sweet sauce. Thai Style is spicy, with noodles similar to spaghetti noodles but flat. It is not as spicy as I expected it to be. I don't know if that's good or not but I am thankful it is not sour. The serving is generous and I especially like the juicy chicken chunks. I also give two thumbs-up for the flexible and solid noodles.

  

Thai Green Curry Chicken with Eggplant and Sweet Basil (P238)

Very flavorful but lacks that spicy kick. I know that green curry has a sweet taste but I am just expecting even a tiny hint of spice. Anyhow, the sauce is really savory and I love spreading it on steamed rice. I can eat that even without the chicken! It's that delicious. Oh, I ate the eggplants! Very succulent. I always love curry with eggplant. There's an added flavor and texture to the dish.

Sweet Sago Soup (P80)

We weren't supposed to have dessert anymore because we were super filled already but out of curiosity (or gluttony), we ordered one. I actually expected the big sago like the ones in the usual sago't gulaman. Instead, this halo-halo-like dessert was served. It is made of crushed ice, peaches and papaya (I think). You can barely see the sago because they are the small and white ones. The dessert is delightfully sweet. The kind of sweetness you get when preparing your own dessert at home. It is cold and refreshing and I finished it until the last drop. I enjoyed chewing on the crushed ice and the sago bits (even if it seems hard to do).

The food at Banana Leaf is really great as testified by the large number of customers. Half of the crowd are foreigners, in fact. The service is fast although our dessert came in late. We already paid for our bill when it was served to us. But I can forgive that since I really enjoyed the food. There are many dishes on the menu that I am excited to try next time. I'll go for the seafood specialties.

Do you like Thai food? What's your favorite Thai dish?

Banana Leaf

2/F Greenbelt 3, 

Ayala Center, Makati City

(02) 729.33.33