Muang Thai Restaurant In Teacher's Village Is Bringing The New Bangkok To The Philippines

Jovi Figueroa

October 1, 2018, 07:38 PM

When we hear Thai cuisine, we are immediately brought back to the rich flavors of curry, the smell of coconut milk, and the lingering sweetness of Thai milk tea. But the thing about Thai cuisine is, like all cuisine, it’s ever changing and evolving—and that’s the thrust of the newly reopened Muang Thai Modern Thai Cuisine Restaurant: to bring home the new and evolving Bangkok food scene.

Muang Thai has been around for years in Teachers Village, but after the boom of food stalls and concept restaurants in the area, the restaurant found itself in the brink of closure. Thankfully, one person found the heart and the courage to try and keep the restaurant from shutting down.

“We’ve been going here for the past 20 years. Ever since I was a kid, we’d eat here, so I was really sad when they told us that they were going to sell the place. So, we decided to take over the restaurant,” says Regina Therese Romero, now the new managing director of the brand new Muang Thai.

Regina Therese Romero, managing director; and Paulo de Leon

And we say brand new because Muang Thai will now not only offer their signature authentic Thai dishes—they will also incorporate more modern dishes, straight from the best restaurants in Bangkok.

Paulo de Leon, who has been helping out since day one and will be in-charge of the overall operations of Muang Thai, says that they’ve scoured and visited all the new places in Bangkok, especially the Michelin-starred restaurants, to get a feel of what kinds of dishes Bangkok is now serving its locals. And more than the traditional Thai dishes that we’re used to, they’re bringing back to the Philippines the “New Bangkok” so to speak—elevated and reinvented dishes, built on the same aromatic and flavorful core of the cuisine.

Metro.Style visits the newly reopened Muang Thai and we give a run-down of our must-try dishes and favorites in the menu.

The Classics

One can’t help but get drawn to classic Thai favorites such as the Tom Yum soup, Pad Thai, and Yum Pla Dook Fu or fried catfish with green mango salad. We reach almost immediately for the fried catfish salad and we weren’t disappointed—the flavors are bursting and the crunch is divine. It’s a Thai classic you won’t go wrong with.

Yum Pla Dook Fu – Fried catfish with green mango salad

Tom Yum Talay – Tom yum soup with charred shrimps, clams, squid, and fish fillet

Must-Try!

Muang Thai has an unbelievable finesse in cooking chicken, probably one of the meats that most restaurants don’t give enough love to. The Chicken Pandan and Satay Gai give great, authentic Thai flavors and are cooked to perfection that the chicken almost melts in your mouth.

Satay Gai – Char-grilled chicken thighs with peanut sauce

Chicken Pandan – Thai pandan-wrapped chicken serviced with homemade soy sesame sauce

We also recommend the Mu Krob or pork belly fried to crispy perfection, paired with the most beautiful curry sauce. Paulo says that most of the veggies and meat are sourced locally to make sure they’re fresh, but the secret behind their curry is the love they put to the spices, which are imported from Thailand.

Pair these with the Khao Kluk Kapi or shrimp paste fried rice and you’re sure to be going home with a smile on your face and a belly full of love.

Mu Krob – Crispy pork belly with a choice of green, red, and panang curry sauce

Modern Favorites

Surprisingly, the more modern dishes are what turned out to be our absolute favorites. Regina and Paulo both share our great love for the Beef Short Ribs, one of the dishes, they say, that you won’t typically find in other Thai restaurants. It’s the dish that we can say will be really worth the trip to Muang Thai. But before you chow down on the beef ribs, make sure to start with the Yum Som-O too, which is a symphony of pomelo, grilled shrimps, and panocha coconut syrup.

Beef Short Ribs – Grilled beef short ribs with sautéed mushrooms, roasted pineapple, and ground roasted toasted rice in massaman curry

Yum Som-O – Pomelo macerated in panocha coconut syrup with char-grilled shrimp, roasted nuts, and fried shrimp heads

Desserts and Drinks

After a hearty meal, clean your palate with a hearty serving of Mango Sticky Rice, served hot. Wash it all down with a light Thai milk tea or their best seller, Lemon + Lemongrass, a bright and citrus drink that’s perfect to wash down the bounty of flavors from your meal.