The newest Thai resto in town, Thai Patio, is making quite a buzz in the foodie community. Found in Greenbelt 5, it would surely challenge the supremacy of People’s Palace in the high-end Thai Food category.
Thai Patio is part of the restaurant group of Madison Steak House and Max Brenner. It claims to have outlets in Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Geneva and London already. But I can’t seem to find its presence in these countries online except for the Thai Patio in Hollywood. (Have you heard of Thai Patio outside Manila?)
Overall, the food is worth raving about, maybe except for the small portions. (see Thai Patio Menu 1 | Menu 2)
Calamari with Crispy Garlic Chili (P285+)
Most of the appetizers are good for one person. This calamari was good enough to share (as recommended by the server). It was crispy and the squid was not chewy, which is a sign that it was cooked well. It was not that spicy, so Aidan was able to eat it without any problem.
Green Mango Salad with Soft-shell Crab (P310+)
We recommend that you order this dish. The mango salad had that 4-conflicting taste effect. It was sweet, salty, spicy and sour all at the same time. It was the perfect match for the soft-shell crab. I actually don’t like the idea of eating a whole baby crab disguised in breaded coating. I hate hearing the sound of the bones crushed with each bite. But this one was smoother and more crisp than I expected — just like eating a crispy fish.
The soup was served in a tiny bowl, good for one person only. Even if it was delicious, I won’t order it anymore because of its ridiculous price point.
Traditional Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Prawns (Pad Thai) (P420+)
Sala Thai in Malate was my benchmark for pad thai in Manila. I like Thai Patio’s pad thai because it is as good as the one in Sala Thai. It had a more balanced flavor compared to the cheap Thai alternatives, which are more greasy and sweeter, catering to the Filipino taste. The chili and additional nuts were served on the side with a slice of lemon. It is best to mix them all together for the perfect pad thai experience. A piece of advice, though: make sure to allot a certain portion for your kid beforehand. He/she might not yet appreciate the intense flavor.
Stir-Fried Chicken with Chili and Basil (P280+)
One thing I look for in any Thai restaurant is a good chili dish that would delight Bicolanos like me. And I certainly met my match in this dish. The chicken was stir-fried with sweet soy sauce and chili. The basil neutralized the chili for a while, so I was able to enjoy this until the end. We were originally planning to order the chicken wrapped in pandan but they didn’t have it in the menu.
Red Lamb Curry with Peanut (P450+) with Rice (add P50+)
This is the dish worth raving about. If we had known about it earlier, we would have just ordered this with rice and pad thai. The key was in the sweet curry sauce made of coconut gata, peanuts and a secret mix of herbs. The lamb drumstick was all meat with just a thin coating of fat. Originally, the lamb was served cold inside. They were kind enough to reheat the entire dish. I think the chili was only for presentation purposes. I’m sure you can request to have it served spicier than usual, though.
Mango with Sticky Rice (P195+)
The desserts were ordinary, like this fresh mango with white suman rice.
Cocounut Sundae ala Thai Style (P175+)
The coconut sundae was made of coconut salad, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. You can request to serve it Thai Style, where they would add white suman rice to your cold treat.
Overall, Thai Patio’s food is good. You can even request to make it hotter than usual if you’re into spicier dishes. If you are a group of 3-4 people, I would recommend ordering the Green Mango Salad with Soft-shell Crab, the Pad Thai and the Red Curry Lamb with Rice. Budget P500 per head.
Thai Patio The Joy of Eating
Ground Floor (beside Zuni), Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati
Telephone +632 729-0742. 729-0650
Live an Awesome Life in God’s Grace,
Text by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.
Blog: www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627)
Email: anton@diaz.ph
We dined there last night at around 7pm and the service was dismal. They put up the sign saying they were on “soft opening” but this is hardly an excuse for an unprepared, seemingly untrained staff.
I would dearly like to support restos like this because I love Thai food but the service was very similar to my experience in lower-end eateries in Iloilo City (where I spent Christmas): slow, lots of errors in order-taking, confusion and haphazard serving of dishes.
The appetizers arrived AFTER they served the main dishes. The drinks came AFTER the appetizers and although we emphasized HOT lemongrass tea, they served the cold kind. And I don’t understand why it was so hard for them to serve water (it came at the very last) in spite of us following it up more than three times.
My biggest pet peeve, though, is the way they served us. The servers were all so tentative as if they didn’t know what they were doing. When they laid down the dish they would hold the plate for, I swear, at least 30 seconds before letting it go. I had to swat their hands away so they’d release the plate and we could start digging in. It’s so annoying!
Everyone was moving at such a languid pace I thought I was in Iloilo again.
I’m sorry, but not even the lovely chicken with cashew nuts offset my disappointment.
I’m not too thrilled with these medium to higher priced Thai restaurants cropping up in Makati. Tastewise, they’d be rated at the lower end of the spectrum compared to restaurants in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. We’re not getting the same level of fresh herbs and spices, but we’re paying more for the deficiency. It makes no sense. P400 for a measly bowl of tomyum??? Were those shrimp dipped in gold?
as i was writing my experience, my brother told me that u already posted yours, oh well, galing mo talaga.
my group was not satisfied with the meal here, portions were too small, prices were too high, we even ate at Chariya afterwards to compensate and we were more satisfied there. TO compare this place with peoples palace is like slapping Colin Mackay in the face, i still would go to peoples palace than this place..
http://gourmandtales.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/thai-patio-gre…hai-restaurantthai-patio-greenbelt-5-a-tale-of-two-thai-restaurant/
thanks anton! I just saw their poster in Greenbelt las December 30 hehehe! I plan to try it out soon but they’re a bit pricey (i think they are at par with People’s Palace) hehehe! thanks bro!
feliz ano nuevo!
Anton, this is another example of how different people’s experience at the same restaurant varies so drastically. For me, the best Thai restaurants in Manila are still Benjarong in the Dusit Thani Hotel and Sala Thai in Malate. But I have dined at Thai Patio several times and enjoyed both the food and the service. My only complaint is the steep prices for the size of the servings.
Service definitely needs improvement. I agree that being on “soft opening” is no excuse for mediocrity considering their market positioning. I made a reservation for 5 persons at least three hours before our desired time. Upon arrival, the only table marked reserved was a long table for about 10-12 persons. We were shown to a table/booth that was clearly for 4 persons only. I made my displeasure known, and it was only then that we were led to a suitable table. The food was good, but the experience was marred not only by the poor service, but by the extremely high noise level. Not the place to have a decent conversation.
my wife and i love thai food and i saw this restaurant in greenbelt the last time we went there. thanks for the post anton. i will not try to eat at this place anymore. from your post and the comments from other OAP readers, i don’t think this is worth it. we’ve tried peoples palace as well and we didn’t like it. so far, the best thai restaurants (in terms of taste) we’ve tried are those cheap ones (som’s and an unknown thai restaurant in MOA called chiang mai).
Another reason to avoid eating at GB5 altogether…. all the restaurants there in my opinion are just fluff and air, no substance. If I’m gonna spend my money on food during these hard times I’d rather go to good ol’ Benjarong than pay for a P310 (+ VAT, + Service Charge, + Municipality Tax) on a sad bowl of Tom Yum. Pathetic.
I would have no problem plunking down hard-earned money, even if the food is a bit overpriced as long as the service and ambience merits the price. You’re really paying for the experience of dining in GB5, but it’s DISAPPOINTING how I have gotten sub-par service from Thai Patio.
It really is like service in Iloilo — slow, sub par (because the servers in Iloilo are not trained, of course) and languid, which is excusable in Iloilo, but NOT in Greenbelt 5 MAKATI!
Hi Anton, my boyfriend and I tried Thai Patio after reading your blog and after hearing about it from other people. I guess it’s OKAY…their Dory Curry was perfectly done but the other food we ordered was just…OKAY.
Still think People’s Palace is better — that is if you want to compare it to People’s palace when it comes to high end Thai restos found in Greenbelt.
I finally tried this restaurant last weekend. Having lived in Bangkok before, I must say that the food is close to authentic. However the servings are sooo small!!! Especially the soup, it was really ridiculous. 350 for a small cup. Waiter even said that it’s good for 1 or 2, so we asked it to be split into two bowls. When it came, the soup in each bowl didn’t even reach half of it. I asked if it was really like that and the head waiter said that it was. I would think they would have improved on this after the same feedback from other people in this blog…Sayang….food is delicious but the whole thing just becomes too pricey because of the ridiculously small servings….
Thanks Rocky for the comment! I also notice that they don’t listen to
customer feedback. Sayang talaga…
I am a foodie who travel to thailand frequently. In my opinion Thai Patio’s food is okay. My favorite place for thai food though is Dusit Thani (restaurant, not the hotel) at 2nd Floor of Glorietta, next to Oliver’s Sandwich. The taste is more original than Thai Patio, the food is served fast with friendly price.
Hi, am on the look out for really good thai restos in manila…me and my hubby enjoy eating out when we find our selves overworked and stressed out he..he..would u know if sala thai re opened? We dine there ofter and we were so sad when it closed shop in malate..RUTH
Hindi na po 🙁 Check out Dek A in Makati.