PINK PANDA MANILA: Southeast Asian Diner in Makati by @ErwanJHeussaff @PinkPandaManila

PINK PANDA is a Southeast Asian Diner created by Erwan Heussaff and the Hatch 22 group, featuring Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Filipino comfort food.

This is my favorite among all the Erwan Heussaff restaurants. It offers nice Asian food execution at a good price.

Check out Pink Panda…

Erwan Heussaff Restaurants:

• HUNGRY HOUND: On Duck Fat Fries, Mr. Delicious’ Bacon, and First Impressions… 
• HATCH 22 Cafe & Bakery: Rockwell Power Breakfast! @hatch22ph
  
• PINK PANDA MANILA: South East Asian Diner in Makati by @ErwanJHeussaff 

Pink Panda is located at Santiago St., corner B. Valdez & Singian Sts. in Makati, fronting A. Venue.

You’ll find it on the ground floor. It serves as the in-house resto of the new Y2 Residence Hotel.

PINK PANDA MENU: A LA CARTE | DRINKS

 The menu is simple, focused on Southeast Asian favorites and a good selection of drinks.

The Pink Panda ambiance plays around with Asian symbols and accents.
 
You can reserve this private chef’s table for special meetings or celebrations…

…or this booth table for big groups.

We ordered most of the bestsellers during our meeting…

NIBBLES & BITES

Wild Vietnamese Rolls (P190 +10% service charge). Rice wrapper/trio of mushrooms/spiced pork/grilled shrimp/pickled jicama.

The fried version was a bit oily. Maybe you can request for the plain rolls to replace the fried ones.

✮ Dimsum and Then Some (P290 +10% service charge). Spicy Shrimp Dumplings/Pork Mushroom Shu mai/Kuchay Shrimp Dumplings/Chili Garlic Ponzu Pago.

The dimsum was yummy, especially for its price. It was also presented very well on a bed of vegetables. The dimsum wrapper though was a little bit thick.

Steamed Hakaw (P150 +10% service charge). Shrimp Dumplings/Green Onions/Sesame Chili Garlic.

The hakaw tastes is good, but the wrapper is thick and chewy.

 

DRINKS

Love this mini-vintage collection of alcoholic drinks.

Pink Panty (P110 +10% service charge).

Pink Panty anyone? 

Elan Isla Negra Sauvignon (P220/glass +10% service charge).

This Chilean wine is refreshingly fruity and a good way to prepare your palate for the meal ahead. 

Elan Isla Negra Syrah (P220/glass +10% service charge).

I didn’t like this red wine, which was a bit bitter and oxidized.

 

SALAD

✮ Mango and Papaya Catfish Salad (P320 +10% service charge). Trio of Mangoes/Green Papaya/Shredded Catfish/Golden Shallots/Chili Lime Dressing.

We all unanimously loved this salad with a good balance of salty, citrusy, and hint of chili flavors. Great presentation of the salad served on banana heart, with a sprayer for the dressing on the side.

You can request the waiters to mix it table-side.

Duo Indo Salad (P290 +10% service charge). Green beans/Soft Tofu/Cabbage/Peanut Sauce/Tropical Fruits/Rujak Dressing.

The execution of this Indonesian seemed off. Not even the waiters could explain what this was.

 

SOUP

 
✮ Vietnamese Pho Sho (P365 +10% service charge). Beef Tendons/Flank/Rice Noodles/ Seafood Balls/Mixed Broth.

The Pho soup was good and best eaten while still hot. Only issue with this are the beef tendons, which were solid as rocks. Wish they had an option to replace them.

✮ Seafood Pho Da Hoe (P365 +10% service charge). White Shrimps/Crabsticks/Squid Balls/Rice Noodles/Shrimp Hakaw/Seafood Broth.

Order this version if you prefer seafood balls and flavors. It’s good to eat after a drinking session.

 

PINK PANDA SPECIALS

B&B (P650 +10% service charge). Wagyu Beef Cubes/Stir Fried Broccoli/Mushrooms.

The Wagyu beef cubes resemble kikiam, which was very oily and not executed well. The meat was a bit salty, too.

Rack of Bones (P380 +10% service charge). Pork Spare Ribs/Tamarind BBQ/Chili Lime Dipping Sauce.

This is another failed execution. It’s more bones than meat and served in an inconveniently small cup.
 
✮ Fad Thai (P270 +10% service charge). Shrimps/Flat Noodles/Stir Fried Vegetables/Chili Tamarind Sauce.

We love the comforting flavors of this Pad Thai, served innovatively on a tin flower pot.

✮ Puncak Chicken Sate (P310 +10% service charge). Chargrilled Chicken Skewers/Roasted Peanut Sauce/Fried Shallots/Pickled Vegetables.

Very flavorful Chicken Sate with a good chunk of chicken meat and a balanced peanut sauce flavor.

Yuzo Honey Chix (P270 +10% service charge). Crispy Chicken Fillet/Yuzu Garlic Honey Sauce/Green Onions/Peanuts.

This has more breading than chicken meat. 🙁 

We had a great mini-P&G Alumni reunion at Pink Panda with RJ & Vanessa, Patrick & Quennie, and my CFO friend, Jessie. 🙂  
 
Overall, PINK PANDA does feel like a Southeast Asian backpacker hangout where you can have a good selection of Southeast Asian dishes and drinks.

It’s a good place to meet and chill with foodie friends after office. It would have been nice if it were a hole-in-the-wall instead of being located inside a hotel.

We recommend the Dimsum and Then Some, Mango and Papaya Catfish Salad, Vietnamese Pho Sho or Seafood Pho Da Hoe, Fad Thai, and Puncak Chicken Sate. Budget is about P600/head.

Let me know if you have any recommendations on what to try next time.

PINK PANDA MANILA
Ground Floor Y2 Residence Hotel
4687 Santiago St. corner B. Valdez & Singian Sts., Makati
Email: pinkpandaph@gmail.com
Mobile: +63 (917) 794-2005
Phone:+632 224-3000 loc 3057
Facebook: The Pink Panda Diner
Twitter: @PinkPandaManila

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

P.S. Will also try out Y2 Residences one of these days…