HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!
It is that time of the year where my family and I would bond together and celebrate a special occasion. Instead of having dinner in Greenbelt, we decided to try out Spices at The Peninsula Manila.
Spices is a fusion restaurant located on the ground level of The Peninsula Manila. This restaurant specializes in the best of Asian cuisine of six countries - Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai and Filipino. With the food prices ranging from 500 pesos to a high of 1,200 pesos per dish, you can experience Asian cuisine at its finest when dining at Spices. The food we had was excellent.
Asian objects d'art and tempera paintings by Filipino expressionist Ang Kiukok adorn the walls of Spices. Dark lacquered chairs with purple cushions, purple booths with dark brown table tops and a small marble fountain complement the restaurants decor.
The decor of the place is Old World Charm and very well laid out. They used a lot of wood which gave the place a very homey feeling. We were not able to get a reservation at the original dining area of Spices since the place was already booked. We sat in the extension area of Spices. This was the old Tipanan Bar of long ago.
After browsing at their menu... I would like to advice you that when you look through their menu you will notice little chilis beside the name of the dishes... if you are not a lover of hot spicy food -- let the waiter know in advance that you would like your dishes cooked MILD. As a norm --- Spices cook their dishes a bit spicy for the Filipino taste... so be careful when you order . So here was what we ordered :
ROTI CANAI - I found out that there are two ways to make roti canai. The usual way which we all know is to twirl it until the dough becomes a very thin sheet and then folded into a circular shape or to spread out the dough as thinly as possible before being folded. Then the folded dough is grilled with oil. At Spices, their Roti Canai was a flat bread with chicken curry dipping sauce. I liked their roti canai but I think their dipping sauce was not enough.
YAM SOM - O --- This refreshing traditional Thai salad is a rewarding combination of flavors and textures --- pomelo sections bursting with their sweet mellow flavor, lightly coated with a savory and spicy coconut dressing balanced with delicious flavor notes from lime and tamarind, and finished with the crunch of roasted peanuts. Just by examining this dish -- one would think that you can create this right in your own home... However, I would advise you that this dish needs to be consumed immediately after it's tossed.
For our main course... we decided to have it placed at the middle of our table so we can all taste the dishes.
We started out with TOM YUM GOONG -- is probably the most famous of Thai soups and is popular not only in Thailand but in Thai restaurants worldwide. It is a clear, sour soup flavored with fragrant lemon grass, fresh galangal root and kaffir lime leaf. This potent herbal mixture is well known for its medicinal properties. It makes use of shrimp ( which is called GOONG in Thai ) as the main focus of the dish but you may also use firm white-flesh fish. The sweet sour taste of this dish was just perfect.
HANDI PANEER --- this is a creamy Indian vegetarian dish which is made of stir-fried cubed cottage cheese with a yogurt based gravy, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes. Lots of masala and other Indian spices are used to flavor this curry. From the photo I took below --- the dish can be eaten with Naan or rice. In Spices, you do not have to order rice... they serve endless rice servings to go with your dishes.
GAENG KIEW WAN GOONG -- Another very good Thai dish for you to try out... Prawns in green curry, eggplants, kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil and thinly shredded red chili braised in coconut milk. I love the dish but I found it a bit too spicy to my taste.
TANDOORI MURGH --- is the famous chicken dish from the Punjab region of northern India. In the original version, whole chickens are marinated, skewered and quickly roasted in a fiery hot clay oven called a " tandoor " .
HYDRABADI BIRYANI --- Braised lamb with saffron flavored Basmati rice and Ghee. The authentic Hyderabadi Biryani is the king of all Indian Biryani recipes that you will ever savour. It was named after one of the famous Indian cities. If you like traditional Indian rice preparations and particularly biryani dishes, then you are going to love the Hyderabadi Biryani like I did.
I love spices and curries and the Spices restaurant gave everything we are expecting our dishes to be. The taste was authentic and delicious. Spices definitely is a " MUST TRY " for everybody who loves to taste different spices under one roof. I gave Spices a five- star rating !! Spices is simply exquisite!!! Exotic lovely decors , eclectic menu and delicious food, superb service, a relaxing ambiance...
I love SPICES and will definitely be back to taste their other dishes....
SPICES
The Peninsula Manila
Ayala Cor Makati Avenue,
Makati, 1200,
Philippines
Tel. 63-2-810-3456
No comments:
Post a Comment