The South East Asian region is arguably one of the most diversified region in terms of staple food. One area regard rice as their staple food, the other would be noodles. But the bottom line is, what they have in common is that they love a lot of carbohydrates.

In this edition, we are focusing three dishes that come from the South East Asian Region. One is from Thailand, the other is from an Oriental influence and the other is from the Philippines.

As we normally do, we score each dish with the following criteria:

And with these scores, we based them on the following basis:

So without much further ado, let’s move on with the dishes.

Location: Just Thai

Food: Pad Thai

Sides: Poh Piah Tod (Crisp and Crunchy Spring Rolls)

Drink: None

Crunchy and tasty Spring Roll

Summary:

Intended for sharing, the size looks OK but there is a little bit too much bean sprouts and it looked like it was that stuffed to look large for sharing. The taste is normally OK and should be considered a nod, but not to the point that you would want to come back. The great thing though is that the spring rolls are quite good, which actually saved the day. The Iced Coffee is something that you would want to come back to, as it serves as a refreshing drink at any given time. So in summary, the main dish is so-so, but the sides and drinks are great, so it may warrant another visit, but order another main dish just to be sure.

Verdict:

Location: Lucky Fortune Panda

Food: Lechon Macau Congee

Sides: None

Drink: None

Comfort food at its best

Summary:

The Lechon Macau is overpowering (chewy skin to take note, which is normal for a Lechon Macau) on this dish. Every bite on the meat is tender and the crunchy bits every now and then. With the portion of the Congee and considering its price, there is no reason not to try this once and even for multiple times.

Verdict:

Location: Manong’s Bar and Grill

Food: Garlic Chicken

Sides: None

Drink: None

Worth the serving time just because…

Summary:

Originally intended for sharing, was surprised that all of it was consumed in one sitting. The garlic is overpowering which makes it really nice complementing a cup of plain rice. The dish was served with banana ketchup which makes it a bit off and would rather have a vinegar or soy sauce to somehow neutralize the garlic taste. Also surprisingly, it was not too salty based from the looks of it and the marinade sparingly gives its natural salty taste. It may not be intended for a solo meal, but it is definitely a great meal to try. Apart from being a good taxpayer as an establishment, Manong’s Bar and Grill surely serves great food as well.

Verdict:

So there you have it, our edition of food reviews of some South East Asian dishes. Don’t take our word for it, you just have to try it out for yourself.

Happy Food Adventures!