The People's Palace, Greenbelt III, Makati

The funny thing about working in Manila, is that we end up eating food from Thailand, Vietnam , Hong Kong and sometimes Singapore ( toastbox is my current haunt because of the quite awesome fried chicken there and SPAM sandwich ) and we rarely eat local food. Sometimes the pinoy food either can be too expensive ( like Fely J's and Abe [ which we sacked and banned due to hairy pork ] )or they are too streety that may warrant an unnecessary trip to St. Luke's Hospital. Street vendor food is alive and well in Manila.

Chap Fan on the Go.

You will find all this little vans around Makati and various parts of manila selling food for the masses ( its like tau pau in a van ) and i bet it does not cost more than 100 pesos. However, i am not too sure about the cleanliness and never really tried it. Oh, this is picture is taken where i stay right now.

Don't get me wrong though there are some tasty food around, if you do come here, look out for Ineng's barbeque chicken. It is so awesome, i can eat it every day. While other food here did not really capture my attention, i have to say the filipinos make good barbeque. Unfortunately today's post is not about BBQ Chicken. It is about .... Thai food!

I don't see a lot of Thai people here, but Manila has a lot of Thai restaurant that are pretty decent. In Greenbelt itself there are already 3 thai restaurants, i have tried 2 and Glorietta has the Dusit ( which we confused with the hotel at one stage ) People's Palace is in Greenbelt 3 and i call it the Posh Place. Firstly, .... i think i want my house decorate like how it is in People's Palace. Nice ambient lights , lovely dark floor wood.  This place is packed all the time mostly by expatriates. Here is a tip in Manila: if there is a lot of expatriates - normally it is a good place. If otherwise ... meh.

Initially before my MASAS post, i wanted to come to this restaurant but there was a 1/2 hour waiting time for a place. Bleh. However, a second visit, and it was a early visit, the crowd was not there. People's Palace specializes in modern Thai cuisine. But some old favorites are still retained.

My remedy for-flu-and-poor-appetite is the piping hot Tom Yam Goong soup. Goes nicely with rice and if you have a cold, it really makes you feel better. People's Palace's version is slightly sourer and not as spicy as some, but i like this version. Well, truth be told Tom Yam tastes almost similar in any restaurant, it is a question whether it is either sourer or spicier.  Topped with a lot of seafood, this should be something you should order in any Thai restaurant. And top it up with rice :)

On a side note, rice is so important in Philippines, that restaurant even advertises "Unlimited" Rice. I find it amusing, where else in K.L everyone says "1/2 rice please"

Undecided on what veg to eat, i ordered a simple Thai salad with chicken to try. By the way the portions in this place are fairly large as compared to the typical thai places.

This is a Pomelo, Green mango and Chicken salad with a lot of sweet basil. And a lot of keropok or chicharap in tagalog. Pomelo is a popular fruit here in Philippines and here they like the red and sourish kind  Adding to salads give it that kick. This dish will work on a really hot day.

 

Curry is another Thai staple and People's Palace has a good version of Red Duck Curry. A lot of food in Manila, you can specify the heat factor - "very hot, hot or mild".  I remember eating Gising Gising in recipes forgetting to specify the "spiciness" ... felt like those Steven Chow movies after 2-3 bites. Back to the dish, not to sure about the white stuff drizzled on this dish but i think it is coconut milk. The dish is creamy and with a hint of spiciness. The duck tender and not gamey. However as big as the bowl looks... there is not a lot of duck here. And this is the most expensive dish of all 3.  Plenty of veggie though in this dish.

The price though is far from a People's price. The cost of 3 dishes are about PHP900 - 1K.  And that would set you back around RM80-90.  The kinda of place you only come if you 1) want to entertain clients, 2) feel the need to eat luxury and 3) aiya, no other place to eat. It's good to come to such palaces, place once in a while but in the mean time, it is still Ineng's for me.

The People's Palace. 
Greenbelt 3, Greenbelt 1
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines