Thai Dara: Bangkok Street Food, Gilmore

That night, there was a lot of fuss that night about where we were eating, I felt like a hearty steak while my sisters argued that they wanted Japanese food, Omakase specifically. We couldn't, in any way, reach a decision, so I told my mum that it's best if she's the one who made the choice. She said she's heard of a small Thai restaurant in Gilmore which is rather pleasant and authentic. I, for one, was never a big fan of Thai food, but since I can't think of any place in particular where I would want to dine, I agreed.*

Dad with the lemongrass iced tea.
HAHA

We all started off with some Lemongrass Iced Tea. It was pleasantly and thoroughly infused with lemongrass leaving just the slightest hum of tea. It was a bit sweet for my taste though.

Pad Thai, Pad Thai, Pad Thai!
Chloe loves Pad Thai.

The Pad Thai had perfectly cooked noodles. It was really nutty and you could obviously taste the hints of tamarind that ultimately gives the dish that depth of flavor. 

Tom Yum with Seafood

The Tom Yum soup was very sour and spicy. Lime and coriander were the things that were prominent in the dish. It was soothing and great, it perfected that balance of elements.

Pork Satay

What would Thai food be without satay, right? We had some pork satay skewers, they were marinaded really well and the peanut sauce that came with it just complimented the tender pieces of pork perfectly.

Yellow. Curry. Rice. It was one of those pungent dishes, but sadly, it lacked that pow in flavor. 

My mum makes a mean pandan chicken. It's one of the dishes that she's really mastered. But this one that we had was different from mum's version. Not necessarily better, but different, in a good way. It had that whole smokey vibe being grilled and the marinade permeated the chook greatly!

If you know me, you know that I love my bagoong.** I love the saltiness and fishiness (almost) of it. This bagoong rice had a medley of toppings on it, but there wasn't enough bagoong. My vote goes to Bagoong Club's bagoong rice. 

My positively favorite dish for that night would be the sassy fish. It's quite the name! It held the perfect balance of flavors, and yet, somehow, the acidity was just radiating in that dish. And the green mangoes.. YUMMO!

Kang Kong

Prawns

Sadly, I didn't get to try the prawns! Cause I get allergies whenever they're not fresh! So I best stay away. Apparently though, they were great!

Thai Halo Halo

Mangoes with Sticky Rice!

As for dessert, there was halo, halo and sticky rice. The halo halo was a Thai version of the Filipino one. Not much to say about that, really. And there was the sticky rice with mangoes. The rice was excellently cooked and it was rich because of the coconut milk that was in it. Pandan also played a role in that dish. It was good, just not as great as what they serve in Chat Thai.

Overall, I think eating in Thai Dara has opened my eyes to Thai food. I kinda love it now, not kidding! I've been having my fair share of Thai food these days, wait for my Chat Thai post! Chat Thai is like Thai Dara on STEROIDS. YUM! The selection is really extensive as well!:)




Thai Dara
Gilmore Avenue Granada St.


* I think it's probably due to the lack of mind-blowing epic Thai food in Manila.


** Cured shrimp paste