I woke up early on a Saturday to make it to Bonifacio Global City by noon for Spanky Enriquez’s birthday celebration and the Kain Tulog Gang’s Christmas party. The event was hosted by Gwen Jacinto-Carino at Mango Tree.
With a good number of food bloggers and Instagrammers present, it was the perfect time to introduce Mango Tree’s Holiday Selection.
Fried Seabass with Tamarind Sauce (P1,150), Garden Salad in Som Tum Sauce with Chicken Wings (P380), Homok Seafood Curry in Coconut (P950), Wang Bean with Fried Onion (P320), and Sweet Potato Custard (P300).
Fried Seabass with Tamarind Sauce – Fried seabass topped with pineapple and cherry tomatoes mixed with tamarind sauce
Garden Salad in Som Tum Sauce with Chicken Wings – Mixed vegetables drizzled with ‘som tum’ dressing, a blend of dried shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime and palm sugar for a balance of sweet and sour goodness. Served with crispy chicken wings on the side for added texture.
Homok Seafood Curry in Coconut – Mixed seafood in creamy red curry sauce served on a coconut shell.
Sweet Potato Custard (sweet potato blended with coconut cream for a light sweet flavor and soft texture) and Wang Bean with Fried Onion (taro custard with coconut topped with fried red onions).
All five items will be available starting December 15.
“Every holiday season, we try to come up with dishes that would be interesting and new for our customers,” explained the head of Mango Tree’s Marketing Department, Ida Tan Schneider.
The holiday line-up is a collaboration between Mango Tree Bangkok and the Thai chefs based in the Manila branch, Chefs Pra Pun Sangpumpong and Banchong Singthis.
The unanimous favorite at our table was the Homok Seafood Curry in Coconut. On my next visit, I will have that and the Grilled Honey Spareribs, a menu mainstay. And I will order lots and lots of rice!
The custard-onion combination in the dessert may strike you as odd but hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Those who – like me – struggle with even the slightest level of spice, fear not, all the holiday dishes do not require chili tolerance.
We also had Tom Yum Soup, Chicken Satay, and Shrimp Cakes, which are all part of their regular menu, like the Grilled Honey Spareribs.
Deep-fried Shrimp Cakes with Sweet Chili Sauce
Grilled Honey Spareribs
I was really looking forward to this lunch because it’s been awhile since I last dined at the restaurant. I just learned that the Mango Tree I used to frequent in Trinoma is Mango Tree Bistro. It’s different from Mango Tree in BGC. The Bistro branches (there’s also one in Greenbelt 3) are more casual and serve less dishes. They don’t carry the Grilled Lamb Chops, Tom Yum Soup with Rock Lobster, Fisherman’s Curry Platter and other items with premium ingredients.
The 210-seater (180 on the ground floor, 30 upstairs) Mango Tree in BGC, with its high ceiling and couches feels spacious, airy, and comfortable – perfect for a long meal and walks down memory lane. The titos and titas in the group had a blast talking about partying in the 90s. I will not get into details because before going our separate ways, I was reminded that “what happens in Mango Tree stays in Mango Tree”. LOL!
Mango Tree can seat a total of 210 persons.
But the food in Mango Tree does not necessarily have to stay in Mango Tree. While the restaurant can accommodate big groups and can close the venue for exclusive use, they also do catering. So if you’d rather enjoy their authentic Thai dishes in your home or office, that can be arranged. They can cater to groups as small as 30 persons. To know more, look for Nerissa Mijares when you call to inquire. She is the Assistant Marketing Manager and the one in charge of banquets.
Mango Tree is a franchise from Bangkok, it has been in Manila for six years. They also have branches in Dubai, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
Other brands under the same local umbrella are Genki Sushi and Cocina Peruvia.
Mango Tree Manila is located at 7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig. For inquiries and reservations, ring them at +63 2 6213233 / +63 2 2172367 / +63 917 5349145.
For more mouth-watering photos, check out the Instagram accounts of new friends I made, my tablemates @eater.ph, @foodgrammer.ph and @yourfoodtographer.
