One Saturday evening, we were done shopping at Shangri-la Plaza so we were looking for something new to try at the new East Wing.   We admittedly wanted to try Spatzle Euro Market Cafe but due to the long waiting line, we decided to try Zao Vietnamese Bistro almost beside it.



Zao Vietnamese Bistro offers a very ambiance.  It was almost intimidating to those on the budget but upon glancing on the menu, the pricing is actually quite reasonable.


Food

Appetizers

♥ Fresh Rolls (215 php)

We really loved the Fresh Rolls.   One order was not enough!  It is rice wrapper with shrimp, pork, noodles, bean sprouts and greens served with yellow bean hoisin sauce. 

Soups

♥ Seafood Pho (275 php)

The Seafood Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup with shrimp, squid, fish balls and vegetables.  It was abundant in sea flavors.  The noodles also have a nice texture.

♥ Beef Pho (265 php)

The Beef Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup with flank beef steak.  The meat was savory and tender.  The soup is bold in meaty goodness.  Everyone loved this! 


Char-Grilled Noodle Bowls

♥ Zao Bowl (295 php)

My favorite for the night is the Zao Bowl.   I was served a bowl filled with spring rolls, char-grilled pork, chicken and beef chunks, bean sprouts, clear noodles, carrots and lettuce.  I was quite new to the concept so I asked the server on how to eat this.  I was told to pour the clear sweet and tangy sauce on it to enjoy.  I did as told.  I know it looks simple but this was surprisingly good!
 
Vegetables

Stir-Fried Vegetables (225 php)

The Stir-Fried Vegetables in oyster sauce reminded me of its Chinese counterpart.  The blend of flavors and crunchiness of the ingredients made this a great dish.

Water Spinach with Tofu (225 php)

The Water Spinach with Tofu is another new dish for me.  It had tofu with mushrooms, scallions and beans.  Mushroom lovers like me will enjoin this!

Desserts

♥ Espresso Gateau De Crepe (195 php)

The Espresso Gateau De Crepe is the most magical Vietnamese dessert I have ever had!  It is made of  20 layers of paper thin crepe filled with vietnamese coffee infused cream.  Words are not enough to try this so better order this for yourself!

Vietnamese Gourmet Hot Coffee

♥ Asian Cappuccino (125 php)

 The Asian Cappuccino is cappuccino with coconut.  My siblings who I consider are genuine coffee lovers are full of praise over this.

♥ Coconut Latte (135 php)

Like the Asian Cappuccino, the Coconut Latte which is vietnamese coffee milk infused coconut is also as magnificent.

Vietnamese Gourmet Cold Coffee

♥ Vietnamese Iced Coffee (135 php)

 The Vietnamese Iced Coffee is served with a  small metal french drip filter with sweet condense milk on the bottom. 

♥ Vietnamese Iced Coffee (135 php)

This are one of the rare moment when I was swooned by Vietnamese Iced Coffee.  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We really enjoyed our Zao Vietnamese Bistro dining experience from appetizer to dessert and even their gourmet coffee.  I'm glad there is such an establishment that offers next level Vietnamese Dining experience in terms of service, variety and quality.  The price is very reasonable too. 

To celebrate my mom's birthday with relatives, we reserved our dinner at Azuthai Restaurant.  Although we haven't tried it yet, we took the risk since it had high ratings on TripAdvisor.com and it was highly recommended to me by foodie friends. 
 
The parking was limited so we're lucky to be early so we still had a slot.  But, not to worry since their guard will aid in finding you one. 

We were welcomed in and ushered to our reservation table as soon as we reached the front door.  They had a more private area with dividers.  Mom was wondering why we weren't assigned there.  Only to find out later that the Marcoses (Imelda Marcos, Imee Marcos and company) would occupy that place for a casual family dinner. 

Complimentary Nuts

 While waiting for our guests, they gave as Complimentary Nuts. 


Food

Appetizer

Tod Man Goong (325 php/5 pcs.)

To start our rather long dinner, we began with the Tod Man Goong.  I'm not usually a fan of fried fritter dishes but this Thai fried shrimp cake was delightful especially with the sweet and spicy dipping sauce.  It was not oily at all but rather it had a thin splendidly crunchy coating and soft and tasty shrimp filling. 

Poh Pia Paksot (195 php)

The Poh Pia Paksot is fresh Thai spring rolls in rice paper with special sauce with peanuts.  Nothing extraordinary about this one but it had some boasting freshness to it. 

Soups

♥ Guio Tiao (345 php)

The servers assisted in serving the big bowl of Guio Tiao into three bowlfuls.   It is actually my first time to try the Guio Tiao.   It is a spicy beef noodle soup with clear rice noodles, star anise, cinnamon, cilantro and bean sprouts.  They gave us a bowl of hot sauce so we could add more spiciness according to our preference.  This is really good!

Tom Yum Poh Tak (345 php)

The Tom Yum Poh Tak is spicy thai seafood soup with seabass, squid, prawns and mushrooms in clear both.  An order is good for three bowlfuls.  We ordered this mild which turned out to be not spicy at all.  It had a slight sweetness and sourness with hint of herbs and spices.  It was a quite soothing to drink. 

Salads

Yam Pla Duk Foo (325 php)

The Yam Pla Duk Foo is crispy catfish shred salad with thin strips of green mango, crushed peanuts, onions, sliced lettuces and mint sprinkled with lime dressing.  The crispy catfish is very very crisp as evident from its darker than golden color.  As not much flavor is derived from the catfish bits, tanginess from the green mangoes and lime dressing is dominating for this dish.

♥ Yam Som O (295 php)

This is one of the best Yam Som O I have tried yet!  The Yam Som O is a sweet pomelo salad with jumbo prawns, chicken bits, toasted coconut in chili lime dressing.  

Vegetables

Gaeng Phet Pak (295 php)

The Gaeng Phet Pak is red vegetable curry mixed with coconut milk with broccoli, cauliflower ,carrots, green and red peppers and young corn.  This is satisfactory but since we also ordered the Massaman Gaeh which had the same red curry, it was outshun by the latter.


Curries

♥ Massaman Gaeh (395 php)

The Massaman Gaeh is the headline of the evening.  Everyone was full of oohs and aahs over this dish!  The massaman lamb in ember red curry mixed with coconut milk is so tender and savory.  The shallots, potatoes and peanuts are complementary to the exemplary lamb meat!

Gaeng Kew Wan Gai (345 php)

The Gaeng Kew Wan Gai is tender chicken cubes in green curry mixed with coconut milk with eggplant slices and basil.  This is not as fiesty as the red curry but it has its own sophisticated flare.

Mains

Gai Ho Bai Toey (325 php/5 pcs.)

The Gai Ho Bai Toey is pandan chicken with sweet soy sauce.  My cute little nephew loved this!  He ate three pieces of this dish in a flash and wouldn't want anything else. 

♥ Gai Kra Prow (325 php)

The Gai Kra Prow is stir-fried minced chicken with hot chili bits, crunchy string beans and crispy basil leaves.  I really loved the festive taste of basil in this dish!

Noodles and Rice

♥ Pad Thai (325 php)

The Pad Thai was served in the most beautiful arrangement as seen on the menu.  Too bad I forgot to snap a shot since we were too excited to cosume this and requested the staff to mix it as soon as it was served.  This is Pad Thai is heavenly!  Although I'm trying to stay away from carbs, I along with everyone else can't help myself from indulging this.

♥ Khao Kapi (325 php)

The Khao Kapi is another popular dish which is the Thai bagoong fried rice.  This one is a bountiful with harmonious ingredients of sweet pork chunks, dried shrimp, scrambled egg, green mango, string beans and shallots.  This earned everyone's approval!

Desserts

♥ Khao Neaw Ma Mung (165 php)

The Khao Neaw Ma Mung is a cup of sticky rice covered in rich coconut cream topped with sesame seeds with ripe mango slices.  After our heavy meal, I know what you're thinking.  We might not have any room for dessert right?  Believe it or not, everyone kept digging in into this delicious Khao Neaw Ma Mung like there was no tomorrow.

Tap Tim Krob (125 php)

As soon as we, the ladies, were handed out the menu, everyone was already settled over the Tap Tim Krob which was water chestnuts with coconut milk, thick coconut strips and shaved ice.  All of us ordered one each and adopted a no sharing policy since we had much expectation for this.  But sadly, it was nothing special for me.  I was yearning for the distinctive crunchiness from the water chestnuts but there was none.

Ruamit (125 php)

The Ruamit is a Thai style halo halo.  It is the same as the Tap Tim Krob but with kaong (sweet sugar palm) and corn kernels.  Like the Ruamit, this is good but nothing spectacular.

♥ Tako (125 php/3 pcs.)

Although we ordered a lot of the Tako, since we also received a complimentary order as a birthday present for my mom, not a piece was left on the table.  These tapioca coconut cream in pandan cups are so delicious!

Drinks

Beverages

Thai Iced Tea (95 php)

The Thai Iced Tea is thick, rich and a bit too sweet for me.

♥ Thai Iced Coffee (95 php)

Coffee lovers will definitely love their rich Thai Iced Coffee with exquisite nutty after-taste.

Lemongrass Iced Tea (95 php)

I'm quite surprised that their Lemongrass Iced Tea is sour like lemonade with lemongrass extract.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
For Thai cuisine, I highly recommend Azuthai Restaurant for its sterling food service, food quality and ambiance.  We had a sensational dining experience.  The price is a bit on the high side but quite understandable because an order is good for 3 to 5 persons. 

For more than 2 decades, Korean Village Yakiniku Restaurant has maintained its popular in Malate Manila despite its relocation from Adriatico to Nakpil Street.  Every time we would pass by, the place is swarming with cars parked in front of it.




Upon stepping in, you'll hear the loud chatter of the crowd and see staffs pacing back and forth.  As this is a yakiniku restaurant, each table has a griller. 

Food

Complimentary Ban Chan

We had a Complimentary Ban Chan or side dishes of baechu kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), Kongnamul (bean sprouts in sesame oil), Sigeumchi namul (lightly parboiled spinach dressed with sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce) and Myulchi Bokkeum (stir-fried anchovies).  Sometimes, they provide more variety perhaps depending on the number of diners.


Yakiniku
The yakiniku orders are served raw in a platter so you can cook it on the grill on your own. 

♥ Barbecue Chicken (150 php)

The Barbecue Chicken is our favorite.  We'd rather order more of this than beef!  The blend of bulgogi sauce is satisfying for us. 
 

♥ Shrimp Barbecue (200 php)

I love the Shrimp Barbecue too!  It was fresh and soft. 
 

Tofu

Tofu

My family loved Tofu so we ordered it too.

Stew & Others

♥ Fish Stew (250 php)

The Fish Stew is a mildly spiced and sweet fish and tofu stew.  It is an pleasurable viand.   


Rice

Bibimbap Stoneware (250 php)

The Bibimbap Stoneware is satisfactory for its price.  It had the usual ingredients of fried egg, beans sprouts, zucchini, carrots and ground beef with Gochujang sauce.   

Miso Soup

The Miso Soup is complimentary with an order of the Bibimbap Stoneware.

Complimentary Pineapple

After the meal, we were served with Complimentary Pineapple slices. 

 
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Korean Village Yakiniku Restaurant is a famous place for yakiniku.  The food is pretty good for the price thy offer.  It's no surprise that it is packed with diners all the time as ithas become popular to both Koreans and locals.