There is a special place in my heart for Thai cuisine. Given its street food cred and legendary spiciness, Thai food can be called the soul of Thailand on a plate. From its balancing of sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and bitter, Thai cuisine is one of the pillars of what makes Thailand unique.
Opened just recently is Benjarong, the signature Thai restaurant of Dusit Thani Makati. Tracing its roots to the original Benjarong at the Dusit Thani Bangkok, Benjarong (which means “five colors” in Thai and is a special kind of porcelain used for royal ceremonies) in Dusit Thani Makati promises a truly royal Thai dining experience with authentic Thai cuisine on the menu and I was lucky enough to book a table during my Dusit Thani staycation.
Taking a peek at its menu, Thai food lovers will be immediately familiar with Benjarong’s offerings such as Nam Tok Nuea (grilled beef salad), Yum Pla Duk Foo (catfish floss salad), and Som Tam (Thai papaya salad) which is prepared and served table side.
For the main course, diners can choose from many popular Thai dishes such as Gai Phad Med Ma Muang (stir-fried chicken and cashews), Phad Thai Gung Sod (fried rice noodles with prawns), and Gung Tord Katiem (stir-fried tiger prawns). There are also Thai curry dishes to choose from such as Gaeng Khieo Wan Gai (green curry chicken), Gaeng Massaman Nuea (Massaman curry beef chuck), and Gaeng Khieo Wan See Krong Neau Toon (72-hour cooked beef ribs green curry).
For my meal, I decided to order Nam Tok Nuea, Khao Klug Ka Pi (shrimp paste friend rice) and a piping hot bowl of Gaeng Khieo Wan Gai. The Man Tok Nuea’s grilled beef was tender to the bite. The fattiness of the beef complimented the crisp and fresh vegetables it was served with. The crispy shallots and coriander leaves added savory and bright herbaceous notes to the dish.
The Khao Klug Ka Pi was a surprise to me as the dish served also had a bit of fresh pineapples on the side. It was only after mixing the egg, pork, green mango, chillies, shallots and pineapples together with a sprinkle of Thai condiments that I understood why it was so. The pork and shrimp paste were the stars of the dish while the pineapple bits added some sweet and sour notes making each bite ever more flavorful.
The Gaeng Khieo Wan Gai was every bit as savory with a hint of spiciness that is best paired with fluffy white rice. It was unfortunate that I was dining solo but the portioning of the dish is really meant to be shared meaning this writer had the “unfortunate” task to eat it all by myself.
Any complete mean should have dessert and my dessert of choice is, of course, Thailand’s famous Khao Niew Ma Muang (mango sticky rice). Benjarong’s version elevates Thailand’s national dessert and adds a culinary twist to it with the addition of crispy rice and coconut and mango ice cream. Each spoonful of the seemingly simple dessert is a carnival in the mouth with the interplay of sweet and salty, soft and crispy, warm and cold with a touch of sour from the ripe mango slices.
It was hard to understand why Dusit Thani would go to such lengths to provide an authentic and elevated Thai dining experience. In an interview with Dusit International’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Lim Boon Kwee, he shared that Benjarong is Dusit Thani’s famed signature Thai restaurant and the flavors of the food it serves have to be authentic. From the rice to the coconut milk, to the spices and the herbs, everything has to be correct.
What made me more excited is that the Dusit Thani Residences Davao will soon also have a Benjarong Restaurant of it own. Finally giving Durianburg a true and authentic Thai restaurant to sink their teeth into.
