Brand Refresh: Global Thai Restaurant Mango Tree Re-Opens with a Bold New Look and New Dishes

For over eight years, Mango Tree offered an authentic Thai dining experience to locals with its wide array of traditional dishes. Now, diners can explore the diversity and richness of Thailand's culinary heritage with a modern look and new menu...

Global Thai restaurant brand, Mango Tree, starts the year with refreshed and redesigned interiors as well as an innovative new menu for both purists and adventurous palates drawing inspiration from all four culinary regions of Thailand. With locations in Thailand, Japan, England, Hong Kong, China, Nepal, India and the Philippines, Mango Tree is well on its way of reaching 100 restaurants worldwide by 2020. Curious? Read on for a peek at the new Mango Tree...

Inside the redesigned space, diners enter through the impressive Solarium fronting the elegant bar surrounded by lush greens exuding a serene and tranquil vibe. The dramatic high-ceiling and show kitchen add the finishing touches to Mango Tree's vibrant new look. 

The newly renovated and designed restaurant features a reconfigured and brighter space for 200 seats including a 20-seat Solarium and 40-seat Loft for private functions. On one side, the impressive floor to ceiling glass windows bring in natural light showcasing the elegant space.

Mango Tree Restaurants Philippines President and CEO Eric Teng (L) welcomed guests at the media relaunch (for more on Mango Tree, see my earlier posts, An Explosion of Flavors: The Thai Street Food Festival at Mango Tree from three years ago and Thai Cuisine At Its Best: A Tasty Preview of Mango Tree's New Dishes).

The new look comes with an equally innovative and redesigned menu allowing diners to explore the full range of Thai flavors. Guided by both taste and preference, the new menu includes two sections under the headings Purist and Adventurous to describe the culinary styles of each dish. Dishes under the Purist section include traditional and familiar Thai favorites while the Adventurous selection features new flavors and dishes from the four regional cuisines of Thailand. Now, your favorite Thai restaurant offers even more reasons to visit. That day, we sampled both old favorites and new dishes from the Purist and Adventurous sections. Mango Tree's new Watermelon Salad with Dried Shrimp Floss or Tangmoo Goong Hang (P 300) from the Adventurous  selection combines sweet and salty notes in a refreshing salad to open up your palate for the next courses...

The rich play on texture and bold spices come through with each bite of the Crispy Rice Crackers with Thai Relishes or Khao Tang Na Tang & Nam Prik Noom (P 380) from the Purist selection tempered by the sweet mashed eggplant. It's one of many favorites at Mango Tree, with every bite packing some real serious heat that will have you picking up yet another crisp piece.

The Steamed Chilean Black Mussels in Tom Yum (P 480) is another of my favorites from the Purist section with plump cold water mussels delicately steamed in sour tom yum broth infused with seafood sauce and fresh coriander. The fresh and clean briny notes of the mussels come through followed by the tart notes of the tom yum.  

It's a deceptively simple dish yet the flavors weave complex flavors with each sip and bite. And that's what Thai cuisine is all about, bringing the sweet, sour, salty and spicy in a harmonious blend.

Mango Tree Manila's Shrimp Cakes or Tod Mun Goong (P 420) offers the rich briny notes of succulent shrimps capped by a sweet plum sauce. The firm texture of the shrimps and the lightly crisp outer layer makes this a popular dish. And you can't have just one shrimp cake. Seriously good.

The Stir-Fried Lady Finger "Okra" or Okra Fai Daeng (P 320) with garden-fresh okra fried with yellow bean paste, garlic and fiery bird's eye chili delivers both sweet and spicy notes in another simple yet boldly flavored dish. The freshness of the vegetables offer a subtle sweetness, kicked up by the contrasting flavors of the bean paste, garlic and chili.

The Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Crab Meat or Mee Khorat Poo (P 580) with sweet crab meat on soft noodles draped in mee khorat sauce combines seafood and noodles in another dish that's perfect for sharing. Seafood and noodles always works for me.

But it's Mango Tree's new Stir-Fried Crab in Curry Sauce or Phad Phong Ka Ree (P 1,150) that was clearly the star of the show. A new dish from the Adventurous section, it's a succulent seafood dish with sweet crab meat and egg gently simmered in a vibrant yellow curry sauce. The flavors are both delicate and bold with the briny sweetness of crab meat enhanced by the creamy curry sauce. Top it on steamed white rice, and you have a meal. A must-try, add this  to your list of favorites at Mango Tree. Extra rice? Absolutely. Other new dishes to try at Mango Tree include Thai Tapioca Dumplings, Grilled US Pork Collar, Isan Grilled Chicken and Tri-Colored Mango Sticky Rice. 

The Grilled US Pork Belly (P 650) features a tender and juicy slab of pork grilled to perfection with herbs and served with a special Thai Sauce...

...offering a savory richness with that hint of smokiness fresh off the grill. Tender and juicy, the flavors just punch through with that characteristic Thai style, and perfectly finished by the tart sauce. Elegantly plated, it tastes as good as it looks. You'll want some steamed white rice with this. 

Cap your Thai feast with the Thai Style Mochi or Khanom Tom (P 280), glutinous sticky rice balls with grated coconut sugar and coconut palm sugar. From traditional old favorites to fresh and new undiscovered flavors, Mango Tree redefines the Thai dining experience with its exciting new interiors and an innovative repertoire of dishes designed for the modern palate. Rediscover the rich and authentic flavors of Thailand with a purist or adventurous mindset...at the new and refreshed Mango Tree.

Mango Tree Manila is located at 7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City or call (02) 217-2367 for more information or reservations.

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