Mango Tree Café is the recently opened Thai restaurant in SM Southmall. For our 40th month (which was almost 30 days ago so evidently, this is a late post. LOL), Onie and I went to sample the place. All in all it was a very pleasant dining experience.
Atmosphere
Mango Tree has a very modernized feel to it. Its interior design is very simple, elegant, stylish and sleek. It has very cozy lighting that makes the place very inviting. Apart from dining, I think they designed this place for lounging.
The walls have a black panel that’s designed abstractly with what seems like doodles. It’s very interesting as what seems like disarray appeared to be very quirky and artistic.
Service
The staff were very accommodating, efficient and approachable. Since it’s our first time there, they suggested the must-try and best-selling dishes. Apart from that, they were attentive on the guests, asking every now and then if we needed anything. However, giving a sound judgment on the staff’s performance is still premature as this place is fairly new. If the personnel were able to maintain their attitude towards serving their guests for months or even years on end, then I guess this place would earn a five-star rating when it comes to service.
Menu
Since I forgot the exact names of the dishes we ordered, I decided to look their menu up online. I saw the one for the Greenbelt branch. However, I noticed that it has a broader selection as opposed to the one in SM Southmall. I guess their best-sellers are still included in the otherwise streamlined food offerings here in the south, but the names are somewhat different. I wish that they would make their menu uniform in all branches. This way, guests from different areas will be able to sample everything that they have to offer.
What we tried
I forgot the Thai names of the dishes we tried but on a simpler language, the food we sampled were the Chicken Pad Thai, Grilled Chicken with Lemon Grass and Thai Spring Rolls.
Chicken Pad Thai
The Pad Thai is one of their signature dishes. Guests have the choice of having it with seafood or chicken. Since the boyfie and I are both allergic to seafood, we opted for the latter. All in all, the Pad Thai is one gastronomic delight. It gives a full burst of oriental, sweet and spicy flavor. Likewise, the noodles were cooked perfectly. Seriously, I’m considering going back to this place just to have a plate of their Pad Thai all to myself.
Chicken with Lemon Grass
Meanwhile, I was skeptical about the Chicken with Lemon Grass upon seeing that it is grilled thigh fillet. Not a fan of that chicken part and if not properly cooked, I would seriously gag. Anyway, it won’t hurt to try, right? And guess what? That’s the first time I actually liked chicken thighs. It was wrapped around the lemon grass, therefore, the meat really absorbed its flavor. More so, it was cooked really good—well done but still tender. However, eating it on its own can be pretty bland. I highly recommend that you eat it with the provided dip made with–I think–lemon, vinegar, chilli and onions as it enhances the flavor of the meat.
Thai Spring Rolls
The Thai Spring Rolls are your usual fried spring rolls. There’s nothing distinct about this dish, but it’s not bad either. However, I think it’s a bit overpriced for its serving.
Dining in Mango Tree Café is fairly pleasant. The food is moderately priced, yet the place looks really posh. Will I go back? Definitely. And that’s probably because of their very delicious Pad Thai. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that they improve in terms of the their menu. It would up their over-all appeal if what they offer is in-lined with that of the other branches.
Of Colors and Words 