A taste of authentic Thai cuisine at Centara Hotel's Ginger & Lime

MANILA, Philippines - There are truly a few precious opportunities to taste authentic foreign dishes — the kind whipped up by chefs who know what they are doing and who are truly familiar with a particular country’s homegrown recipés.

Today at Centara Hotel Manila, the metro’s newest premium hotel for travelers in Manila’s Malate district, authentic Thai food makes a big splash at the launch of Centara’s brand new restaurant, Ginger & Lime.

Ushering in the delightful Thai menu that will dominate Ginger & Lime’s lineup of culinary delights is international Chef Tidarat Luangthep, a 20-year veteran who has been cooking her brand of authentic Thai cuisine all over the world.

Chef Tidarat has occupied kitchens of top hotels in Thailand, Malaysia, Colombo, China, Singapore, and Switzerland. Recently coming from a stint in Egypt, she promises to bring an eclectic selection of favorite Thai standards and unique creations to the restaurant.

Chef Tidarat, with her culinary skills, loves to travel and finds her first trip to the Philippines enjoyable and full of the familiar beats that resonate with her home country of Thailand. Using authentic ingredients sourced locally and internationally, she plans to present real Thai food, otherwise known as “Phad Thai,” featuring authentic royal Thai cuisine presented in a brand new style.

For starters, Chef Tidarat explains the full-course meal one can expect at Ginger & Lime. First up is the Tom Yam Goong or Siam hot and sour prawn soup, a welcome taste especially with the cold and rainy weather Filipinos have been experiencing lately. Then there is the Yam Som O, a pomelo salad with roasted coconut and pumpkin garnish.

For appetizer, Chef Tidarat prepares a trio in one plate. The mixed appetizers are three separate elements composed of the Krathong Thong, or diced fried prawns and chicken and corn kernels in a pretty little cup; the Po Phia Thod or Thai spring roll which is very much like our local lumpia; and the Chor Ladda or flower-shaped dumpling filled with minced chicken and peanuts.

Chef Tidarat then rolls out the main dish next — a delightfully tasty Phad Thai Goong which is stir-fried noodles with prawns, bean curd and bean sprouts. For dessert, expect Khao Neaw-Mamung, sweet mangoes with sticky rice, much like our suman. Mixing the two flavors together presents something sour and sweet on your taste buds.

If you’re on the lookout for authentic Phad Thai cooking, then Centara’s Ginger & Lime is the place you need to be. It promises to serve you the most authentic Thai food this side of the metro from one of the world’s best chefs.

Ginger & Lime is located at the rooftop level of Centara Hotel Manila, 2108 M.H. del Pilar St., Malate. For more information, call (632) 2526-0888, fax at (632) 2353-8838, e-mail at chm@chr.co.th or log on to www.centarahotelsresorts.com.