every time i would have a craving for relatively cheap eats, i would always think of som's near rockwell. from my experience eating thai food in manila, this establishment offers the best interpretation of inexpensive thai food.
i say interpretation because the thai food they make isn't exactly authentic. but it's a very good interpretation. one has to consider that thai cuisine really requires a lot of ingredients native only to thailand. i predict the owners want to prioritize affordability over authenticity.
although i've been to som's quite a number of times, we almost always end up ordering these two dishes: pak boom and tom yum goong.
pak boom is essentially the thai version of adobong kangkong. but i think it's much better because it is less acidic and more flavorsome (likely due to the generous use of garlic and green pepper). i also love ordering this dish because it's a vegetable dish, healthier and hence, always a guilt-free choice:-)
their tom yu
m goong is a good imitation. the taste of authentic tom yum goong is pretty tough to imitate if one does not have original ingredients like galangal (thai luya). i think it takes a pretty creative person with a sharp palate to be able to improvise by using locally available ingredients. i've also tried their phat siew. again, a good interpre
tation. although i still much prefer the authentic version as the one you buy from thai street hawkers use the thick version of the noodles. the original is also not that dry like say our pansit bihon. authentic phat siew is more..fluid. and of course, thai calamansi or manao makes a big difference in the taste (our calamansi is too sour to be used for this dish).if you simply want some thing that has everything in it, try the different variants of fried rice. you can have them with crab, beef or pork. always a winner. on the menu, this dish would be called 'khao pad' (fried rice) followed by the thai term for the type of meat you want (eg 'khao pad moo' is fried rice with pork).
for drinks, you can try their cha nom yen which means tea with milk. no,
don't think it's a bad concoction. it's pretty good. i miss cha yen though, the thai version of iced tea (without milk). it's really quite refreshing and in no way tastes like nestea or lipton. but they don't serve cha yen here as this requires use of manao.for two people, you can have as many as three dishes and your bill will not amount to more than P400. not mentioning generous amounts of left over for take home.
som's is located on the street left side of grilla restaurant which you'll find behind the rockwell compound. it's a small street so you might miss it. in case you find yourself lost though, try and ask one of the 'farangs' (foreigners) you might come across, i'm pretty sure they'll be able to point you in the right direction. farangs love this place:-)
