Crying Tiger: A Journey to Thailand (And Malaysia) Starts With A Bite

Crying Tiger: A Journey to Thailand (And Malaysia) Starts With A Bite

Text by Nizrhane Abdallah | Photos by Ric Caliolio Jr (IG: @riccalioliojr)

I was really excited when my husband and I stepped inside Crying Tiger one cool Tuesday evening. Away from the noise of Makati Avenue, Crying Tiger is surely the perfect place to unwind without car horns around. All you need is to sit back and wait for your meal with either a bottle of cold Chang beer or a glass of Thai Iced Tea.

Crying Tiger is a place where street-style Thai food dominates the dining table. It was as if we were transported from El Cabrito in Mexico to Thailand.

Chef Mario (yes, the same chef who runs El Cabrito) regaled us with Crying Tiger’s offerings, starting with the very tasty Pak Boong Fai Daeng, or Morning Glory (Kangkong) with Garlic. My tastebuds were enjoying the fragrant and delicious fried garlic. The kangkong was crisp as it was cooked just right as a stif-fry dish.

We weren’t done with the kangkong dish when the next one came. Enter Som Tam, or Thai Green Papaya Salad. It was pure joy in my mouth: the crunch of the fresh green papaya melding in with the tartness and saltiness of the vinaigrette – which was a secret! I love the salad so much that I am starting to drool just by typing what it was about.

To be honest, we forgot that Som Tam and Pak Boong Fai Daeng were starters! So the mains came round this time. First was the well-known Pad Thai which was stir-fried glass noodles wrapped in egg omelette…

Then the Nam Prik Pla Too, which was fried hasa-hasa with rice and special sauce..

Along the way we took a side trip to Malaysia, where Malay treats like Chicken Satay with special satay sauce are found…

Along with Mee Goreng, which is spicy seafood noodle dish…

And then we were served the two curries which were different in their own flavours and colours. First was the Penang Curry, or the Red Curry, which is hot and sour.

And the Green one, or the Thai Green Curry, which is milky and mildly spicy.                                               

Another side trip was taken and Beef Rendang appeared on the table…

My husband’s and my favourite would be this noodle dish which we’ve met for the first time that night. It’s called Pad See Ew which is similar to Pad Thai except that flat noodles were used.

Another Thai treat appeared during dinner: Bangkok Quail Eggs, which my husband liked:

This one is another favourite of my husband that night: Khao Kha Moo, or Thai Roast Pork Leg with rice.

Goodness me. It was one hell of a ride through Thailand and Malaysia that night, all washed down helpfully with a glass of my favourite drink, Thai Iced Tea. My husband and I enjoyed our stay at the restaurant as we continued to talk about it days after our first visit.

*Five days after our first time at Crying Tiger, we returned to eat dinner. This time we tried the Crying Tiger steak. We’ll leave the rest of the info for you to find out yourselves. It’s that good.

Crying Tiger
4986 P Guanzon Street
Poblacion, Makati City
Opens everyday at 4pm to 1am
Wi-Fi access available
(Note: Street is facing A Venue Mall on Makati Avenue.)