Support Local: Crying Tiger Street Kitchen (Makati City)
Pad Thai and Mee Goreng
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of lives across the globe. Many have lost their lives or their livelihood. While I’m also having difficulties, I’m still blessed that I still have a job. With whatever little spare money I have, I give it away to bless others who are less fortunate than me. But I thought, “How else can I be a blessing to people? And now that quarantine is easing up more and more, how can I spur economic activity in my own little way?”
As a foodie, I’m really rooting for the food industry to bounce back. So how can I help my beloved industry? I decided to do this “blessing-the-food-industry” project/series called Support Local (I know it’s generic, but it’s what I’m encouraging people to do). The game plan is to order from my favorite food spots (and order a lot of food, one-time or staggered), feature them in my blog, and promote them to my friends. I will also be focusing on small and medium enterprises owned (or partly-owned, at least) by local entrepreneurs rather than food chains run by big corporations.
So far, I have featured the following food spots:
Today, I’m featuring another local food spot. But first…
How Can You Help?
To make this project work, I will need your help. If you want to support this simple endeavor, you can help me S.P.O.T.:
Share. As simple as sharing my article or other related entries, we can spread the word.
Promote. Nothing beats a personal recommendation of the food spots to your friends. But this is best done when you have an experience of the food itself (don’t forget to share your experience and photos in social media; this will give the food spots extra mileage). If you haven’t tasted the food yet, then the next letter is for you.
Order. This is the most important of all, as we intend to help the food establishments. If you have extra money or the means, order from the food spots (and order as much as you can).
Tip. The staff are making risks to provide for their families by preparing amazing food. To help and appreciate them, I give a generous tip. So if you have the means, I encourage you to do the same. If you will have your food delivered, tip the driver or rider as well.
Let’s now talk about the food spot featured today.
The Food Spot: Crying Tiger Street Kitchen
Crying Tiger Street Kitchen is a Southeast Asian restaurant tucked away in one of the streets of Poblacion, the thriving food and nightlife destination of Makati City pre-pandemic. They specifically serve Thai and Malaysian street food. They also offer vegetarian options.
When I was working nearby, I would frequent this spot because I love their Gai Tod (Thai fried chicken) and Mee Goreng (a Malaysian stir-fried noodle dish). It was years ago when I last ate here. So I thought of including it in my Support Local project.
The Food
Since most of the food might be unfamiliar to Filipinos and readers in general,I’ll give you a background of every dish (let this article be food for the brain as well). Here’s what I ordered from them:
Char Siu
Char Siu is Cantonese-style sweet pork barbecue that’s popular in Southern China, especially in Hong Kong, but is also widely available in the Malay peninsula.
I was skeptical of Crying Tiger’s version of char siu. But I was surprised that it tasted really good. It’s nicely sweet (sometimes it can be overly sweet) which is balanced with saltiness. I can also taste the Chinese five spice, which is a typical ingredient in a char siu.
Did I mention that’s it’s tender and fatty? I’m starting to drool!
Gai Tod (Thai Fried Chicken)
One of Crying Tiger’s bestseller is the gai tod, which is a popular street food in Thailand. When it’s fresh from the kitchen, it’s crispy, juicy, and tender. But what brings it to the next level are the sauces: Sweet chili dip and Prik Nam Pla, which is a Thai condiment that’s made with fish sauce-based and is sour, salty, and spicy.
I think this is best eaten when it’s fresh from the fryer. If you’re eating it at home, just reheat it.
Moo Krob (Crispy Pork Belly)
Moo Krob is the Thai version of Lechon Kawali, the Filipino take on crispy pork belly. Honestly, there’s nothing spectacular with Crying Tiger’s version. But you can’t go wrong with a crispy pork belly when it’s juicy, fatty, and crispy. It also has a bit of a chew.
This dish came with an asado sauce, a sweet soy-based sauce. I never thought that such pairing would be good!
Moo Ping (Thai Grilled Pork Skewers)
This is probably one of the most popular street snacks of Thailand. Its just like Filipino pork barbecue. But what makes it distinctly Thai is the dip. If I remember correctly, it’s also prik nam pla.
Pad Thai and Mee Goreng (Sold Separately)
Finally, we’re down to the most popular Thai food in the world: Pad Thai. While this dish needs little introduction, allow me to to explain what this dish is.
Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that typically comes with bean sprouts, chicken, crushed peanuts, prawns, scrambled eggs (many times it serves as a cover for the dish), and tofu. When done right, it should be sweet, tangy, and smoky.
Crying Tiger’s version has a smoky aroma and taste, with a balance of sweetness, tanginess, and spiciness (though I saw some chili seeds, it’s still not too spicy). Its noodles are soft, smooth, and chewy, which is love! The bean sprouts give a nice crunch while the tofu adds another layer of texture (what do you call the texture of tofu?). What’s missing, for me, is the nuttiness.
I also got my favorite from them—mee goreng. This is a Malaysian stir-fried noodles. But I will be frank that it’s not the kind that I tasted in Malaysia. Still, it’s one of my favorites from Crying Tiger…or used to be.
I found the noodles soft and lacks some chew and the squid balls mushy. While I enjoy the kick of spice and the crunch from the veggies, it’s not like what I used to have. Or maybe my mee goreng standards went up too high because I’ve been to Malaysia and PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen’s version is superb!
Pak Boong Fai Daeng (Morning Glory with Garlic)
Finally, the only vegetable dish that I got from them…and it’s my favorite along with the char siu. Pak Boong Fai Daeng is stif-fried morning glory with garlic. I saw some soy beans in the sauce, as well as chilies that make the dish stay-in-the-mouth spicy.
This is such a good dish that I wanted to go back to Crying Tiger and just order this!
I hope that my article made you crave. If it did, then order from Crying Tiger soon! That’s the goal of this project/series! Let’s support them and other local food spots in this time of crisis!
Crying Tiger Street Kitchen
Address: 4986 P. Guanzon St., Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City
Operating Hours: TBA
Contact No/s.: 0977-1579370 | 8894-1769
Other entries in the Support Local series: Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (Mandaluyong City) | Khao Khai Thai Chicken House (Makati City) | Señor Pollo (Multiple Locations) | PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen (Marikina City) | Pat-Pat’s Kansi House