DUSIT THANI HOTEL RELOADED: THE PANTRY

         Last year, I had the fortunate opportunity to be a guest at the GMA News TV show, Pop Talk. Since that would be my third time to do it, I was kind of wary of accepting the gig. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both guest appearances, but I was thinking of asking to recommend another blogger friend of mine who hadn't been on the show yet, just in the spirit of friendship and giving others a chance. However, once I found out we would be reviewing Hotel set meals and buffets, I thought to myself, "Screw friendship, I'm in!".

       It was actually a fun episode, however we had the misfortune of ending up at The Pantry at Dusit Thani Manila as our last stop. I say "Misfortune", simply by the time we got there, we were all so full from reviewing two other restaurants, so when we arrived at The Pantry, we were all too stuffed to actually enjoy the meal. 

       Admittedly, I wasn't able to make the most of my short but sweet visit there, but I swore I would be back again, this time, with an empty stomach so I can get my fill of The Pantry's dishes. 

    Lo and behold, just a few months later, I found myself roaming around the Pantry, and boy did I make up for the last visit! 

WIN A TRIP TO CHIANG MAI: NORTHERN THAI CUSINE AT BENJARONG, DUSIT THANI MANILA!

     I still remember the first time I went to Dusit Thani Manila. It was roughly around six years ago, before our blogging days, when I took Rina to their newly opened "Crossover Buffet". The crossover concept allowed me to start my meal at Basix, and literally walk over to their restaurants, Umu (Japanese), Tosca (Italian) and Benjarong (Thai), and grab some dishes from there. My only problem was that Tosca and Benjarong are both located on the mezzanine floor, meaning in order for me to walk on over there, I would need to climb the lobby staircase. 

   If you have seen me in person, you would know that my body is not made for climbing up on stairs, so I took the elevator. I must admit, I was slightly embarrassed when the elevator door opened to reveal that it was packed with Japanese guests. And there I was, standing in front of them with a plate full of food. They graciously moved aside to make room for me, but you could see they were curious where this little guy was going with all that food. 

   Something I remember very clearly, is the Pad Thai, which was stir fried by this tiny older Thai woman while you wait, was absolutely delicious. In fact, everything I had tried was nothing short of phenomenal, but it was really the Pad Thai that stuck. 

   Just a few days ago, I was elated to finally get an opportunity to return to Dusit Thani Manila. This time, I would be taking our taste buds on a trek to Northern Thailand through the culinary delights of Benjarong!

   And guess what? They're offering one lucky guest a chance to win a trip to Chiang Mai!