A delicious trip to Chiang Mai without leaving Manila

Mango Tree invites food lovers to embark on a culinary journey to Chiang Mai, the cultural heart of Northern Thailand, with a preview launch of its new regional dishes.

Thailand has four major regions — the north, north east, central, and south. Each region has its own unique cuisine that infuse a balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors in each dish.

Northern Thai cuisine is especially known for its use of aromatic ingredients and bold flavors including the use of fermented ingredients and dry heat cooking methods.

Mango Tree's Chiang Mai dishes are inspired by a recent trip the chefs took to Thailand. The chefs of both Mango Tree Philippines and Mango Tree global teams were invited to learn about Northern Thailand culture and cuisine by immersing with the locals and exploring traditional cuisine with Northern Hill Tribes and culinary masters of Northern Thai cuisine.

They were able to see chef Kannika Tassanaprasit, an Iron Chef Thailand challenger, and Chef Phanuphon “Black” Bulsuwan. The result is a menu that showcases Chiang Mai's unique flavors and culinary traditions.

Northern Thai cuisine is especially known for its use of aromatic ingredients and bold flavors.

First on the menu is Miang Kham, a traditional one-bite snack filled with an array of Thai flavors including coconut flakes, peanuts, dried shrimp, galangal, onion, lemon, chili, and a sweet-savory miang kham sauce — all wrapped in an aromatic sesame leaf.

There's also Nam Prik Noom. Originating from Northern Thailand, this dip consists of roasted green chilies pounded with flavorful herbs and served with pork cracklings.

Also included are Chiang Mai Laarb Khua, a spicy minced pork salad made with lime juice, fish sauce, herbs, and makwan peppers — a signature Northern ingredient flown in from Chiang Mai; Sai Oua, a grilled sausage made with minced pork, herbs, spices; Hill Tribe Aeb Pla, filleted fish marinated in a unique Northern herb mixture, wrapped and grilled in banana leaf; Kaeng Hang Le, a savory and sweet curry made with pork belly, fermented bamboo shoots, and a selection of herbs and spices; and Khao Soi, a traditional Northern curry noodle topped with crispy egg noodles, chicken, lime wedges, and pickled vegetables.

The Chiang Mai selection will be available starting October 15 with dishes exclusive to Mango Tree and Mango Tree Cafe stores in the Philippines.

The Mango Tree brand was introduced to the Philippines in 2010 and currently has nine stores nationwide including Mango Tree and Mango Tree Cafe. The first Mango Tree opened in 1994 at Surawong, Bangkok and has over 70 locations in Thailand, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.