Southeast Asian cuisine is amazingly diverse, and that is exactly what diners will find at Red Ginger restaurant on the second level of City of Dreams Manila. It has an ongoing promotion of authentic Southeast Asian dishes until the end of the month.

Red Ginger

Tel. 6917783, 8008080

Enter through the casino’s main entrance, turn right and take the escalator to the second level.

Those who like curry and satay will discover some other new dishes here. We did!

Dining area—The layout gives diners a full view of people of all ages coming and going, either to dine or to try their luck at the gaming tables.

Service—The kitchen was quick with our orders, not much waiting time.

Staff—“Mabait” was the comment of our dining companion. True enough, they had smiles on their faces and were solicitous to our needs.

Suggested orders—Most of the dishes are “hot,” depending on the intensity of the spices used, which are mostly chilies and curry powder. Other enhancers utilized are galangal, tamarind juice, coconut milk and lemon grass, which somehow lessens the dish’s bite and makes the sauce sour and creamier.

Start with Popiah, rolls of crispy fried duck barbecue with iceberg lettuce with the chili-garlic dip. There’s the popular Nasi Goreng, a mound of shrimp paste fried rice topped with fried egg and pickled vegetables served with three sticks of chicken satay.

The Honey and Tamarind Glazed Pork Belly was fully approved by our family, as was the Bean Curd with Vegetables in Coconut Gravy and the Char Kwai Teow—the alternative to the popular Phad Thai, made of flat wok-fried noodles, air-dried Lup Cheong sausage, bean sprouts, fish cake and sambal balachan.

These dishes all made for a well-balanced meal. For dessert, there’s vitrine with cakes. Or choose from other regional sweets or a bowl of fresh fruits.

Red Ginger offers a permanent menu of Southeast Asian dishes. Beverages and wines are served. Service and government charges are added to the bill.

Rating – 3 Spoons.