Spices at the Peninsula Hotel – Manila, Philippines: Spices restaurant located in The Peninsula, Manila offers cuisines from six Asian countries - India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. This Manila restaurant has a very simple décor.

Share this review on Facebook.

Asian objects d'art and tempera paintings by Filipino expressionist Ang Kiukok adorn the walls of Spices. Dark lacquered chairs with purple cushions, purple booths with dark brown table tops and a small marble fountain complement the restaurants decor. This 119 seat Manila restaurant is divided into two sections, a formal dining area and a glass enclosed pavilion, which offers a great view of the outdoor pool and garden. Reservations are recommended especially if you want to sit outside.

Spices has an extensive menu to satisfy the varied tastes of its customers. The sought after items on the menu are the Indonesian Fried Squid with Spicy Sauce and Nali Rogan Josh, and the Chinese Steamed Chilean Bass and Sautéed Shrimps. This Manila restaurant is also popular for its Vietnamese Mango Pudding and Tiger Prawns Baked with Garlic Butter.

My partner and I ordered the Thai Tord Mun Goong and the Indian Kaju Aur Matar Samosas as appetizers. The Tord Mun Goong consisted of 4 large pieces of fried shrimp cakes with plum sauce and was tasty and filling. However, the vegetable Kaju Aur Matar Samosas, cashew and green pea pockets filled with mint chutney was not worth ordering.

For main course, my partner ordered Red Curry with chicken while I chose the Murgh Makhani and stir fried vegetables in oyster sauce. The Red curry with chicken was average at best while the vegetables in oyster sauce was delicious. The Murgh Makhani is a traditional Northern Indian dish made of tandoori roasted chicken served with silky tomato gravy. When this dish was first served, the gravy was to thin to be called a curry. It was more like a soup. Needless to say, I sent this back. When this dish came back the consistency was much better. However, the taste in general was quite average and not worth recommending.

Spices has a good wine list with a large French presence and a smattering of everything else from American to Australian, New Zealand, Chilean and Italian. Service throughout dinner was fair at best. The huge variety of the food available was definitely a plus. However, the mediocre service and the middle-of-the-road food made for a less than impressive dinner.

If I had to visit this Manila restaurant again, it would just be for a quick lunch and I would not expect anything memorable or enjoyable. I would recommend Spices only if you are trying to impress someone with how much money you are spending.

I was disappointed with the whole experience considering this is a restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel. Overall, our rating for Spices is Between Bombastic and Not.

What I liked: Nothing much

What I didn’t like: The middle-of-the-road food

Rating: Between Bombastic and Not

Address and Telephone Number:
Spices
The Peninsula Manila
Ayala Cor Makati Avenue,
Makati, 1200,
Philippines
Tel. 63-2-810-3456

Join us on Facebook!

5 Star and Luxury Hotel, Resort,
Restaurant, Airline and Travel Reviews,
Advice and Information - Independent and Unbiased