There are many Filipinos living and working in Bangkok.

However, there is a disproportionate low amount of Filipino restaurants within the city, perhaps just one or two.

One Sunday afternoon I was able to meet up with my good friend Ramon, a Canadian Filipino and now Bangkok resident, to check out his favorite Filipino food restaurants in Bangkok known as New Mabuhay Restaurant.

I’ll start things off with the “green dish” and then we can proceed to bigger and shall we say, porkier things.

Chopsuey as it’s known, is a combination of mixed vegetables and in this case pieces of tender pork. It was good and nice to have some vegetables along with the other dishes included in our feast.

Price: 110 THB

A comforting Filipino meal would not be complete without some form of meat stewed adobo style. It’s kind of like the Thai basil chicken of any restaurant – widely available and always good.

Known as Adobong Manok, the chicken was fall apart tender, slightly sour (as should be), and the sauce was oniony and spiced with black pepper.

Piled onto my plate of rice, the flavor and tenderness of the chicken adobo was marvelous.

Price: 150 THB

Back in 2009, I spent two month in the Philippines, mostly in Manila, doing some volunteering while eating lots of good food. It was an incredible experience where I met many great people and saw some gorgeous natural beauty of the country.

I also spent quite a lot of time eating things like seafood dampa and bangus (milk fish) prepared in a variety of ways.

We ordered the Dang Bangus, milk fish deep fried to a crispy and served with a sweet tamarind garlic sauce. The combination was awesome – this probably was my favorite dish on the table.

Thinking I might be able to pick up some bangus (Filipino milk fish) at Klong Toey Market, Ramon asked the owner of the restaurant where they bought the fish. To my surprise they actually had to import it from the Philippines as it’s not available in Thailand… hence the price.

Price: 380 THB

The sweet sizzle could be heard from the kitchen before it emerged – a harmony of diced pig’s face and fat all melting together on a flaming hot skillet.

And if that’s not enough, a raw egg is plopped right in the middle to makes things even more tempting.

Sisig is almost like a family member in a Filipino household. It’s so precious and revered, and once you taste it you’ll understand why.

As many Filipinos say, “sisig is dangerously delicious.” And while it’s not for the health conscious, it’s an extreme porky treat from time to time.

Here’s one more photo of the sizzling sisig, just so you can let it settle in and drool over it a little more…

The mix of dishes, the dry fried fish lathered in sweet sauce, the cauliflower and vegetables, the rich adobo with caramelized onions, and the insanely good crispy yet soft pig’s face blanketed in rich yolk, all over rice was quite a memorable Filipino feast in Bangkok!

The Bottom Line

It had been years since my last real Filipino meal, and New Mabuhay Restaurant provided food that made me think I was back in the Philippines.

The food was authentic and I think just about everyone eating there and hanging out in the premesis was Filipino.

I particularly love the bangus fried fish and the sisig was excellent too. Ok, it was all good, excellent Filipino food. The menu also included Thai dishes, though we didn’t try any.

New Mabuhay Restaurant – Pratunam, Bangkok

Address: 1/31 Petchaburi Soi 19, Thanon Petchaburi, Bangkok 10400
Phone: 02-255-2689
Hours: 8:30 am – 10 pm
Prices: The bangus was pretty expensive as it was imported from the Philippines, but other dishes were more around the 100 – 200 THB range. Expect to pay about 200 – 300 THB per person. It’s more of a sit down restaurant.

How to get there

Located in Pratunam, it’s a toss up if Chit Lom or Ratchathewi BTS station is closer. I like to walk from Chit Lom BTS station, past Central World, make a left at Platinum, cross the street towards Amari Watergate hotel and continue walking until you reach Petchaburi Soi 19 (across the street from Pantip Plaza).

Make a right on Soi 19, and then turn left on the first small street and you’ll see New Mabuhay Restaurant on the left hand side.

View Bangkok Eating Thai Food Map in a larger map