Treat yourself to the taste of Thai cuisine

If you are looking for a high-end exotic Asian restaurant in Dubai, then Mango Tree it is. It is located in Souk Al-Bahar at a walking distance from The Dubai Mall.
Mango Tree has served authentic Thai cuisine for over 20 years with its first branch opening in Bangkok in 1994. The name of the restaurant is inspired from the mango trees found in front of the a beautiful house that was built during the reign of King Rama VI, almost 100 years ago. Mango Tree offers diners a quite and relaxed atmosphere away from the noise of the city.
As soon as you walk in the restaurant, you cannot help but notice the luxurious setting, dim lights, dark interiors and the unique art adorning its walls.
The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating for 250 diners at once. Interiors inside the restaurant comprise Asian artwork on dark brown walls, brown leather chairs and sofas around dark wooden tables. Its outdoor section has leather patted chairs around square wooden tables, where you can enjoy your food under dim, soft lights overviewing the famous dancing Dubai Fountain.
The menu offers a variety of mouth-watering dishes from all the regions of Thailand. As soon as you are seated, you are offered Asian crackers with a side of sweet chili dip; they are very good and I kept asking for more. For appetizers, try the Som Tum Goong, which is a spicy green raw papaya salad with poached prawns, cherry tomatoes, snake beans, peanuts and dried shrimps. The Nomtok Nua is another great choice and comprises grilled grade A rib eye beef tossed with dry red chili, kaffir lime and spring onion in a spicy Northeastern Thai dressing.
We also ordered the Nomtok Ped, which is duck breast tossed with dry red chili, kaffir lime and spring onion in spicy northeastern Thai dressing. I am not a big fan of this dish; it was fishy and full of flavors that didn’t appeal to me. I found it weird that a duck salad was tossed in a fish oil based dressing.
The mixed appetizer platter is a great choice for diners who come in groups as you can try everything. It offers papaya salad, chicken wings, shrimp cake, spicy fish cake, chicken satay, pandan chicken and Phad Thai spring roll.
Thai soups are global delicacies. The Tom Yum Goong is a great choice, especially during cooler temperatures as it is spicy and will help warm up the body easily. It is a spicy Thai prawn soup with lemongrass, lime, galangal, mushrooms and red chili.
For the main dish, the Pla Pow comes right from the grill. It comprises marinated sea bass fillets wrapped in banana leaves and served with spicy lime, garlic and chili dipping sauce. The fish is very soft and tender from the inside and it has a flavorful taste.
Thai curry is a great choice for those who can consume spicy food. The restaurant has a selection of signature curry dishes such as the Massaman Short Ribs comprising beef short ribs braised in massama curry sauce with peanuts. Also try the Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai Prodsarn, which is corn-fed chicken breast braised in green curry sauce with Thai eggplants and sweet basil.
Other main course delights include the Phad Cha Kae comprising lamb cutlets with stir-fried chili, fresh green peppercorns, finger root ginger and hot basil sauce. Also try the Goong Phad Phong Ka Ree, made with jumbo prawns in the shell stir-fried with yellow curry powder onions, egg and chili oil.
There is a whole selection of great dishes for vegetarian diners. Pad Pak Ruem Mit comprises stir-fried mixed vegetables with garlic in light soy sauce.
On the side of any main dish, you get to choose between rice or noodles, and maybe both. I highly recommend the Phad Thai Goong, stir-fried rice noodles with prawns in Phad Thai sauce. The Khao Phad Poo is another great choice and comprises egg-fried rice with crabmeat.
The best part of the meal comes in the end with a beautiful selection of Asian desserts. The lemongrass and ginger crème brulee served with lychee ice cream is heavenly. The Khao Niew Mamuang consists of fresh mangoes served with sweet sticky rice topped with coconut milk.
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Opening hours: 12:30 p.m. 12 a.m. Expect to pay: SR 250
Email: [email protected]