MANILA -- Thai restaurant Mango Tree celebrates its fifth year in the Philippines by introducing five new dishes to its menu.

Chef Phanphensophon personally flew to Manila to conduct a cooking demo of the new entrees.

Mango Tree also worked with former Miss Thailand Suzanna Pavadee Vicheinrut Yuzon and the Miss Possibilities Foundation, an NGO focused on helping children with special needs. Some of the kids assisted Phanphensophon during the cooking demonstration.

Phanphensophon and Mango Tree Worldwide managing director Trevor Mackenzie also announced that they would be starting the second phase of the group’s development plan in the Philippines. This growth strategy would involve major restyling of the concept’s restaurants, as well as expansion that will extend its branded Philippine restaurants in the next three years.

Currently, Mango Tree has a restaurant located at Bonifacio High Street Central Square in Taguig. It also has Mango Tree Bistros at Trinoma in Quezon City and Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

Northern Thai cuisine is the inspiration for the new menu additions that call for more herbs and a little more heat due to the colder climates in the region.

Here are the five new dishes offered at Mango Tree.

1. Moo Ping

At first glance, Moo Ping looks like your typical Filipino barbecue. But upon first bite, familiar flavors mingle with Thai notes of sweet, sour and spicy. Photo by author

2. Sau Oua

This is a Northern Thai sausage that has a mixture of curry paste, lemongrass, garlic, galangal and turmeric mixed into its meat to give it distinctive taste. Photo by author

3. Kai Loog Keuy

Also called “son-in-law’s eggs,” this is a popular Thai treat made with hard boiled eggs, dried chilies, and tamarind sauce. Phanphensophon’s version is made with onsen eggs making it a lighter dish than the original. Photo by author

4. Krapow Bacon

Krapow Bacon is a Mango Tree's own healthier interpretation of Phad Kra Pow. They removed the carb-heavy rice and replaced it with lettuce and rice noodles. The rice noodles, known as kasma, which look like a slightly thicker version of pancit bihon and somewhat like the noodles used for pansit Malabon. Photo by author

5. Kanom-Jeen Nam Ngiaw

The Kanom noodles are also prominent in the Kanom-Jeen Nam Ngiaw. This dish is made with chicken or spareribs cooked in a broth-based curry. This is not as thick and rich as the coconut cream-based curries but the flavors are still intensely spicy as expected from Thai food. Photo by author