Som's Noodle House

Yes, you read that right: Som’s Noodle House; and no, you are not stuck in a time warp. After about two years of deprivation of the culinary kind, we took a Dearly Beloved Friend (henceforth referred to as Dearly) to Som’s in Rockwell for lunch. We snuck out of work a little before the usual lunch hour, but we figured Som’s was worth playing the hookie card for. The weather was bipolar as usual, with sunlight and showers taking turns blessing the umbrellas over the Monobloc tables where we sat. But we were determined to introduce our Som’s virgin companion to the flavors of the place’s dishes and to the vibrant colors of the curries here.

Som's Dining Area

If there is one thing Som’s is known for, it is definitely not its ambiance. This is something we forewarned Dearly about, to ensure that her assessment of the place would not be clouded by images of mismatched Monobloc tables and chairs parallel-parked along the side of Algier Street, Gasul tanks awaiting disposal at the side of the counter, or even Jeff Goldblum-sized flies hovering around our table trying to steal a whiff of our Tom Yam soup. In spite of the ambiance (or rather, lack thereof), Som’s was packed with businessmen out for lunch – which, to be honest, is odd considering the day of the week that we were there and the precarious parking situation in the Makati business district. These people must love Som’s that much, considering that they were willing to abandon their parking slots and go through the trouble of finding parking again after lunch.

As soon as we arrived at Som’s, we began our Som’s 101 crash course to educate newbie Dearly on the flavors of Thailand. We ordered the triumvirate of Som’s legends: Pad Thai, Tom Yam, and curry. We also threw in supplemental topics on bagoong rice and milk tea, while Dearly, being the adventurous pupil that she is, requested extra credit in the form of Pakboong with shrimp.

The green curry is exactly as we remember it from two years ago -- a flavorful balance of spicy and sweet, with lots of meat and vegetables swimming in curry sauce. We ordered green chicken curry, and we were delighted to see more chicken fillets than we recalled from before. We are happy to announce that the curry sauce hasn't changed at all; it is rich in coconut milk and each serving is generous enough to drown plain rice in. And all curry connoisseurs know that sauce plus plain rice equals heaven. You might want to order an extra serving of rice though, because a single serving here is too conservative for dousing-rice-in-sauce goodness.

Tom Yam & Pad Thai

While we don't recalling experiencing any concussions or suffering from memory loss, we were slightly disappointed with the tom yam, pad thai and bagoong rice. Som's has always been known for its pad thai, and after surveying nearby tables, we noticed that it is still a favorite. Perhaps a new recipe is in use, because the pad thai is excessively sour for our palate and strangely tastes of banana catsup (if of the banana variety, it's catsup not ketchup). Equally disappointing is the tom yam, which is surprisingly sweeter than it is spicy. And, in spite of the number of chilis we fished from the bottom of the bowl, chancing upon a spicy spoonful felt as pointless as looking for a needle in a haystack. The bagoong rice, as with the pad thai, was unbearably sour, which was odd given bagoong’s salty predisposition. The pork, vegetables and egg that were served with the rice were equally sour. Perhaps calamansi is in season?

Pakboong with Shrimp

The biggest (and most pleasant) of our lunchtime surprises was the pakboong with shrimp. This dish is composed of kangkong, tossed with shrimps and onions and drenched in a partly salty, partly sweet brown sauce. Chosen by Som’s newbie Dearly and never before tried by either of us, we dipped our forks in the kangkong with no expectations whatsoever, and we were relieved to find that it is actually really good. We probably even enjoyed this dish more than the pad thai, tom yum and bagoong rice combined!

 Bagoong Rice

It is important to note however that Som’s is the kind of place where the taste and quality of the food should not be taken in isolation. What makes Som’s a winner is that the food is so affordable that you can make a buffet out of this place and spend only a fraction of what you would for lunch in Circles. Which is exactly what we did – the three of us ordered enough to feed five (or maybe four hungry carbo-loading guys), and spent around 700 Pesos in total. We even had about half of the pad thai put in a doggie bag to share with our colleagues back at the office. While a lot of other places take pride in their price to food ratio, Som’s easily takes the cake, with full meals at less than 150 Pesos.

A lot has changed in Som’s in the last two years – the menu has adapted to the Filipino palate, the dishes are now about thirty percent more expensive, and the grassy area where the tables used to sit is now paved – but its allure remains the same. If you’re looking for dirt cheap eats, a place where you don’t have to worry about the dress code, and free parking, then Som’s is it.

And by the way, we think we’ve made a Som’s convert of Dearly. She’s up for another pookbang and curry lunch-out.

Rating:  3 out of 5 salt & pepper shakers



Phone number: 483-3554 / 403-2960 / 0917-992-7648 (pre-order for pick-up)
Address: 5921 A. Alger St., Poblacion, Makati City
How to get there: Som's Google Map