Cili Padi is pronounced “chili padi”, not silly putty. C in Bahasa is equivalent to “ch”. In Filipino, it is siling labuyo. Bird’s eye chili. I don’t know much about the restaurant other than it is Malaysian-owned. According to a blogsite, HalalLivingThailand, a “Mr. Azizan Ibrahim, a Malaysian national and owner of this restaurant, got the idea of started [sic] Malaysian restaurant in Bangkok while is [sic] was on his first visit to Bangkok and failed to struggle [sic] to find availability of is [sic] native food in Bangkok.” And the branch of this restaurant chain, Cili Padi, opened in Makati just last March this 2015, at 2777 F. Zobel Street in the Poblacion area. It’s located in a building at the side of Makati City Hall, behind the controversial parking building.
The restaurant stands out bright and cheerful in the almost-seedy neighborhood. Inside, the space feels unfinished still and sparsely furnished, as it just opened about a month ago, but airy and white, thanks to the large windows. It’s really more like a clean and modern cafeteria. The chef is a young Malaysian Muslim and all the ingredients they use are supposedly 100% halal. He prepares the roti on a griddle on the sidewalk. Beside him, his assistant pulls the tea for teh tarik (or “pulled tea”, a hot milk tea beverage popular in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia) or teh ais (iced tea). They are sort-of like a roadside attraction, drawing in curious passersby. The prices are very reasonable and the dishes are very well-presented, despite the simplicity of the homecooked dishes.
They also do delivery via 2121212 Twoanyone. Check the restaurant out on its facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cilipadicorp. It also has stalls at the Legaspi Sunday Market.
A Bouche Amused 