Eating at Soms Noodle House

This restaurant has always intrigued me and H. We’d always see this charming little place on our way to Power Plant, Rockwell. One December brunch, we decided to go for it!

Soms is a Thai restaurant. It’s carinderia-look makes it quaint and charming. There are tables and chairs inside, but it’s best to be seated outdoors, right along the street! Huge umbrellas keep your tables shady, so no worries about getting sunburn while you eat.

So here’s what filled up our tummies that day:

Pad Thai. One of my Som’s highlights! I enjoyed these Thai noodles a lot. It was flavorful and the serving was generous.

Garlic Beef. The meat was very tender, but I found the sauce too sweet for my taste. I’m not too fond of sweet viands that’s why. But if you are, then this dish would be perfect for you.

Tom Yum Shrimp. Som’s Tom Yum is mildly spicy. It was refreshing, but not for me. I like my Tom Yum hot, hot, hot! And again, the soup, like the beef dish, bordered on the sweet side. Why was this sweet? Sugar, coconut milk? Hmmm. It didn’t work for me. (So far, the Tom Yum at Secret Recipe is still my fave.)

Shrimp Fried Rice. Oh this was a winner! I enjoyed every spoonful of this. The rice was so tasty, but not too tasty that it would overwhelm the viands. Really good.

Fish Cakes with Chili Sauce. The fish cakes I found a bit dry and lacking in seasoning on their own, but I guess that’s what the chili sauce is for. We didn’t enjoy this very much.

Calamares. These deep-fried squid rings were absolutely delicious. They were so flavorful on their own that we didn’t use the dipping sauce anymore. Great nibbles!

Overall, the food was satisfactory. While I enjoyed the Shrimp Fried Rice and the Calamares, I was disappointed with the Tom Yum. I’ve heard so much about this place, so yeah, I did buy into all the hype. Sadly, I felt the food bordered too much on the sweet side. I missed the signature Thai kick and spice in most of the dishes. But that’s just MY tastebuds talking.

I enjoyed the ambiance. It’s a hole-in-the-wall place. No frills, no pretensions. I enjoyed that better than the food actually. We were there on a balmy Saturday so eating outdoors was great.

The price is reasonable. For all these dishes, we paid around P1,000. Not bad since the portions were quite generous too!

Next time… I’ll order the Milk Tea and their Red Curry. I’ll also try their Catfish Salad. Yup, we will go back another time. I’d like to give it another chance. But if the dishes are again really sweet, that’ll probably be the last time I’d eat there.

Soms is along Alger St., Makati. If you’re coming from EDSA, make a right on Estrella, turn left at Rockwell then right at Kalayaan. Alger St. is a little road right before the restaurant Grilla. If you’re coming from Makati Ave., turn to Kalayaan St. then make a U once you hit the end of the road (that’s a Bel-Air gate already). Then turn right before you hit Grilla. There’s parking near the eatery and a parking attendant watches over the vehicles.

One final note… do calibrate your expectations. I LOVE Thai food. When I heard SOMS was a place serving authentic Thai food that was reasonably priced, it sure got me excited! But the food was generally sweet, which didn’t make it Thai for me. So do still give it a try, but manage those expectations. I hope you enjoy your SOMS experience more than I did.

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.