Since 1957, Coca Restaurant has been passing the good taste of Chinese-Thai cuisine from generation to generation. Thailand being Coca’s home country, the influence of dishes are mainly Thai, with a twist and mixed flavors of Chinese cuisine. It’s a trick that Coca started and continuing as they expanded from Thailand to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and other Asian countries. Now, we are proud that Coca Restaurant is in the Philippines for already a year.

I never had the chance to visit Coca when I was in Thailand almost 4 years ago. It’s not too late for me to experience Coca, isn’t it? At the top floor of SM Aura, I brought O with me to celebrate the 1st year of Coca Restaurant in Manila.

My first question to Coca was, “Is the paper edible?” Mr. Teng, the president of Mother Spice Food Corp., smiled and answered me “no.” I was actually serious with my question since the picture of White Rabbit candy butt in to my mind after seeing the paper dishes.

Coca Chicken in a Paper Bag is one of Coca’s signature appetizers. Diced chicken packed inside pockets of parchment paper fused with herbs and spices. The use of paper wraps works to deeply sink in the flavors of spices to the chicken. The steam from the chicken slowly crawled to my nostrils. I instantly loved it by the smell alone.

Thin slices of roasted duck, cucumber and watermelon were very evident. A refreshing salad I wouldn’t want to miss out.

I turned to Seafood Durian Spring Roll with a very curious look on how durian will work out with seafood in a roll. I kept silent while I was astonished finishing my roll. Sharp combination of flavors I enjoyed at Coca.

Conservatives might want to keep it simple. Roast Chicken with Khao Man Gai Sauce is present for those who want to rest from strong Thai and Chinese spices.

At a glance, the color seemed odd to me. I learned not to judge any dish by the way it looks alone. The sweet and sour pork might have the orange complexion that looks unnatural but the taste swept me away with its traditional Chinese sauce and tender breaded pork.

Emperor’s Platter with Khao Tom (Php 2,750+) Rate: 4/5

I was already stuffed then I saw a huge platter with assorted meat, seafood, vegetables and glass noodles. It may look pricey but a platter could fit a family of 3-5. Coca has hot pot divided in 2 types of soup. One is tom yum soup and the other one is the regular chicken broth. Hot pot experience won’t be complete without asking for a small bowl of their Suki Sauce, the famous sauce of Coca that keeps their customers running back to them.

To give more justice to Thai and Chinese cuisine combined, I tried their Live Steam Garoupa with Lime Sauce. Strong spices of lime, chili and basil blended with the fish. All flavors give a nice touch to how Coca plays with all their Asian flavors.

Deep fried and crunchy glutinous rice scattered with peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar. Galorgee dessert is too gorgeous! The crunch texture adds enchantment to the dessert.

From a small restaurant in Thailand, Coca has expanded to more branches all over Asia giving it a more modern look and sophistication. Privacy inside numbers of couches to choose from. Outside the indoor restaurant, Coca recently opened a bar outside by the SM Aura garden serving their Coca cocktails and snacks to munch. At night, Coca Bar is a place to hangout with a couple of drinks if you want the breeze of Fort area while at the roof of SM Aura.

The unique and creative flavors of Thai and Chinese cuisine placed Coca in a state of being known not only in Thailand but also in the Philippines. I’m planning my next visit to Coca when I visit SM Aura soon.How about you?

Have you tried Coca Restaurant?
Share with me your thoughts! 🙂

Cheers,

Location: 5/F Sky Park, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway corner 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Operating Hours: 10:00am-10:00pm
Contact: (+63 2) 955-2022, (+63 917) 813-9760
Website: http://www.coca.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/COCArestaurantPH
Twitter: @COCAPhilippines
Instagram: @cocarestaurantph
Budget: PHP500++
Rate:

Food	9/10
Ambiance	9/10
Service	8/10
Cost	8/10
Overall	8.5/10