This restaurant has many things to love, from its charming retro-ish décor done mostly in purple and pink to the pleasant alfresco terrace overlooking the lagoon, but don’t expect to savor the food from heaven like its moniker suggests—even the signature dishes don’t justify the prices, let alone its divine title. Manna takes pride in its traditional cuisine, with a focus on the Sukhothai cooking style, so it is no surprise to see a few old-fashioned dishes like mee krob (sweet crispy noodles) and kanom bueng (crispy crepe with coconut and shrimp filling) marked as signature dishes. An enormous letdown, Manna’s signature mee krob seemed to be whipped up ages ago. It arrived at our table half soggy, half crunchy, wholly oily and unforgivably cold. Kanom bueng was a better bet since it was freshly made in grandma's pan, but spare 20 minutes for the kitchen to prepare it. The rest of the menu doesn’t offer any deviations from the norm—a familiar selection of western-friendly Thai favorites with some spaghetti dishes thrown in for variety. Note that there are two menus—one with descriptions of the dishes and prices and the other with only pictures. Stick to the first one or else you may end up unintentionally spending B200 for a bowl of tom yum noodles. Though portions are pretty hearty, the presentation and taste of the dishes are average. And like its setting, Manna’s food is relatively sweet. The almost tender grilled beef sirloin, which would have been better off with spicy Isaan-style jaew sauce, was instead accompanied by sugary tamarind sauce that only diminished the already minimal flavors of the meat. And really, at this price, you deserve more than lackluster “sirloin.” Tom khaa salmon provided the much-needed tanginess to the meal. Though the galangal soup was not spectacular, there was a decent amount of chunky salmon in the bowl. Another safe choice is Manna Spicy Salad, a nice marriage of fresh seafood, crisp veggies and slices of boiled egg with a pleasant chili-paste-based sauce.Our verdict is that Manna is a pleasant spot to unwind over desserts and wines, and its farang-friendly food also makes it a good place to take your visiting friends for Thai Food 101, but if you are looking for a true good-value, scrumptious meal, consider other places.
