Behind AzuThai’s home-style Thai cuisine are chefs Watee Omanee and Bow Noomai. With family recipes in tow, the two ladies flew from Phuket to spice up (pun intended) the scene further and give Manila a taste of the food they know so well.

Chef Watee is at the helm of the hot kitchen, whipping up specialties such as Steamed Whole Apahap with Lime, Stir-fried Kale with Crispy Pork, and the Prawns with Glass Noodles in a Hot Pot. Her confidence and grace in preparing every dish reflects her extensive work experience. She invested 12 years in developing her skills at the luxurious Datai Langkawi in Malaysia. Starting out as kitchen helper, she fulfilled her duties diligently and proved herself worthy of bigger responsibilities. Her career also brought her to One and Only Resort in Reethi Rah, Maldives and to Movenpick Hotel in Glattbrugg, Switzerland. Being away all the time, she admits missing her homeland but she puts a huge value to the lessons she gains from working in other countries along with the independence that goes with it. And of course, the opportunity to promote Thai cuisine.

In AzuThai, her ideas and concepts are heard and she takes much delight in taking on the challenge of preparing her home grown dishes based on photos shown to her. She also enjoys sharing what she knows with the Filipinos she shares the kitchen with. Eyeing the recorder nervously, the 39-year-old chef discloses that it can get quite complicated during service time because she has to cook to suit the Filipino’s weaker tolerance for chilli and every table has a different requirement. “If it’s not spicy, I cannot eat it,” she volunteers her preference, possibly baffled about the Pinoy’s inclination. From her menu, her favorite is the Tod Man Goong (Prawn Cake with Sweet Spicy Dipping Sauce).

Chef Bow is in charge of the cold kitchen, the salads (such as Crispy Catfish Salad and Pomelo Salad) and desserts (Tapioca and Coconut Cream in Pandan Cups and Water Chestnuts with Coconut Milk) fall under her turf. “Little by little,” she describes how she built her culinary background. She used to hold a job at the Green Man Restaurant in Phuket. Everything she knows, she studied from watching and practising. And I guess when the flavours course through your veins, it’s all just comes naturally.

Moving to Manila, she had to learn to speak English. “Not so good, but getting better,” she beams while relating that she keeps a dictionary handy so she can easily look up words she does not understand. She also revealed with pride that she can now cook Sinigang, though among the Filipino dishes she has tried, she enjoys the fried boneless bangus the most. As she is trying to pick up local cooking, she is also brushing up on her native fare, going beyond the cold dishes and learning from Watee the techniques of preparing the main dishes. She realizes the importance of continuously improving her craft. While she enjoys living in the Philippines, she dreams of travelling to other countries and expanding her knowledge further.

Despite the language barrier, the two chefs got their message across. Clearly, both ladies are devoted to what they do. “I think this is better than any other job. When we cook, we make everyone happy. If everyone’s happy, we’re also happy,” Chef Watee sums up sheepishly.

ONE of the most favored vacation places in the Southeast Asian region has always been Thailand. Its gentle smiling people, gleaming Buddhist temples, bargain-basement shopping, and affordable accommodations have continued to attract tourists in droves.

According to Dave de Jesus, Philippine representative of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there has been a steady increase in arrivals from the Philippines since the year 2000, “especially in the past three years. One of the three main reasons they love to travel to Thailand is because of the food, shopping and value-for-money. We have a yearly average of about 60-percent repeat travelers from the Philippines.”

So it should be no surprise that most Filipinos have also developed a liking for the healthy spicy-sour-sweet-salty Thai dishes prepared with only the freshest ingredients by competent cooks whether in a street corner or a restaurant in some five-star hotel. Essentially, Thai dishes, whether it be chicken, pork or beef, use basic elements such as fresh herbs and spices, fish paste, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, curry pastes in varying degrees of spiciness, and lemongrass. All are best enjoyed with a hearty serving of fragrant jasmine rice.

Here in Manila, I currently get my Thai food fix from Azuthai in Makati.

Owned by the warm and welcoming siblings Chef J. Gamboa and Malu Gamboa, this restaurant for the past two years has been hitting the right notes among its diners with its innovative yet soulful take on basic Thai dishes.

According to Malu, they decided to open a Thai restaurant because of the dearth of such an establishment in their vicinity. There are at least 30 Japanese restaurants along A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road) and nearby Pasong Tamo Extension, but very few Thai restaurants in the area. She added that they also considered what cuisine would “complement and not compete” with the other restaurants in their Milky Way building, which houses Milky Way (Filipino), Tsukiji (Japanese), Circulo (Spanish) and, previously, Azuma-ya.

While J. is a much-accomplished chef in his own right, having graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, he says the complexity of Thai cooking convinced him to just “leave it to the experts” to do the cooking. Thus, Azuthai has resident chefs Bow and Watee from Phuket, heartily serving up their fresh take on a number of typical Thai dishes.

My personal favorites are the comforting tamarind soup with crispy fried seabass, lemongrass, tomato and chili (Tom Klong Pla Krop); the crunchy shrimp cake with sweet-spicy dipping sauce (Tod Man Goong); the crispy duck salad with shallots, spring onions and tomatoes, chili and tamarind dressing (Yam Ped Grob); the very tender Massaman lamb curry with shallots, potatoes, peanuts (Massaman Gaeh); and a healthy steamed whole boneless apahap with lime, fish sauce, garlic, coriander and chili (Pla Naeng Ma Naw).

The chefs have also put a gentle touch to a Filipino staple, Baby Crispy Pata, with a choice of two Thai sauces—red and green. I prefer the red sauce which is basically sweet chili sauce with a slightly sour note due to the addition of white distilled vinegar. Not to be missed, of course, are the reliable Thai desserts like mango with sticky rice (Khao Niao Ma Muang), and Thai-style halo-halo (Ruamit), the latter a must in this searing El Niño heat.

To achieve a level of honesty in each dish served, the chefs only insist on authentic Thai ingredients, nothing less. This could explain why Azuthai may be a bit on the pricey side. But it’s all worth it, as repeat guests seem to agree, as the consistency of the cooking still surprises me to this day.

The restaurant’s remarkably calm ambiance, attentive staff, thoughtful décor and clean restrooms are also pluses to what I call sincere cooking, where the dishes embody the heart and spirit of the gentle Thais. .

AzuThai is located at the ground floor of Milkyway Building, 900 A. Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Road) and Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For reservations, call 817-6252 and 813-0671.

THERE’s something very exotic about Thai food that makes it intriguing. Every dish is complex; it’s never just a butter and bake routine. A spoonful would usually give you five flavors all at once: a blast of sour, a follow through of spicy, a tender tempering of salty or bitter and an end note of sweet. All that in a bite, served with a smile and a little nod, with hands folded in prayer position, as if to say, “Oh Goddess, we have prepared this meal especially for you.” And because each meal is so intricately complicated, you do kind of end up feeling very special. It’s not like they just grilled the ingredients, arranged it on a plate and served it with vinegar, toyo and a wink with matching, “Masarap yan (it’s good)”. The dishes seem to have been very meticulously prepared and procedure-laden. A bit of reverence is due.

For such awesome flavors, Bangkok has become a food destination. The street food has gained as much cred as the shopping bargains. Now, the world over, tom yam and pad thai have become familiar favorites. This recent appreciation for Thai cooking, thanks to many travels to Bangkok, prompted siblings Malu and J Gamboa to convert their Japanese ramen house Azumaya to Thai restaurant Azuthai. True to form, they are bringing in not only authentic Thai ingredients but also a couple of Thai chefs.

The Thai chefs are Tip and Bow, obviously nicknames because, according to Chef J Gamboa, their names are as complicated as their cooking. But their experience is extensive. In a phone interview, Chef J Gamboa said that Chef Tip has worked at the Dusit Hotel in Dubai, as well as in Switzerland and the Maldives, while Bow trained in Phuket, bringing a different angle to her Thai cooking because apparently in Phuket, the cooking is even more spicy! And spicy the menu is. My mellow Filipino tongue has always had to specify just mild levels of spice. For certain viands, I had to speed up sipping the milk-infused Thai iced tea. Like my experience with the Gai Kra Prow, Thai-speak for stir-fried minced chicken. This has chili and basil leaves that give a wow-effect because, cliche as it sounds, the flavors do burst in your mouth. After a few bites though, I noticed that it was getting spicier and spicier, with me drinking more and more Thai iced tea. Of course, later on I realized I had bitten into the chili, mistaking it for sitaw (string beans)—hello!

The secret for the burst of flavors is the number of ingredients. “There are so many ingredients,” Chef J shares. “One dish could have as little as five, but it’s usually 10 to 15 ingredients.” Plus the preservation of the freshness of the vegetables. “They try to preserve the freshness, the crunchiness of the vegetables. If you notice, the peppers and the sitaw are very crunchy and bright and fresh-tasting. This is one of the distinctions of Thai versus Western cuisine, where vegetables are, for example, caramelized (losing some of their original flavor).” Take the soup, the classic Tom Yum Goong. This could be your ordinary bouillaibaisse or sinigang—seafood and broth with some veggies and spices—but the Thais up the ingredients another level. If for bouillabaisse the secret is saffron, fennel seeds, and orange zest and for sinigang the guava or the tamarind, the Thais throw in lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and coriander. The result is the culinary irony of a soup that is refreshingly spicy. Or the catfish salad. It’s less of an irony in its being refreshingly sour but it pokes you with strong flavors nonetheless. The bagoong fried rice is refreshing (from the green mangoes) and salty (from the bagoong). Or the other fish (at Azuthai, they use apahap). A crispy apahap is seasoned with garlic and black pepper while the steamed version is served in lime, Thai patis (fish sauce), garlic, coriander and chili.

Of course texture is not left behind. At Azuthai, the softness of the egg on the pad thai is appreciated against the crunchy peanuts. I especially appreciated, however, the Baby Crispy Pata, where the skin of the pork was very thin and crisp, and underneath it was this super soft layer of fat. Gawd! The same quality is achieved with the crisp whole apahap, where the softness of the meat is only highlighted by the crispness of the skin. The great thing about Azuthai, however, is that whereas Bangkok street food is all the rave, here it’s all served in a beautiful, clean setting. Another great thing is that the servers are very attentive. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the owners “really make tutok the place” (watch over the resto).. They personally say hi to guests, as if welcoming each group to their own home.

Which completes the restaurant’s concept of serving “Thai home cooking”—it’s like they’re saying, “Welcome to my home, have a great meal.”

And you do. •

Azuthai Restaurant. G/F Milky Way Building, 900 A. Arnaiz Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Tel. nos. 817-6252 or 813-0671. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair access from main entrance (elevator from basement parking is very small). P1,500 to P2,000 per head but dishes are big enough to share. Reservations recommended but not required.

Tsukiji is not only one of the country’s most expensive Japanese restaurants, it is also in the Top 3 list in terms of taste and freshness of ingredients. Cirkulo is well-known for Spanish and continental cuisine and its elegant interiors. For Filipino comfort food like sinigang na baboy and laing, nothing beats Milky Way.

So what does one expect from a Thai restaurant opened by the Gamboas, the same family behind Tsukiji, Cirkulo and Milky Way? From experience, one can say it’s best to expect something different.

Most Thai restaurants in the Philippines serve modern or Royal Thai cuisine. AzuThai, on the other hand, offers home-style cooking.

‘‘You can expect straightforward Thai food served in a casual setting,’’ says AzuThai general manager J Gamboa.

Gamboa also admits that the restaurant can and will tweak the chili factor of the food for the spice-shy, one can also look at the menu and avoid the items with a star.

The Pad Thai, for instance, has chili on the side while the Baby Crispy Pata has spicy sauces served separately. And not everything on the menu is spicy. Fish or Shrimp Cakes (can be eaten as a snack or part of a meal), Fresh or Fried Thai Spring Rolls (simply delicious and a favorite of AzuThai regulars), Bagoong Rice (an honest-to-goodness one-dish meal); Crispy Boneless Apahap with whole garlic and black pepper; Crispy Catfish Salad (a fresh salad that even kids will love); Chicken Pandan (a mainstay of every Thai meal) and Pomelo Salad (a refreshing starter) are some of the chef’s recommendations. Except for the Fish and Shrimp Cakes and Pandan Chicken, which we did not try, everything in this list was either very good or excellent.

Gamboa says the family chose the name AzuThai by combining Azu from the name of their former Japanese noodle house Azumaya and Thai from Thailand.

They also brought in Tip and Bo, Thai cooks originally from Phuket, to work in the restaurant. J, his sister Popsie and two Filipino cooks even attended cooking school in Bangkok to familiarize themselves with Thai cuisine.

‘‘We felt there were too many Japanese restaurants in Manila and not enough Thai eateries,’’ says J.

AzuThai now occupies the same space where Azumaya existed for 16 years. By the usual Thai standards, the restaurant is minimalist in terms of décor and its interiors. The highlight is a red Buddha head by the entrance. A loan from a friend, says Malu Gamboa, one of the owners.

The interiors, done by Gary Coscolluela, are casual and homey. Earth-toned walls and wooden floors make you feel like you’re just visiting the house of a friend, who is an excellent cook.

But really, if one goes all the way to Makati from Quezon City at 8 p.m. on a weekday, it’s all about the food. The fried spring rolls are a good way to start the meal. Sôm Tam—spicy papaya salad with long beans, peanuts, tomatoes, chili and lime dressing—is a perfect starter because it provides contrasts in flavors and textures from the crunch of the julienned papaya and peanuts to the brine of the dried shrimps. A side dish of cabbage and cucumber slices is a respite if you can’t take the spice anymore.

A dish that will remind us that Thais don’t just look like us, they also eat like us is the Stir-fried Kale with crispy pork, which is called Pak Kahna Moo Krop in Thai, pork (it was cochinillo the night we dined there) resting on a bed of vegetables and covered in brown sauce.

A true test of a Thai restaurant lies in how its Tom Yum Goong or hot and sour prawn soup, tastes. Sadly, in many restaurants in Manila, they use instant pang-asim to sour the soup. Thus, the dish becomes overwhelmingly sour but AzuThai’s version combines spicy and sour with a bit of sweet. The large prawns are perfectly cooked and the dish looks, smells and tastes good.

Again, the desserts are reminders that Thais and Filipinos could be related. There’s the Thai take on the halo-halo but their version has water chestnuts; bananas in palm sugar syrup and coconut ice cream and mango with sticky rice.

The portions at AzuThai are good for two to three people, depending on one’s appetite and hunger. There are dishes for vegetarians and J says the restaurant will accommodate special requests, such as removing the shrimp from the papaya salad or the Pad Thai. But for purists, there are other choices like the Thai Vegetable Soup or Gaeng Liang; stir-fried morning glory with yellow bean paste or Pad Phak Boong and red vegetable curry with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and peppers.

AzuThai is located at the ground floor of Milkyway Building, 900 A. Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Road) and Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For details, call 817-6252 and 813-0671.

MANILA, Philippines—This is the foodie (alone or with company) who makes an unobtrusive entrance into an eating place, be it a fine-dining restaurant, a full-service eatery or a food-chain outlet.
The place is surveyed with a keen eye, initially noting its overall appearance (clean, bright, customer-friendly?), then finds a seat (led by a staff), choosing one not so far off, but away from the food station and the loos, possibly facing the entrance, to see who comes and goes.
Seated, he or she examines the menu as to what suits the moment’s craving, the pocket and the time that can be spent eating. Here is one Quiet Diner’s impressions of four restaurants.

Azuthai

Milkyway building, G/F, 900 A.S. Arnaiz Ave., Makati City (tel. 8176252). Resto name is coined from the former Japanese restaurant AzuMaya of the chain. Owner-manager J Gamboa is one of the most creative chefs in the country.
Dining area. The ambiance is fine dining but not quite intimidating—near-black interiors in dark brown plus spare but strategically distributed Thai décor. There is a private room for small groups. Staff. In neat uniforms, very attentive and gracious.
Service. Gamboa is present mostly during dining time, assuring efficiency. Suggested Meal. Starter of Peek Gat Yat Sai, Stuffed Chicken Wings (3 pcs), for P275 should prepare you for more delights. Or go for a plate of Tod Man Goong, Shrimp cakes (5 pcs), at P325.
Main courses. You can’t go wrong with authentically executed familiar dishes—Tom Yung Goong, hot-sour soup with lemongrass (P345); Phad Thai (P325), and Massaman Gael, lamb curry (P395).
Desserts. Try Khao Niao Ma Muang, Sticky Rice with Mango, and Tako, Tapioca with Coconut Cream in Pandan leaves.

Coffee (Lavazza), any blend P75.
Service charge at 10 percent. Prices inclusive of VAT. Seniors given discounts. Ratings:
1 spoon - only when no choice is available
2 spoons - Can be visited more than twice
3 spoons - listed among preferred restaurants

Old Spaghetti House -2 spoons
Rowena’s -2 spoons
Pancake House - 2 spoons
Azuthai - 3 spoons

For a fairly new restaurant, AzuThai is very promising. Only opening its doors last June, the family-owned-and-run business of siblings Chef J and Malu Gamboa has already been on track—treating its patrons to authentic home-style and classic Thai cuisine that is familiar and close to home.

Located at the Milky Way Building, the restaurant boasts a casual and comfortable ambiance that is sure to appeal to Filipinos. At a glance, you will notice the sleek and wooden feel of the interiors and the earthy tones of the furniture. The dimly lit space complements the bright and sun-lit view of Pasay Road, and so does its straightforward yet flavorful (and sinful) offerings. Designed by Architect Gary Coscouella, AzuThai does away with the elaborate and grand settings associated with Thai royalty and cuisine.
What makes AzuThai even more special is the preparation that Chef J, Malu, and their family wentthrough to put up their new venture. Deciding to renovate their Japanese noodle house, Azumaya, originally situated in AzuThai’s space, Chef J and her older sister Popsie as well as the two cooks from Azumaya flew to Bangkok for a six-day intensive cooking training.
"We went to cooking school in Bangkok for a week to familiarize ourselves with Thai cuisine and to know what ingredients our chefs [would] need in the restaurant," shares Chef J. "It’s the hardest cooking course I’ve taken. To cook Thai [food] is different and difficult. There are lots of ingredients [needed] just to make one dish, and if you make a mistake, you can’t fix it anymore," he adds.
That’s why although Chef J is one of the most-renowned chefs and restaurateurs in the country, he left the manning of the kitchen to two Thai chefs who graciously accepted his request for them to work in Manila. "Through my Thai chef friends, we met Tip and Bo, our Thai cooks, who are originally from Phuket," he says. "Tip has worked in the Maldives, in Switzerland, and in Dubai prior to joining us in AzuThai. Bo cooked in a Thai restaurant in Phuket. Tip is in-charge of the hot kitchen, while Bo takes charge of the cold kitchen (salads and desserts)."
According to Chef J, his chefs are very professional, clean, and orderly. "With this kind of cuisine, you have to be really organized or else it’s very hard to keep track," he quips. "There are so many components in Thai food—the sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. There are so many things going on."
Despite the many levels of flavor and aroma going on in Thai cuisine, the harmony of piquancy and subtlety is definitely not lost in translation with AzuThai’s gastronomic fare. Malu is proud to say that they do not use substitutes. "Almost all our ingredients are shipped in from Thailand, and our Asian herbs are freshly grown in our aunt’s farm." A good opening to a hearty meal is its shrimp cake with spicy dipping sauce. Golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside, the shrimp cake or Tod Man Goong is a staple in every table. Vegetarians and health buffs will drool over the fresh spring rolls with savory peanut tamarind sauce on the side (Poh Pia Paksot). Wrapped in rice paper, the rolls are very crunchy and infused with Asian herbs to leave the palate wanting for more.
You’ll love the hearty Peek Gai Yat Sai or Thai-style stuffed chicken wings. The pomelo salad with prawns, chicken, toasted coconut, and lime dressing (Yam Som O) is a treat. The tanginess of the pomelo and the lime vinaigrette matches the sweetness of the coconut.
Another good option is the original crispy duck salad or Yam Ped Grob. With fresh spring onions, tomatoes, chili, and tamarind dressing, the crispy duck is enveloped with tartness that is not too overpowering but has an interesting kick with the infusion of chili, onions, and fresh cilantro leaves.
For someone who loves spicy food, AzuThai’s genuine Tom Yum Goong is a must-try. A hot and sour prawn soup steeped in lemongrass, lime, and fresh coriander, its orange-y and reddish color is a preview of how highly spiced the soup is. It reminds one of sinigang na hipon, but with a more tangy and rich flavor. The Pla Naeng Ma Naw or steamed whole and boneless apahap with lime, fish sauce, garlic, and coriander is a filling dish to appreciate.
Try the baby crispy pata or Kha Moo Tod Grob with two Thai sauces for the main course. Particularly the green chili dipping sauce; it gives a whole new meaning to crispy pata. The sauce is not too spicy but not too bland to the palate—it has a more delicate level of spiciness compared to the red chili. And, yes, the Khao Kapi or bagoong fried rice is just a blessing.
Not to be missed are AzuThai’s selection of desserts. Choose from the water chestnuts with coconut milk (Tap Tim Krob), the Thai-style halo-halo (Ruamit), the bananas in palm sugar syrup and coconut ice cream (Gluay Cham), or the tapioca and coconut cream in pandan cups (Tako).
One more thing that makes AzuThai different is the hands-on involvement of J and Malu. Every day, they stay at the restaurant and keep up with the customers. You will never miss them keeping tabs with the diners and sharing heartfelt hellos and goodbyes to customers-turned-friends. With that dedication, there’s nothing left to say but "More Tom
Yum to that!"
AzuThai is located at G/F Milky Way Building, 900 Arnaiz Ave. corner Paseo de Roxas,
Makati City.

MANILA, Philippines—Who does not love crab with sotanghon? Don’t we all have specific dates set for Sun Moon along Greenhills just for it, no matter where we’re from?

AzuThai, the latest Thai restaurant in Makati offers Poo Ob Woon Sen—Thai Style Stir Fried Alaskan King Crab with Glass Noodles. A twist on the old-time Chinese favorite, equally delicious with giant meaty legs of Alaskan king crab and lots of wansoy, what a treat! Nice thing about crab’s legs, Alaskans specifically, is that you are spared the tedious peeling process, allowing you to get to the meaty part in no time.

Aside from Thai Style Crab with Sotanghon, also served are Poo Pad Pong Karee, Stir Fried Alaskan King Crab with Yellow Curry. Other musts on the menu are the pomelo salad, and the tom yum, which is very well done—nice, light and refreshing. The Fried Apahap with Garlic is yummy, too. Interesting is the Thai-style crispy pata with two dipping sauces, which are so good, one may as well drink them.

Food at AzuThai, under the highly skilled hands of their imported Bangkok chefs, serves Thai like no other. Congratulations to the Gamboas, who have managed to establish yet another superior place to dine and enjoy food as it should be. With the continued success of Milkyway, the family’s long-standing Filipino restaurant, and the superiority of Tsukiji, AzuThai will surely be a force to reckon with in Thai cuisine in the country.

AzuThai is at G/F Milkyway Bldg., 900 A. Arnaiz Ave. and Paseo de Roxas, Makati. Call 8176252, 8130671.