First love never dies... even the gastronomic kind

This was originally a much MUCH longer post, but I decided to cut it into two. Yes, sa lagay na 'to, this is already an "edit-down". Check back within the week for what would have been the post's second half.

My life changed sometime in the middle of high school when my parents dragged the family to a then newly opened restaurant on the fourth floor of the then newly opened SM Megamall. (Back then, Megamall was still a place you'd go to for a pleasant meal.)

I did NOT want to go. At the time, my gastronomic adventures extended as far as burger-and- pizza-land. And despite knowing I was neither a soup-eater, noodle-eater, nor exotic-stuff eater, my parents had ordered soup and noodles and other dishes I'd never heard of.

But I guess there's something about nicely decorated restaurants that makes you more open to trying food. And this restaurant, Sukhothai, was a nicely decorated place. Wood carvings and rich purple fabrics and mosaics of bits of colored glass that reflected light. So I tried the food.

A blinding flash of light and a heavenly chorus somewhere in the background, and with that meal my love affair with Southeast Asian food began. Starting from Thai food, it gradually expanded to include Malay, Singaporean, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisines. (Though as my friends know, it's always mysteriously eluded Philippine food, haha.) Up until today, nothing makes me happy the way curry, satay, phad thai, kway teow, rendang, and roti prata do.

Unfortunately, over the years, Sukhothai's prices got higher, and the quality of food went down. James and I would go to Banana Leaf Curry House, Penang Hill, and Krua Thai instead. Still, when Sukhothai closed its branches in Glorietta and Megamall a few years back, there was a certain sadness. How could I not feel sentimental about the place that started it all?

Now some days ago, while looking for a caterer for our June 9 event (more on that in another entry), a friend offered to give me a caterer's number. "No," I said, "I'm already getting Banana Leaf for the event." And she said, "Oh, okay." ...then added, "Kasi this caterer is the former owner of Sukhothai."

Oh. My. God.

I leapt at the number, called the next afternoon. Her name was Mrs Rose Garcia, and she was indeed the owner of the former Sukhothai (which, she said, was forced to close due to the malls' prohibitive rental fees). I just had to tell her: "Your restaurant started my love for Thai food."

Mrs Garcia and I stayed on the phone for 30 minutes. Apart from discussing the event, she told me about the new restaurant she opened last October: Thai Pad. It carries Sukhothai favorites, but now targeted office workers around Pasong Tamo. She invited me Thai Pad for dinner the next day. But I was too excited to wait -- James and I pulled up in front of Thai Pad that evening.

It was nowhere near as elaborately decorated as Sukhothai. Flat lighting, brightly painted walls, none of the carvings or fabrics. But after looking at the menu, I couldn't complain. Old familiar favorites from Sukhothai, but at less than half the old prices! Phad thai noodles for P95, chicken pandan at P31 per piece, tom yum goong soup for P86. Even the rice meals -- both with plain and fried rice -- were mostly less than P100.

After closing its branches in Megamall and Glorietta due to prohibitive rental fees,
Sukhothai is back -- at much lower prices! DAMN THOSE MALLS!

James and I ordered Thai iced tea, tom yum goong, phad thai, spring rolls, and of course chicken pandan. Honestly, I hadn't let my expectations get too high. With those prices, the servings would have to be too small. Or they might have cut back on ingredients and flavor. But each dish proved me wrong as it came. It was delicious thai iced tea; the old tom yum goong we loved; the same phad thai, in the same old very generous serving; the same flavorful spring rolls; and the same juicy chicken pandan with half-grilled corn kernels adding to the flavor and texture.

Mrs Garcia gave us a few complimentary dishes too, so we could try more items in her catering menu. We had chicken in crispy cups, which was ground chicken with corn kernels and shredded carrots in what seemed like tortilla cups (of course they weren't tortillas because it's a Thai restaurant, and how the hell should I know I just eat the stuff); takoh rice cakes (another old favorite, still as gooey as ever); and Thai halu-halo.

Happiness is a big bowl of hot, aromatic, spicy tom yum goong...
especially when it's only P86!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal, and our orders came up to less than P500. Not bad at all, especially compared to places like Som's which say they have good cheap Thai food, which I find is cheap but not all that good. Definitely a place I would go back to, and even bring friends to. In the future, I can just order phad thai and a piece of chicken pandan -- a satisfying meal that would come up to just P126.

Getting reacquainted with an old flame: Sukhothai's phad thai.

Just before James and I left the restaurant, I again told Mrs Garcia -- rather, Tita Rose, as she told me to call her -- how happy I was that Sukhothai was back with much lower prices. I told her I'd tell all my friends about it, to which she gave me an effusive "thank you."

So here I am blogging, and telling my readers (yes, I have readers, imagine my surprise!) to go and visit Thai Pad. You've never had cheap Thai food this good. :)

Thai Pad is at the corner of Pasong Tamo and Herrera, on the ground floor of a building whose name I forget... it's the same building with the Canon service center, across Hererra from Shell and across Pasong Tamo from Goldilocks. They're open Mondays to Saturdays from 11 AM to 9 PM. Call them at 815 1329. They also cater for a minimum of 20 people at only P290 per head, a steal considering it's 7 dishes -- just look for Tita Rose.