Nakatikim ka na ba ng Thai?

isang simpleng gabi lang yun ng naisipan kong itext si Papi James Bon for dinner dahil may kailangan din akong ikonsulta sa kanya. napagkasunduan naming sa restaurant na lang nila ni Hottie James Wor (Wor na lang, ang hirap ispelengin ng last name nya eh! hee hee) sa greenhills kami magkita. ayus. actually, excited din akong i-try ang restaurant nila. mahilig din naman kasi ako kumain ng thai, lalo na kung medyo bata-bata at sariwa pa (ehem!). dumating ang araw ng nasabing dinner (kinabukasan, after namin magkatext ni Papi) at ako ay nagbyahe na papunta sa resto nila.

at sa pagkakataong ito, malugod ko kayong sinasalubong sa segment na tawagin na lang nating "The Boy Shiatsu Review" (o diba? unique na unique ang name! hahahaha!!)


Establishment: Thai Dara
Location: 58 Granada St., Valencia, Quezon City

stupid me, i wasn't able to take a picture of any of their signages! hahahahaha! (as for the other pics, pagtiyagaan na lang po. i'm not a pro photog at cp lang ang gamit ko!) hindi naman kasi planado ang pag-kritiko ko sa resto nila eh. dinner lang talaga dapat and chitchat, eh ewan ko ba, umandar na naman ang pagiging feelingero ko! ahahahaha! ayoko naman kumuha ng available pics online, copyright issues. mahirap na.

the place is not hard to find. kung galing ka sa ortigas area, bus ka lang papuntang quiapo (g-liner or rrcg) then baba ka sa kanto ng santolan avenue, yung may persian resto keme keme. then lakad ka lang kaunti papunta ng gilmore, at makikita mo na yung restaurant.

one thing i noticed when i got there is their super nice interiors. ang gandang mix ng thai and contemporary designs. i saw old pictures of the resto sa ibang blogs and i can say that their interiors now are a lot better compared to before. though it's kinda small (siguro, mga 25-seater lang yung baba. yung second floor naman, under renovation), making you accidentally hear whoever sits next to your table (like yung sa katabi kong table na ilang ulit tinanong sa waitress na "masarap ba to?" while ordering. ANG STUPID!!! alangan namang sabihin ng waitress na "hindi ma'am, hindi masarap yan. masusuka ka sa lasa nyan! sasakit ang tiyan mo! ikamamatay mo ang lasa nyan!" hahahaha!), it's still nice kasi it looks very cozy and relaxing, plus very homey. i took a seat na medyo malapit sa door.

that's the counter area from where i am seated, so medyo obvious na maliit lang yung place. but, look! there's Papi James and Hottie James talking to someone! yup, that's one more thing na nakakatuwa sa resto. the owners themselves eh nakiki-interact sa mga customers nila (although the one in the pic is a meeting talaga nila).

i find this really cute! they have a wall with pictures and signatures of their customers. actually, meron pang isang part ng wall na walang pics pero may mga signs and messages from patrons. isn't it fun kapag bumalik ka next time and then you will see your pic sa wall? makes you feel like a very loved customer.


how about thai karaoke?! dito, tumambling talaga ako sa tuwa! saang kainan ka makakakita ng thai karaoke? ang galing diba! and when i say karaoke, i mean it! the tv there shows thai music videos with lyrics in thai and romanized alphabet! so makakasabay ka talaga kung nasa mood ka! asteg!!!


and if the videoke is not enough thai for you, they have this wall filled with clippings from thai magazines. and, damn! some of the boys in the wall are super duper yummy! posters pa lang ng boys, busog na busog na ako! katapat na katapat ko pa naman itong wall na to. so concentrating on my food became a very difficult challenge for me during the night! hahaha!

a very friendly waitress (sorry teh, i forgot your name! peace) in a very cute modern thai outfit approached me and gave me the menu.


katuwa yung menu kasi may pictures talaga ng mga foods. hindi yung tipong nakakalulang words lang ang ginamit to describe the items. i'm a visual guy, so malaking tulong sa akin to sa pamimili ng oorderin ko... or nakatulong nga ba? sa ganda ng mga pics, nalito ako kung anong oorderin ko! gusto ko subukan lahat! pero, since dinner yun, ayoko kumain ng sobrang dami. so i decided na i'll go with the classic thai dishes muna, then yung iba, sa ibang araw ko naman ita-try. and, very noteworthy... SOBRANG AFFORDABLE NG MGA ITEMS NILA!!!

i started with Seafood Tom Yum Soup. they served it in a lalagyan na may maliit na gasera thingy sa ilalim so that the soup stays hot. amoy pa lang nito, super appetizing na! and the seafood servings are generous. i'm not an expert when it comes to thai food, but this one really felt thai to me. yung tamang combination ng anghang, ng asim, alat, at linamnam (di lang masarap, malinam-nam-nam-nam-nam!)... perfect! ang naging problema ko lang dito (together with the next dish) is ang dami ng serving! hindi sana sya problema kung hindi ako mag-isa. kaso, solo lang ako. though i still ended up finishing 2/3 of the soup and pina-take-out ko na lang yung natira.


Pad Thai, a classic thai noodles made of rice. to be honest, hindi ito ang first option ko ng oorderin as my main meal. i will go with chicken pandan and bagoong rice sana, kaso baka ma-oa ako sa busog at maging mas bloated pa kaysa sa normal ko. so i decided to order this na lang... at hindi ako nagsisi! wala akong pakialam kung isa lang yung shrimp (the other blogs kasi emphasized on it too much). masarap yung noodles! ang ganda ng combination ng crispiness ng nuts, ng lasa ng chicken, and the al-dente feel of the noodles. oil is just enough to make the noodles slide in your mouth without feeling, er, slimy? basta! sarap talaga. pero, just like the tom yum soup, ang dami dami ng serving so hindi ko na naman naubos at pina-take-out ko yung natira.

Crispy Banana, aka Thai Turon, or Thuron! nabawasan ko na bago ko naalalang picturan! this is a very nice way to end the course. dapat i'll go with sticky rice and mangoes (aka Thai Suman, or Thuman!) kaso pakiramdam ko wala na talagang space sa tiyan ko for rice. pero the Thuron is not a bad choice din naman. tamang-tama lang yung luto ng saging, plus ang sarap ng combination nya sa ube ice cream! and, this time, naubos ko yung isang serving! hahaha!

Mint Lemonade ang drink ko for the night. nakakatuwa kasi may mint leaves talaga sya na pwede mong nguyain kung nasa tamang trip ka. really refreshing. the lemonade doesn't taste like powder lemonade, and the mint adds just the right oomph (naks! oomph!) to the juice, making it really refreshing.

yung bill ko is good for one while the servings are good for two (except the dessert and drink), ganun ka-affordable ang items nila. delicious foods, friendly and attentive attendants (nagugulat na lang ako, puno na naman yung water glass ko!), cozy ambiance... i must say, guys, that you SHOULD try this restaurant! i think even if you're not into thai foods, you will definitely enjoy eating at Thai Dara (i forgot! kapatid pala sya ni Sandara! hahaha! ang korni ko!)

ending the entry with the pic of the head chef, Hottie James Wor!