ChawadiCup: A Sip of Thai Milk Tea

I hate that I could never resist milk tea. I always find myself in front of one whenever I go to the mall. My will power gets even weaker when I spot a boba brand I've never tried before. And such was the case when I saw ChawadiCup.

Hello, ChawadiCup.

ChawadiCup is a local concept inspired by the various fragrant teas of Thailand. 

Michelin Guide 2019: The Local, Thailand

One country that proved to be worthy to be part of everyone's travel list is Thailand. Aside from scoring the best bargain for cute outfits, Thailand is a wonderful place to go on a food adventure. And the first place we visited as soon as we landed was a Michelin Guide restaurant in Bangkok. 

Hello, The Local by Oamthong Thai Cuisine. 

The Local is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Bangkok which is about an hour away from Suvarnabhumi Airport. Its warm and quaint interiors alone makes it a favorite by locals as it creates a vibe of enjoying food at home. 

Flower Boy: Colors of Thailand in Manila

One of the stalls that opened early at The Grid is Tankchop XL which is now named as Flower Boy. Offering ginormous pork chop rice and picturesque Pad Thai, this stall experienced a lot of hiccups on its first few months of operations. Thankfully, it managed to get the groove of moving plates fast after some time. 

Hello, Flower Boy. 

Flower Boy is one of the first stalls you'll see if you circle The Grid clockwise. Located at stall #2, this kiosk specializes in Thai local fare and one of its signature dishes is its Pad Thai. 

First Bite: Muang Thai

I love Thai cuisine but it was my recent trip to Thailand that made me appreciate it in a whole new level. With its scrumptious and colorful food everywhere, I was tempted to go on a food crawl every day during my 2 week visit. Thankfully, we have a handful of reliable Thai restaurants in Manila to satisfy our Pad Thai, Tom Yum and Satay cravings. One establishment stood the test of time and has been delighting foodies for over two decades. 

Hello, Muang Thai. 

Tucked inside Teachers Village, Muang Thai has been serving scrumptious Thai dishes since 1996. Fast forward to 2018, it now has a new look but continues to offer classics that would tickle anyone's taste buds. 

When in Thailand: Krabi Island (Day 4 and 5)

Time sure flies fast when you're on a vacation. It felt like days went by as quick as a blink of an eye. Before we even realized it, we were about to leave Krabi and we were just not ready yet. But we tried to maximize our last full day with another island tour and checking out one of the highly rated restaurants in the island. 

Day 4 and 5 at Krabi Island

We decided to spend our last full day at Krabi checking out 4 Islands which is the tour recommended for those who prefer snorkeling over relaxing by the shore. 

When in Thailand: Krabi Island Day 3

August is one of Krabi's lean months due to unpredictable weather. We'd know as we got to experience it on our second day where we thought we were about to get stranded in a different island. Thankfully, Mother Nature cooperated with us on our third day and it was bright and sunny perfect for an island tour!

Day 3 at Krabi Island

R and I decided to book a Hong Island Tour from Aonang Andaman Resort & Tours. For 900 Baht (PHP1,440), we get to ride a speed boat to the island saving us more than an hour compared to taking the long tail boat. Also included in the tour fee are hotel transfer, lunch, beverages, use of snorkeling mask, insurance, and National Park Fee. Be extra careful when confirming with your travel agent if the package you are getting is all-inclusive as some would also offer the tour at the same rate but you still have to pay 300 Baht (PHP480) for National Park Fee. 

When in Thailand: Krabi Island (Day 2)

Don't you just love it when you don't have to rush in the morning? We had such start on our second day at Krabi Island. We headed out of our first hotel, Holiday Inn Express past noon and moved to another resort which is just a few steps away. 

Day 2 at Krabi Island

We decided to try Aonang Buri Resort which belongs to a group that also manages Buri Tara Resort and Blue Sotel. 

When in Thailand: Krabi Island (Day 1)

This 2018 has been a busy year for both R and I. Most, if not all, of our trips were work related. Though we get to manage to get a few days as "vacation", it was far from enough to be considered a relaxing trip. But this time around, we decided to extend our Thailand trip for 9 more days for us to visit Krabi. 

Hello, Krabi!

This island is the less popular counterpart of Phuket. A home to beautiful and unique limestone karsts with some ideal for rock climbing, Krabi is the perfect alternative for those who want a relaxing vacation. 

When in Cebu eat Thai food

We were pretty clueless as where to go during our first night in Cebu for Entrepreneur Networking Night the following day. To play safe, we decided to go to Siam, a Thai restaurant in Ayala Cebu. (Btw, Ayala Cebu was such a beautiful sight.)



Tom Yum

Some of my colleagues were brave enough to slurp down the Tom Yum Prawn Soup (PHP240) which never fails to make me choke till I cry. I tried it still since we all get a cup each and I still can’t finish a cup—not even one spoonful.

Finally the other dishes arrived. We also ordered Bagoong Rice (PHP180), Chicken Thai Yellow Curry (PHP220), Thai Crispy Pata (PHP330)—yes, apparently there is a THAI version, Sautéed Prawn in garlic (PHP220), and Chili Prawn (PHP230).

Bagoong Rice



Chicken Thai Yellow Curry

The Bagoong Rice was nothing spectacular. It doesn’t have a very strong taste and it worked for us since we also ordered curry. The Chicken Thai Yellow Curry on the other hand was delicious. I’m not very fond of curry and this one doesn’t have the strong taste (and smell) of curry. It was just right. It reminded me of Simply Thai’s version. It was really good. Moving on.

Sautéed Prawn in garlic

 

Chili Prawn

The Chili Prawn and Sautéed Prawn in garlic were goooood. The prawns were big and fresh. I prefer the Chili Prawn over the one sautéed in garlic as it was richer in flavor. What made me in love with it was that it wasn’t very spicy. In fact, it was quite mild. The one in garlic was like your typical dampa type. Fresh and garlicy.

Thai Crispy Pata

Lastly, the Thai Crispy Pata. Well, it tasted like… crispy pata. Crispy skin, tender meat, really good with soy sauce with some onions.

Too bad there’s no Siam in Manila. But now I have more reasons to frequent Ayala Cebu on my next visit.