Thai chefs brings home recipes to BGC restaurant
MANILA, Philippines — Beneath the Shangri-La at the Fort hotel in Taguig's Bonifacio Global City is a relatively new Thai restaurant attracting customers for its take on popular dishes catering to Filipino appetites.
Sabai, which borrows the Thai word for "comfortable" or "relaxed," has 18 chefs working in the kitchen, many of them who have trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in Thailand.
Six of the chefs hail from Thailand itself, and the the helm is Puwadol Assavadathkamjorn, fondly called Chef Tob.
"We have references from the many regions in Thailand, I've brought the best menu from each region to be served here," Chef Tob told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview at the restaurant.
The chef added that a hundred dishes were being decided on until many were cut down to the menu Sabai has today.
Familair dishes like Tom Kha Khai (coconut milk, galangal, and chicken) and Khao Pad Pu (crab fried rice) are among the selections, but some of the dishes are more personal for Chef Tob.
"I was born in south Thailand, but my mom is from the northeast and my grandmother is from the north," the chef shared. "So we have many inspirations from many regions because they cooked everyday."
Inspirations from the female figures in Chef Tob's family can be seen in the Som Tum Thai (salad with papaya, peanuts, lime, and chili) and Mian Kham Pla Yang (wrapped bites of smoky grilled fish, wild betel leaf, and other Thai condiments), both of them Thai-style spicy.
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Chef Tob noted that Thai people eat spicy food every day and their tolerance is higher than Filipinos — "It's like hell" he quips — so the kitchen brings down the spice levels that Pinoys may find more palatable.
"We chose a menu that has a lot of aroma," he added, signature examples being Lhon Pu (crab and coconut dip), Tom Yum Kung (spicy-sour prawn soup), and Nuea Yang Kluk Phoon (Wagyu beef with a toasted rice crust).
One dish, the Kanom Krok Na Hoi Shell, is a coconut pudding turned into a sour appetizer by being topped with a seared scallop.
Meanwhile, the curries have an option of being paired with jackfruit or prawn (for Kang Kua Kanoon Bai Cha Ploo, red curry), tender chicken or slow-braised beef silver shank (Kang Kheaw Whan, green curry), and pork or beef (nutty Panang curry).
Other must-try plates are Kai Ob Fang (marinated then hay-smoked chicken) and Khao Niao Mamuang (sweet sticky rice, mango slices, and mango sorbet).
Adding to Sabai's authenticity is that it import seeds from Thailand to be grown at a partner farm, and other key ingredients like kaffir lime leaf, betel leaf, and galangal.
Chef Tob acknowledged if the restaurant's name changed the "i" to a "y," it would become the Filipino word for "together," so having two meanings only furthered the decision to go with Sabai.
"Mostly for the feedback of customers, they will come back because being here will remind them that they've been to Thailand," ended Chef Tob.
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