OH MY GOODNESS!

One Boy Scout I Get To Visit... And Enjoy.

Photographed and Written by JUN REYNALES.

Sct. Lazcano, Near Tomas Morato, QC, Philippines, March 6, 2013 – I often enjoy camping when I was in my elementary school days. I also love the idea of traveling, even up to now... but not to travel these days and get stuck up in horrendous traffic in a car or even a bus.  Specially me, south-side based person, dreads the idea of traveling north of the Metro Manila.

But not with this boy scout. I decided to take the challenge and invite to Thaipan Restaurant.

I’m talking about Sct. Lazcano. Well, more of the street not the person, but more of that beautiful and quaint thai-themed restaurant named Thaipan. Thanks to its very energetic and busy owner – Mrs.Cora Padiernos – I opted and took my chance in heading north to check out the place on fine mid-week of March.

Admittedly, I’m not familiar in the vicinity of Quezon City thus resorting to check my computer and “googling” a satellite map of the area. Good. Now I got a mental-note of the landmarks and street grids. “Plan the trip, Follow the map” I said.

So off I went.

Arrived an hour past lunchtime. Yeah, blamed the traffic in EDSA. I found the restaurant and met Mrs. Padiernos. She’s very pleasant, amiable and a gentle lady. Albeit she had to beg off and hurried out (for some emergency meeting I supposed), she graciously entrusted me to all her wonderful restaurant staffs. They are, I found out, to be hospitable, gentle and knows all the food in their menu. All of them graciously assisted me and described to me all the food in the list. I admit I am a “dumb-dumber”-like as far as Thai cuisine is concerned. Despite that, they never faltered.

Well, the adventurer in me obliged. Chose this and that. Let’s see how it goes... and in the proverbial term, we crazy bunch would always say,”Bahala-na-si-Batman!”

Meanwhile I roamed arount the restaurant to check the whole place... from their restroom, their function rooms, the different dining areas... well, everything looks spic-and-span. Seems that everything is in the right place. Even the staffs are all very attentive (normally you don’t see them like that when the owner leaves the premises but this one seems to have good staffs), Nice.

I took some shots of the whole restaurant area. One thing noticeable, the design of the restaurant muffled the noisy streets outside. Perhaps because of it being located a few meters off from Tomas Morato? Or simply because the design of the place worked its wonders and made the place so conducive for a good intimate dining experience for family, friends or loveone. Whatever it is, I love it.

After a few minutes my orders arrived. Lo and behold, the food are intrinsically nice to looked at and shoot. Well, decided to do that first lest I miss having a good memory of them – before I devoured them. Completely. Hehe.

After a few munches and bites, one thing to say about the food that I’ve ordered – it is worth the traffic and my travel in a horrendous avenue otherwise called EDSA. Not sure how the Thais would say it, but us Filipinos... it’s simply, “Ang Sarap!”

After hurriedly took some good shots, I completely focused on feasting myself with all the delightful goodies served right before my very eyes. Each dishes, from the garlic fried rice, to the spring rolls, to the deep-fried chicken wrapped inside the pandan leaves, to that sumptuous beef with novelty-knotted string beans, and that deliciously-spicy soup festooned with shrimps, everything was perfect.

Now top that with their clean facilities – I tell you, in my 43 years of living, this is the first time I saw a restaurant restroom to be the cleanest. Shows well as it synched with the discipline of how the staffs are trained and performed it and gives a very good customer satisfaction. My personal experience that day I visited them was short of heavenly.

One thing is certain: my travel north to Quezon City was very well rewarded by the experience in Thaipan. Kudos and keep the satisfaction up – food, service and place – all good for me. Now I can say... well, you’re My Thai.  

Until my next adventure... Life is Good!