For those heading to Thailand, I always recommend eating local. That is, to avoid eating in restaurants – fancy or not – and try grabbing Pad Thai, for example, from some Thai karinderya or those street vendors in Silom or Chatuchak or wherever. Tourist-centric venues tend to dilute their flavors to accommodate non-Thai taste buds. But Thai cuisine is very distinct, and toning down these flavors remove their being Thai food in the first place.
@outragemag Looking for #thailand #Thai cuisine in #Tanay, #Rizal? We #LGBT checked #KamalaCafe ♬ original sound Outrage Magazine
This diluting of flavors is what’s common when you find Thai restaurants in many parts of the Philippines. And so the discovery of Kamala Café in Tanay in the province of Rizal was… admittedly, a pleasant surprise.
Una, going to the place is challenging for those who do not have private vehicle/s. It isn’t exactly near Metro Manila, and public transportation is hard to come by there.
Ikalawa, make use of the guides in front of the venue. This is essential because this is in some compound, and you may find yourself in the neighboring seafood restaurant instead. This is also important because the narrow path leading to the restaurant can get slippery when wet. You’d need someone to tell you to go slow, go slow…
Ikatlo, the restaurant itself is… modern rustic. You get open-air seating with not-bad views of the largely untouched mountain ranges. But be warned that the place can get cold, and – when raining – water just pours in.
Ika-apat, the people working there were better-than-okay naman, not just knowledgeable about the restaurant and its offerings, but provided requested services (e.g. move the food to another table for the shoots).
Ikalima, how was the food?
- The Som Tam (₱235) was, actually, Thai-tasting: fresh veggies used, better-than-okay dressing, and so on. If there’s an issue – a very tiny one – it’s the puwede pa to add more oomph by adding more palm sugar and fish sauce. But, yeah, we’d take this over all the papaya salads we’ve so far tried…
- The Pad Thai (₱325) was a win for me. It’s hard to find one that tastes like those offered in the streets of, say, Bangkok, and this one’s almost there.
- The not-skinny slices of Satay Chicken (₱365) were properly cooked naman, so that’s good. An issue, for Arthur, is that this is “nothing special”. BBQ chicken lang siya.
- Tom Yum (₱475) was – indeed – spicy and tangy, but it was also runny.
- The drinks were the disappointment – e.g. selling for ₱185, the Hot Koko tasted like Ovaltine lang.
Tanay isn’t exactly easily accessible to all, so if you decide to eat at Kamala Café at all, you have to be willing to allocate time, money, et cetera, which everyone is not willing to do. But yeah… this one’s a better-than-okay choice, indeed, for a Thai restaurant. So check out if able to.
But off we go to search for more lafangan venues…
Kamala Café is located at KM54 Marilaque Highway, Brgy. Cuyambay, Marikina-Infanta Highway, Tanay, Rizal.
