Ever since it opened its doors in 2008, Azuthai has been a proud bastion of both traditional and contemporary Thai cuisine. In 2017, Chef J Gamboa and his sister, Malu Gamboa-Lindo, were happy to be recognized by the Thailand Ministry of Commerce with a Thai Select Award. This award is handed to a few Thai restaurants here in the Philippines, a testament to their dedication and attention to quality and authenticity, as recognized by the Thai government.

With Chef Leo Patcharobon heading the Azuthai kitchen, I joked how Azuthai has been operating under the sign of Leo. And when you factor in how those born as Leos are known for their leadership, creativity and generosity, it doesn’t really matter when Chef Leo’s actual birthday is, as those are three qualities she has in abundance. And as regular customers of Azuthai, we can be extremely grateful for that.

The special lunch arranged early in the year was to present a bevy of Thai dishes that Chef Leo was introducing to the Azuthai menu. This early, I can say they’re all worthy additions, but as will always be the case, some are worthier than others, so join me on this culinary journey.

First up was a traditional Thai snack that Chef Leo explained was originally meant only for royalty. This was the Miang Kham snack of ginger, galangal, lemongrass, red onion, peanuts, coconut, dried shrimp, chili, lime, betel leaves and dipping sauce. It’s the dried shrimp that carries this dish, as you stuff into your mouth the betel leaf that acts as a pouch for all these ingredients. The flavors literally explode, and while I’ve had versions of this in other Thai eating establishments here, the Azuthai/Leo version was both fresh and crisp. A great start to the lunch.

Next up was the Tuna Tartar, which consists of spicy tuna with mint leaves, shallots, kaffir lime and lemongrass. It’s all on a bed of lettuce, and I loved this for being spicy, while the drops of lime enhanced the flavor profile, making it distinctly Thai. I could have stuffed myself on this dish alone, it’s that good.

But it was good I restrained myself, as what followed was the Wagyu Beef and Tomato Salad, with onion and Thai herbs. Here, it was a combination of the tender slices of beef and the juicy tomato slices, but this was like an upgrade of traditional Thai beef salad, and this would easily be one of my top three for the afternoon.

The Crab and Fish Cake with red curry paste and sweet chili dipping sauce would be Chef Leo’s play on the usual shrimp or fish cakes. That she added cucumber to the sweet chili sauce was a great touch, as it made the dip familiar but different.

The Wagyu Beef Krapow, with long beans, chilies, basil and egg, would be a very popular dish for Filipinos. When we asked Chef Leo what Filipino dish is her favorite, she replied sisig, and even if she was in denial about it, this krapow strangely reminded a number of us of sisig.

The Creamy Tom Yum Carbonara, with Tom Yum cream sauce, fettuccine, prawn, squid and mussels, was more like a Thai version of seafood pasta, but with a creamy sauce. The Tom Yum aspect isn’t that strong, and I love the soup, so this is clearly for a minority who’ll want a pasta dish but with a Thai flavor profile that’s on the mild side.

The Chilean seabass with sweet fish sauce is clean, simple, and there is something rewarding in including a dish such as this, where the freshness of the seabass is what one takes home.

Here’s another early front-runner for favorite dish of the day. The Southern Style Chicken Rice has curry powder, turmeric, ginger, yogurt, and it’s accompanied by a sweet mint, ginger and chili sauce. This rice dish I have to bring my youngest son to try, as he’s constantly on the search for new rice dishes. And the sauce, it’s the best. I told the staff they should bottle this sauce and sell it, as I’d buy bottles to add to things like roast chicken, pork barbecue and so on.

The Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy with Chinese mushrooms was greens with tenga ng daga. It’s a wonderful vegetable dish and one I’d gladly order again to accompany the other Thai dishes.

For dessert, we had the traditional mango with sticky rice, and Bua Loy, which are rice balls with young coconut and coconut ice cream. They were both good, but honestly, I was stuffed by this point.

There are several winners with these new dishes from Chef Leo. They’re creative, they’re generous portions, and honestly, I’m more than ready to follow her lead. I’m already planning my next visit to Azuthai, when I’ll bring my three sons. Thank you, Malu and J, and Chef Leo.