One of the reasons why Thai food is good is its consistency – i.e. you may be in Bangkok, eating off those house-turned-restos to serve lunch-going employees in residential area-based offices; or in an eatery off the main tourist roads of Pattaya; or ordering from ambulant food vendors somewhere in Phuket… but the food tastes similar somehow. Yep, there would be slight differences (perhaps due to availability of goods, contexts of the actual locations, and so on), but a Pad Thai is a Pad Thai is a Pad Thai.

This trait, this consistency, is what’s tricky when Thai recipes are prepared outside of Thailand. Because it makes it extremely easy to detect what claims to be Thai food, but doesn’t taste like Thai food at all.

Anyway… we checked one of the branches of Pad Thai Express, this chain of Thai restos all over Mero Manila. How was it for us?

@outragemag #LGBT checking Pad Thai Express’s treatment of #Thai cuisine as #fastfood ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, there are many branches of this business already, so you’re bound to find one that’s accessible to you. The one we visited is located inside Pilar Village in Las Piñas City, which has its own private security, meaning you may be mandated to leave an ID just to visit.

Ikalawa, the actual place isn’t grand… but it more than suffices since: it’s clean naman, has enough seats, and the air-conditioning was working during our visit. May parking pa nga eh.

Ikatlo, attentive ang staff – e.g. an admin officer was there when we visited, and she shared info pa on the owners, their branches, and so on. With small restos, kindness of staff matters as this always leaves a good impression.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• The ₱220 Thai Green Papaya Salad didn’t taste like som tam at all, as if some key ingredients were left out in the making of the sauce.
• The ₱370 supposedly highly-recommended Shrimp Tom Yum was okay naman… albeit the soup was on the watery side. At least malaman naman siya, with the shrimps not rubbery, so you know care was given in preparing this.
• The ₱225 Satay Chicken was… somewhat overcooked, so it was chewy, so that it tasted like BBQ bought from some street vendor (sorry…).
• The ₱345 Mixed Pad Thai was okay, though not something you’d write home about. Similar to the som tam, it tasted like a key ingredient was left out, so – while it’s supposed to be sweet, sour, salty, and savory with a hint of spice and nuts – this one wasn’t all that.

Yung gist, the name of the business ought to tell you the approach to Thai food here – i.e. “express”. This isn’t necessarily bad. But at least it’s a reminder to lower your expectations when here.

But off we go to search for more lafang venues.

Pad Thai Express – Pilar Village, Las Piñas Branch is located at Unit 4B of PDC Commercial, Pilar Rd., Las Piñas City, 1740 Metro Manila.

Tag-init, for many Filipinos, means finding the perfect halo-halo. You can just grab one from those street vendors; almost always, they’re the best. But for those without access to those off-the-street halo-halo vendors, the next best versions would be those from supposed halo-halo specialists… such as Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice, which – like Icebergs and Razon’s – eyes to be known for giving this Pinoy dessert a twist.

@outragemag #LGBT checking a #halohalo ‘specialist’ in #Manila to compare it with #Chowking, #Razons, and those from #streetvendors ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Kumusta naman ang experience sa Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice?

Una, this biz actually has sit-down venues – e.g. the one we checked in Santa Ana in the City of Manila. But exactly because they have to pay for a dining venue, they don’t just offer halo-halo, but also so-so Mexican food. At least the space isn’t bad naman, and allows you to enjoy your halo-halo away from the humidity outside.

Ikalawa, slight maingay ang staff – e.g. when taking orders from foodpanda, or when chatting with each other. Promise, disturbing siya.

Ikatlo, kumusta ang halo-halo and the Mexican snack? More particularly, we tried the ₱150 ube halo-halo and the ₱200 taco?

1. With the halo-halo, the winning element is supposed to be the shaved ice since timplado na, so may additional lasa. However… the shaved ice used here may not be lumpy as the one in Chowking, but it not as smooth as Razon’s either.
2. If eating at Razon’s, you know there’s not a lot of sahog. But here, even if you do get more, nothing was memorable.
3. Lasa-wise, the halo-halo was quite bland… even with all the sahog and all.
4. The three pieces of tacos were so-so, tasting more like some inuman venue’s beef nachos than anything else. Overloaded with fake-tasting cheese, this appears like someone’s false idea of what Mexican food really is.

If, in the past, we craved for halo-halo during summer when the heat becomes intolerable, nowadays, that halo-halo craving is now what’s normal. Climate change is real, for real. So Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice has a captured market na. But if you can find others pa rin… like those selling halo-halo in street corners, try them as well. You’re bound to be pleased more for less the price.

So off we go for more lafang venue search…

Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice is located at 2241 Syquia St., Santa Ana, City of Manila, Metro Manila.

Bulacan may be a big province, but tourists will – admittedly – have a harder time looking for places to visit here. Unless you’re into hard-to-reach natural wonders, or churches, churches, and even more churches.

There’s something surprising in Bulacan, though: that is, there are actually a lot of not-bad dining venues there… which was what led us to discovering Project Steak.

How was the place for us?

@outragemag Lost in #Bulacan and looking for okay #food? We checked the #steak #fishandchips of @projectsteakbaliwag in #baliuagbulacan for this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, Bulacan is a big province, so if you’re nowhere near Baliuag, you may find this place too hard to go to (particularly if you’re not driving). This is over an hour away from the City of Manila, passing through Obando, Bocaue, Guiguinto, Malolos, Pulilan, et cetera… so yeah, this isn’t the most accessible place to go to.

Ikalawa, the actual resto is actually small; seriously small. Luckily, there are two seating areas, so to speak. The resto itself has an airconditioned room that can only seat a handful; and a non-airconditioned area that it shares with Mimi’s, the café beside it. The airconditioning isn’t that cold naman, so staying outside may make sense particularly for those who are claustrophobic.

Ikatlo, keri naman ang personnel, able to explain what’s on the menu.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• The Fish and Chips (₱300) was actually good, comparative to those from delis in – say – some suburb in Australia. The fish wasn’t malansa, was properly battered, and was well cooked. The chips – or fries – naman were of good quality, not disintegrating to the touch.
• The Meatballs Tomato (₱250) was so-so; that is, the meatballs tasted nice, but the pasta was just too sweet. Ganito: If you added more pasta, the sweetness of the sauce would still overhwlem.
• The Signature Ribeye Steak (₱550) was a bit small, though not surprising considering the asking price. Ordered MR, it was properly done, with the meat still juicy. You don’t get a lot of accompanying veggies; though the eggs we ordered in place of the potatoes were well done.
• The Surf and Turf (₱650) was basically a Ribeye Steak… with grilled shrimps. For both steaks, if there’s a major comment, it’s the lack of seasoning. Yeah, you can just add salt and pepper; but it tastes different when meat is seasoned before or during cooking since nanunuot ang lasa. The mashed potato was too margarine-y, and so was so-so. The shrimps were good even if they were somewhat small.

Is it worth to dayo, to target Project Steak? If you’re nearby and are looking for affordable steaks, perhaps. The ambiance is good, the offerings are presented well (check the plating!), and so on. But if it’s too far for you, and if there are other options for the same price wherever you may be, stay there na lang. That way, walang sisi.

Otherwise, join us as we look for more lafang venues.

Project Steak is located along Doña Remedios Trinidad Hwy, Baliuag, Bulacan. For more information, contact 0939 708 7839 or 0923 631 2559.