foodie – noun | food·ie | ˈfü-dē : a person who enjoys and cares about food very much (Merriam Webster)
I guess I am a foodie. Or maybe I am just always hungry.
Acquiring myasthenia gravis gave me a tangible reason to believe that indeed life’s too short and that I should enjoy each and every moment of being alive and go for adventures. My intubation experience in 2013 when I had to eat through that little hose attached to my nostrils made me think of all the food I wanted to eat but couldn’t, and god, what if I couldn’t swallow food for the rest of my life? I got too scared it’ll happen to me again (God forbid) and so I vowed to myself I’m going to do everything in my power to indulge in food (a confession of a girl who likes to eat).
Lately, I’ve been taking myself out on a date on weekends just to give myself a pat on the back for the great job I did during the week that just ended (not just for being able to survive but also for being a productive hoe and sometimes for doing a kick-ass job at work) because I believe we all need reassurances like that. Then there comes that food adventure. My recent explorations in food and dining allowed me to discover two restaurants that offer authentic Thai cuisine (or so they say), and they’re the perfect answer if you are craving for tropical taste but want something else aside from your usual Filipino chicken curry.
Nara is a not-so-newly opened Thai restaurant in SM Megamall Fashion Hall (I think they opened April of last year) and Soi has been there forever (I think? I mean, I don’t know). I went to Nara first, their fancy-looking interior made me ask for a table for one despite the fact that the place looked like it was meant for family dining. I wasn’t able to take pictures of the place because I don’t want people to be weirded out. Who am I kidding? Of course I didn’t manage to take pictures because I suck at it.
So I got the tom ka gai – it’s basically chicken in coconut soup with hints of ginger and lemon which made it heavenly. I also had the khao pad kapi, your typical bagoong (shrimp paste) rice. The lemongrass water was also new to me, and it’s refreshing.
Soi, on the other hand, is more laid-back looking, kinda like in a fastfood but not really (if you know what I mean?) The food prices aren’t remarkably lower compared to Nara, but I must say the flavors are competitive enough. I decided to order the same things I got from Nara, from the main dish down to the drink and it was an absolutely great meal too.
I got the same things except that Nara has better chicken in coconut soup. Rice are both good, and so as the lemongrass water.
The servings from both are good for two people at least, so if you plan to go there by yourself, be sure to bring reusable containers for leftovers. It would be best though if you’d dine with someone close to you because there’s nothing more awesome than spending time with someone over good food and smart conversations.
When was the last time you treated yourself out on a date? What did you do? Let’s talk about it in the comments section down below. 🙂
xo