When siblings Chef J Gamboa and Malu Gamboa-Lindo decided to open a Thai restaurant in 2008, they already set high standards for it. It was the new concept replacing the family's Japanese ramen house, Azumaya, which had its good share of customers from 1992 to 2008, and so, when the family changed the concept to a Thai restaurant, it kept the "nickname" of its predecessor for posterity and familiarity and took on the official name of AzuThai.

The Gamboas' restaurants — particularly MilkyWay Café, Cirkulo Restaurant and Tsukiji — are housed in one family-owned building at the corner of Arnaiz Ave. and Paseo de Roxas in Makati, and all of them are highly reputed. So AzuThai had to adhere to the same standards. It could not be just any Thai restaurant. It had to be the best, serving authentic Thai food prepared by Thai chefs using Thai ingredients.

These very qualities that AzuThai adhered to are the very same qualities that not only endeared it to diners but also earned it the distinction of being a Thai Select restaurant in the country. In September 2016, it became the first restaurant in the Philippines to be awarded the Thai Select seal of approval by Ministry of Commerce, The Royal Thai Government. It is a mark of certification awarded by the Thai government to guarantee authentic Thai taste in the food that the restaurant serves. In short, it means that the restaurant comes highly recommended.

And highly recommended, indeed, are AzuThai's roster of dishes. All classics that diners will look for in a Thai restaurant are present, including Pad Thai (stir-fried flat noodles), Tom Yum Goong (hot, spicy coconut soup with prawns, fish cake and beansprouts), Pandan Chicken (boneless chicken wrapped in pandan leaves then fried), Crispy Catfish Salad (deep-fried flaked catfish salad), and Pomelo Salad. It also has a signature dishes menu lineup, including Crab Omelette (Kai Jeaw Poo), Steamed Apahap with Lime (Pla Naeng Ma Naw), Boat Noodles, Crispy Larb Moo, Shrimp Cake Stuffed Eggplant, Crispy Soft Shell Crab and Grilled US Angus Boneless Ribs with Tamarind Sauce.

Whipping up these delicious Thai dishes in the AzuThai kitchen are, no, not one, but two professional Thai chefs in the persons of Chef de Cuisine Kanjana and Chef de Partie Panisara.

Chef Kanjana is a graduate of the Rajabhat Suandusit Institute in Thailand and has over 20 years of experience as a Thai chef at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, Metropolitan Hotel Bangkok and Jumeriah Beach Hotel Dubai.

Chef Panisara is a graduate of Rangsit University in Thailand and is backed by her work experience at Thai Airways, Pathum Thani and JW Marriott Marco Island in Florida.

With chef Kanjana leading the team of cooks at AzuThai and Chef Panisara backing her up, AzuThai consistently pleases diners with the kind of food it serves. And its Thai Select seal? Very secure, as it is renewed every three years and just got its 2022 seal of approval from the Thailand Ministry of Commerce.

"Having this distinction sets us apart from all the other Thai restaurants in the country and assures us that we are in keeping with our mission of providing authentic home-style cuisine. It keeps us on the right track. When Thai nationals are looking for a taste of their home cooking, they are assured of being able to enjoy it in AzuThai. Less than 10 restaurants are given this distinction in the entire country," says Malu Gamboa-Lindo.

AzuThai is open Mondays to Sundays, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and from 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner. For inquiries or reservations, call 8817-6252, 8813-0671 and 0927-1361306.