Who says you can’t start a business out of your passion for culture?

Christian Delgado, 25, first developed an interest in Thai culture before becoming passionate about preparing Thai food and opening a restaurant.

He owns Chawasdee, a Thai restaurant that is located in Antipolo, Rizal. The restaurant opened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic after Delgado arrived from Thailand.

During our trip to the restaurant, we had a little chat with Delgado about how he started his restaurant, what inspired him to do it, the menu, price, and operations, and why Thai culture is special to him.

How did Chawasdee start?

“I started Chawasdee during pandemic, pagkauwi ko galing Thailand. Yung inspiration, high school palang talaga ako, I was second year high school nung napamahal ako sa culture and language ng Thailand,” Delgado says. 

He adds, “So natandaan ko nung mag report ako sa Social Studies namin and nareport o, naassign sakin yung buhay ni Bhumibol Adulyadej, yung previous king nila noon. Tapos, simula noon, nainlove ako sa culture hanggang sa nag-research ako about mga Thai movies, para mas matuto ako sa language nila and then nakita ko yung ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and doon na nagstart yung lahat.”

The restaurant’s name has a very Thai tinge to it, so we asked where and how Delgado came up with the name “Chawasdee.”

“Chawasdee, galing siya sa tunog na ‘Sawadee’ pero dalawang salita siya na ‘Cha’ means tea sa Thai and ‘Wasdee’, pinaikling ‘Sawadee’ (hello in Thai). So para mas mabilis or hindi mahirapan yung mga customer namin, matandaan yung pangalan, kinuha namin sa tunog na ‘Sawadee,’ so Chawasdee, ‘Hello Tea,’” Delgado says.

From milk tea shop to restaurant 

Before it became a restaurant that serves different types of Thai cuisine, Delgado shared that Chawasdee started as a milk tea shop. Chawasdee’s pioneer teas include Classic Thai Milk Tea, Nom Yen, and Cantaloupe Milk Tea. Christian started with these three milk teas when he opened his first store in Taytay. Until now, they have been served as their official drinks.

Chawasdee was originally intended to be for travelers. However, Delgado noticed that Gen Zs frequently visit his restaurant since they like to explore when it comes to food.

“Kasi si Thai kasi talagang medyo kakaiba siya eh. Bukod sa spice na ginagamit, or yung anghang saka yung way of pagluluto talaga ng Thai cuisine is kakaiba. Kaya nagulat ako na pumatok din siya kahit sa mga Gen Z na katulad ko,” he says.

Recommendations

Chawasdee recently launched its Gai Tod, or Thai Fried Chicken. Their deep-fried chicken is inspired by the ones served in Bangkok. Delgado says that with its unique flavor, it will appeal not only to travelers but Gen Zs as well.

Aside from this, Delgado also recommends their milk teas. How could he forget the drinks that started it all, right?

During our trip, we tried six dishes and three beverages. All were inspired by Thai dishes, with ingredients purchased from Thailand.

Delgado wasn’t able to demonstrate how he cooked all the dishes, but the experience and taste are definitely a 10/10!

Beverages

He showed how to make the classic Thai milk tea. The black tea leaves are first brewed for 5 to 7 minutes. Thai milk tea tastes best when the tea is freshly brewed so that the milk may retain its creaminess. Delgado says that Thais enjoy sweetening their coffee and milk tea with condensed milk.

To make the milk tea thicker, Delgado likes to use the “pulling” technique, where the drink is poured back and forth from one mug to another. This technique helps create foam at the same time that the milk tea becomes cold since it was freshly brewed and will be transferred to another mug with cold, sweetened condensed milk. The condensed milk slowly mixes with the tea mixture, and foam will start to form. Lastly, he puts the milk tea mixture in a glass full of ice to serve it cold.

Delgado was not able to demonstrate how the Cantaloupe Yen and Nom Yen were made, but he mentioned that the Nom Yen milk tea is made from the salak fruit, which gives it its pink color. The Cantaloupe Yen is made from cantaloupe. These milk teas are perfect for the hot and humid Philippine weather. Delgado likes to add vanilla ice cream to make the drinks tastier!

Pad Thai

This special dish can never be absent from a Thai restaurant.

“Pad Thai is a stir fried Thai noodles siya, mixed with bean sprout, chili flakes, lime, tofu, and nuts,” Delgado says.  

Sumasabog talaga yung flavor kapag pinagcombine lahat, pinagmix mo lahat. Tapos sa isang kagat pa lang, iba’t-ibang flavors na yung malalasahan nila.”

Red Pork Curry and Green Curry Chicken 

Aside from the color, these two curries differ in taste and flavor.

Indian-inspired Red Pork Curry is made of sautéed ginger and pork mixed with red curry sauce.

The Green Curry Chicken has more Thainess to it than the red one. This dish is Chawasdee’s best seller.

Som Tum

This dish translated in English is called “Papaya Salad,” where raw green papayas are mashed with lime, Thai fish sauce, nuts, palm sugar, tamarind paste, and other spices. This dish balances the tanginess and spice of Thai dishes. These ingredients are mixed with the help of a mortar and pestle to bring out the flavor.

Customers who mostly order this dish are around 40–60 years old since this is a healthy dish. However, vegan customers request to have the fish sauce removed.

Mango Sticky Rice

Delgado classifies this dessert as a palate cleanser after heavy meals.

This dessert is served with freshly cut sweet mango, coconut milk, and glutinous sticky rice. Initially, they served pandan-flavored rice before switching to ube flavor since most customers are Filipino. However, if Thai customers visit, Chawasdee switches to pandan-flavored rice.

What other services does Chawasdee offer?

Chawasdee sets up intimate dinners for Valentine’s Day, birthday celebrations, proposals, and meetings.

TMI: Delgado shared with us that another customer ordered the Nom Yen drink to confess to someone. This practice is mostly seen in Thailand as well.

Price range and business hours

For those interested in visiting Chawasdee, prices start at P119 for beverages, with an additional P60 if customers want to add vanilla ice cream to their milk teas.

Chawasdee is open every day, from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Why and how is Thai culture special to Christian Delgado?

Throughout the whole interview, we’ve noticed how Delgado’s love for Thai culture is very sincere and genuine.

“Siguro dahil, bata pa lang ako, parang 14 years old pa lang ata ako tapos ngayon 25 na ako. Parang namulat yung isip ko saka yung heart ko sa culture at klase ng tradisyon na meron sila, at yun ang nagpamahal lalo sa akin sa Thailand. Gaya niyan yung passion ko na matuto ng language nila, culture nadala ko dito sa Pilipinas. Gaya ng laging sinasabi ko, yung tagline nga pala namin, ‘Bringing Thailand closer to you.’ So closer to all the Filipinos in the Philippines,” he says.

He adds, “Hindi naman dahil sa mas special pero may kakaiba sa kanya, unique siya. Dahil, alam naman nating lahat na si Thailand, hindi siya nasakop ng iba’t-ibang bansa so naging free country siya, naging buffer state lang siya na align sa superpowers. So sa tingin ko yung unique na mga ingredients, yung kanila talaga, sariling kanila. So kung ano yung available sa backyard nila, yun yung ginagamit nila na mga pangsahog sa kanilang pang araw-araw na niluluto.”

Food is a part of a nation’s culture, and with Delgado bringing Thai food here to our country, not only can we challenge our taste buds but our minds become open to how our Southeast Asian neighbors prepare their dish.

We would like to thank Christian Delgado for allowing us to interview him for this article and giving us the chance to eat delicious Thai dishes.

For further details and inquiries, visit Chawasdee’s Facebook page here.