George Pua: Actor-turned-restaurateur
The self-confessed ‘foodie who won’t compromise,’ has reopened his Thai BBQ Original restaurant–this time with four Thai chefs
It’s been open for only five months, but Thai BBQ Original Restaurant in BGC now has close to 30,000 Facebook followers. The franchise from Los Angeles is owned by entrepreneur and passionate foodie George Pua, whose other foreign joint venture is Tony Roma.
This is not the first time Thai BBQ opened in Manila; in 1998, Pua opened a branch in Makati that was shuttered after four years.
“The Tom Yum Goong by then had started to taste like sinigang,” he recalled. “I was just starting out, and I made the mistake of relying on local chefs. I realize now that if I want the food served at my restaurants to be as authentic as possible, I need to hire and maintain foreign chefs.”
He chalked it up to experience, even describing the initial failed venture as “tuition I had to pay,” but decided to hold on to the franchise rights.
Pua then went to open his own restaurant concepts under No Limits Food, Inc., starting with Modern China (Chinese food) 13 years ago, followed by K-Pub (Korean grill in a pub-like setting), Ogawa (traditional Japanese fare) and Oppa (Korean fried chicken and beer).
Common denominator
“I realized that the common denominator of my food businesses was barbecue,” he said. “All of the restaurants offer some form of grilled meat which appeals to many Filipinos because of its communal nature. Barbecues are social events.”
Pua traces his passion for food to when he was a child. He would see his mother and grandmother in the kitchen. He was so fascinated by the process that he soon began puttering about in the kitchen.
“When I was in high school at St. Stephen’s, we would have fairs and fund-raisers where I volunteered to cook the food we would sell in school,” he recounted. “It was always barbecue and spaghetti, and we always ended up selling everything.”
Before he embarked on a career in the food industry, Pua was a theater actor. For three years, he worked with the likes of Audie Gemora and Menchu Lauchengco, but food was always his passion.
Last year he decided to reopen Thai BBQ, but only after he was able to recruit four Thai chefs. Pua also sent three Filipino chefs to train at Thai BBQ in Los Angeles for 45 days.
“There are two types of restaurateurs: businessmen who are willing to compromise, and foodies who won’t. I fall under the second category,” he said.
Regulars at Thai BBQ often order either S1 or S2, codes for the house specials, namely Gaiyang (BBQ chicken) dinner, or BBQ spare ribs dinner served atop shrimp fried rice.
The restaurant serves other authentic Thai dishes, including fried Spring Rolls, refreshing Pomelo Salad with Cashews, Tom Yum Goong, Pandan Chicken, Sate Combination (skewered chicken, pork and beef) with Peanut Sauce, and Phad Thai.
Pua is proud of the restaurant’s Thai Curry Crab, a specialty that seafood eaters will enjoy: “I’ve been in this business for 20 years, I know what will click with customers.”
Thai BBQ Original Restaurant, 5th Ave. cor. 28th St., The Fort Entertainment Complex, BGC. Call 09178950000.