Pandan Asian Café’s chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou and his team have surpassed several challenges in the past two years, and they are really glad and feel fortunate their support system as a group of friends and co-owners of Pandan is solid and it held them together during the tough times.
Surviving the pandemic, Pandan, which is celebrating its third anniversary, is in continuous pursuit of championing Southeast Asian cuisine “by bringing more classic and unfamiliar dishes of the region to the Filipino table, making them as authentic as they can be for the diners to enjoy,” Sarthou told Malaya Business Insight.
Pandan is being envisioned to be a multi-branched restaurant across Metro Manila, and later on even in the Visayas and Mindanao shores. Right now, Sarthou and his team are standardizing their operations and strengthening their brand in preparation for the expansion.
“Communities will be surprised that one day there is already a Pandan Asian Café in their neighborhood for them to enjoy Southeast Asian dishes when they crave them,” Sarthou said.
With numerous restaurants and other businesses closing down, staying in business, especially during the recent pandemic is already an achievement, Sarthou also said.
“Our entire team worked really hard to cope with sudden situations and circumstances, and we managed to survive amid the uncertainties during the height of the pandemic,” he added. “I think our consistency and our ability to deliver on our promise helped us a lot to stay relevant.”
Pandan was born out of fascination with the deeper connection of Filipino food to neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
“Our evolution never stops, we always strive to make our dishes taste as genuine as possible, as authentic as we can — in order to transport diners back to the moments when they enjoyed the same food,” he also added. “With our passion to bring excellent dishes to the table, I think we are helping to elevate the dining experience of the Filipino people.”
There is a long list of credible personalities that Sarthou and his team can call “leaders” in the food industry, and he is humbled that people consider him as part of that list which he considers both a privilege and a challenge.
“As a privilege, it opened so many doors for my personal and professional development. I am able to take opportunities together with my entire team as we work hand in hand and grow together,” he noted. “As a challenge, it is quite a pressure to keep up with a fast-paced world and stay relevant. I have to continue learning more so that I can also impart and give more. The process is never-ending.”
The dishes that families and friends enjoy at Pandan are mostly reflections of Sarthou’s culinary journey.
“I am pleased that my friends and co-owners allow me to express myself by creating dishes reminiscent of my travels and experience from our neighboring countries,” he stated. In a sense, this is his personal way of telling stories to other people through the dishes they serve.
Pandan’s success comes from its ability to deliver on its promise. Sarthou and his team are able to deliver on the expectation that if customers order dishes from these regions, they are either at par or very close to the original — as authentic as they can be.
“Contrary to what other people think, it is not a fusion restaurant such that it tries to replicate classic and authentic dishes from these regions in one restaurant,” he explained.
Sarthou’s co-owners gave him a free hand at creating the menu and also positioning it in a manner he believes would work, while restaurant designer Ivy Almario created just the right mood, feel, and ambiance for the place. “I think through their continued support, we are still thriving and will continue to grow.”
Sarthou and his team opened Pandan just barely a month into the pandemic. They were just starting and immediately all the news and hype halted because of the pandemic.
“I think by delivering on our promise and with our consistency with what we do, we were able to carve a niche. Also, not hyping it too much really helped. People just kept coming back because they love the food,” he stressed.
With their plans of expansion, remaining consistent in the quality of food they serve across all branches will be very crucial. Since their success came from delivering on their promise and by being faithful to this promise of quality food all the time, replicating it in multiple branches will be quite a challenge.
“This is why we are now standardizing all our operations to ensure that the dining experience of our clients will not be compromised,” he shared.
Factors, not just for them but also for the entire food industry. What they do in Pandan is very straightforward as they try to use local ingredients as much as possible.
“We make our curry, sambal, and other sauces and mixes from scratch so that we are not dependent on imported pre-mixed products. That is why we are able to serve dishes consistently without being hampered by challenges like importing or supply issues,” Sarthou pointed out.
The Philippines has a lucrative food service industry even before the pandemic broke out, he said. Dining in restaurants is a usual family-bonding activity, part of people’s lifestyle, or a way to celebrate.
“In the future, Filipinos will remain food lovers, and with borders opening for travelers, there will be an influx of diners from all over the world. So, I think capturing a wider range of the market, both locals and the visiting foreigners is really the key,” he noted.
Organizations mature and grow as they age. “In Pandan, our vision of growth includes people within the organization. Maturing together, for us, means building a harmonious relationship that enables people to do what they love, and do it in the best possible way. I think aging and growing with your people in the industry is important,” he mentioned.
