My idealistic young self saw journalism as a way to educate and enlighten, but over time I’ve come to see my role as an entertainer, in part due to the handful of readers who have told me they live vicariously through my experiences. Due to logistics of money, family or distance, they say, they never get to eat at the restaurants that I write about.

I wish everyone were able to try the restaurants firsthand, but I get it. I tend to be mileage-challenged, and if not for work, I would be reluctant to drive past Kaimuki to the east, and Kalihi to the west. Basically, no more than 6 miles from my home (sorry to all those who must commute five days a week).

So I would normally balk at making the drive to Pearl City, but I was happy to head out to Pearl Highlands Center to sample the food at The Elephant Shack. Why? Because it has a talked-about presence as a North Shore-based food truck, and driving to Pearl City to check out an affordable dining option was a whole lot better than heading to Laie.

The setting is unassuming and the menu, the same as at the food truck, is compact, but within it are a handful of gems, starting with basic pad thai ($11 to $16 based on protein choice) that tastes more of Thailand than Hawaii, leaning more toward sour than sweet.

The eatery is the work of Kevin Sutavee, whose interests are global and wide-ranging. Raised in New York City by a Thai father and European mother, he came here to surf while in his 20s in 1997, when he started selling smoothies out of a food truck.

Over time he’s traveled, worked in publishing and as a creative director for a clothing company before deciding to put down some roots in 2012, when he returned to the North Shore to open The Elephant Shack food truck in Pupukea. The truck moved several times before ending up at its current spot at the Hukilau Marketplace.

Food at The Elephant Shack he said, is an amalgam of all the Thai cuisine he’s eaten in his life.

“I’ve eaten Thai food from Bangkok to Paris, New York and L.A., so many places, but the best was across the street from my grandmother’s place in Bangkok. There was a street cart with a lady who made the most unbelievable food.

“I realized that all good food, no matter what kind of place you’re at, what they have in common is that the people working love making the food, so people love eating it. You need the two together.”

He’s come up with a menu of a few classic dishes that touch every category associated with Thai cuisine, such as shrimp rolls ($7), papaya salad ($7), a Panang curry ($12 to $14) and noodle dishes. It’s a formula he aims to replicate, to the point where we may be looking at the next national food sensation.

The dishes appear portioned for one, American-style, but it’s possible to request plates for those whose dining method is to sample and share.

Aside from the curry, my favorite dishes here were pad see ew ($11 to $16), wide, blanket-style noodles tossed with broccoli and a choice of protein in a shoyu sauce; and goong nam prik pao ($14), shrimp cooked in a sweetened chili sauce with red onions, basil and long beans, served over jasmine rice.

Yum gai yang, or grilled marinated chicken ($15), was also delicious tossed with the bright flavors of lime, cilantro, mint and lemon grass.

I loved many of the same flavors in the yum pla, or fried fish ($14), where the only drawback was that it wasn’t very crispy. The same went for fried calamari ($14). The kitchen is new and the cooks are probably still adjusting for time and temperature, so hopefully the crunch will improve over time.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.