Buhay Bahay-Bahayan

We have read so many good things about the restaurant Mamou that it had always been on our list of restaurants to visit. About three weeks ago, on a Monday night, I was able to reserve a table to celebrate J.’s (my wife’s cousin’s) birthday. Our reservations were for the 6:00 to 6:30 PM first seating. The second seating is at 8:30PM. But we came upon this horrendous traffic, so I called the restaurant and asked if they could hold our table until 7PM, which they did. Bonus points there. But we did arrive on time though.

Baskets of soft warm bread were immediately served after giving us the menu. I ignored the menu for a little bit and focused on eating the delicious bread that I smothered with butter. Sarap! It was gone in a few minutes. But they quickly refilled it.

We started with a Grilled Veggie Salad. And for our entrees, we ordered WAWA’s Roast Prime Rib Platter (the bigger one). We also had Roast Pork and Chicken (half serving), Mamou’s Linguine Vongole, Duck Adobo Flakes, and Baked White Fish.

The Grilled Veggie Salad had capsicums, eggplant, zucchini, and fusilli with anchovy dressing. Since I have this allergy to eggplants, I just took a small bite and noted the grilled smoky flavor. It is quite different from the usual salads with greens, but it was very tasty. It looked more like a pasta dish to me because of the fusilli.

WAWA’s Roast Prime Rib Platter came with two side dishes. We chose Mashed Potatoes and Cream Spinach. The prime rib itself looked good. As you know, I don’t eat beef, but I took one tiny piece and tasted it. It was palatable, at least for me,  and so I was able to eat this. While the serving looks big enough for two or three, I noticed that it was quite thin. Very thin. A far cry from those seen in the different reviews I’ve read. I was expecting something like this.

(Photo Source)

But the Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach were very good.

The citrus-rubbed Roast Pork and Chicken that came with red rice and black beans and the Duck Adobo Flakes with red rice and scrambled egg were satisfying.

I enjoyed Mamou’s Linguine Vongole the most. The linguine was cooked to perfection (al dente), and the clams were very tasty without that fishy taste. Very well done.

The Steamed White Fish was succulent. Unlike frozen fish used and served on most restaurants that tend to be flaky, Momou’s fish was very firm and yet soft. You can tell that it was fresh.

Despite our disappointment with their steak, it was still a good meal. The service was excellent. The restaurant has this homey casual ambiance and isn’t pretentious at all. We’ll be coming back to sample a few more of their dishes and maybe to give the prime rib another try.

Mamou

Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Contact nos. 0917-816-2668; 8563569

Time for an ice cream weekend!

And to help us bum over the weekend are these two tubs of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream in our favorite flavor, Banana Split, that were bought on sale at S&R, Aseana branch, in Macapagal Blvd. The other ice cream flavor on sale was Pistachio Pistachio.

Photos were taken in our empty freezer.

Ditch Selecta, Nestle, and Magnolia.

Have some Ben&Jerry’s ice cream.

Enjoy!

(Photo Source)

I should have written this around three years ago, which was when I was obsessed with panna cotta.

I first tasted this Italian custard dessert in a now defunct restaurant in Greenbelt 3 called Cascada that my wife and I used to frequent. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know about my love affair with seafood, especially crabs and prawns, and how I hate beef. Anyway, it was another night of Prawns Termidor, and my wife and I decided to try this resto’s desserts in lieu of heading down to Cafe Breton (our favorite creperie after all these years). That’s when I first tasted a panna cotta, a buko pandan panna cotta to be exact. This milky goodness was sweet, rich and velvety, with the  hint of pandan and buko. I could have this on my deathbed. Thus, my search for the best panna cotta began.

I’d order one whenever the restaurant we’re in have it on their menu. One time, we even drove all the way to Tagaytay because a restaurant claimed it has the best, only to find out that they ran out when we got there.

But I did find it. It was in Restaurant Verbena, Discovery Country Suites.

At only Php 220 for this fantastic trio topped with saffron and caramel oranges, strawberries, and lemon balm and pistachios, the serving is big enough for sharing.

And it’s perfectly normal (for me at least) to drive more than an hour and order this. Add a cappuccino or latte, or maybe tea, and you’re all set. Enjoy it by their enclosed veranda with the cool Tagaytay breeze gently coming in.

Of course if you can’t or doesn’t have the time to drive to Tagaytay, you can always make one at home. They have the recipe online. Click here.