Therese in the Philippines: Mesa Filipino Moderne

Intro: You probably don't know this, but I went home to the Philippines last January. In the span of the 9 days that I was there, I tried 5 new restaurants around the metro, and I even went out of town! Therefore, let me take a short break from my Taiwan posts and in my next few entries, I am going to write about the new places I've been to in and around the metro!

My bloc mates and I were supposed to have a dinner reunion at Yabu in SM Megamall but unfortunately, when we got there, we were put on the waiting list. We didn't want to wait for a long time, so we decided to eat at Mesa Filipino Moderne, which is located almost beside Yabu, instead.

We were seated at this table that had 2 long benches surrounding it. What we didn't like about it was that there wasn't enough space (it was very cramped) so it was hard for us to sit down and move around.

Moving on to the food...

Baby squid in olive oil | 270php

I loved this because the squid was tender and cooked just right (in my opinion). Also, they're very cute!

Pasta kaldereta | 165php

If you're a fan of kaldereta and of tomato sauce, then you're going to love this. The flavors were just right. This could very well be a comfort food.

Salpicao ostrich | 320php

I also liked this because the ostrich meat was tender. I think ostrich meat tastes a bit like chicken/beef but it's not totally the same, and you could actually taste that from eating this. I also like how they were cut into bite-sized portions, because the last time I ate ostrich meat, it was hard and the cuts were huge (maybe that's why it was hard?)

Sisig rice | 170php

We wanted to order the Laing rice but it wasn't available. We settled for this instead, but there was nothing special with this dish. It didn't taste much like sisig.

Tofu sisig | 130php

We also liked this one because of the juiciness (?) of the tofu along with the sisig.

In conclusion, I/we liked their food because it was delicious, and it's not all that expensive. Though it may look like the servings are small, they're actually very filling. We were a group of 7 and we all got full after. Also, each person paid less than 200php for dinner!

Location: SM Megamall
Level 2, Mega Atrium
EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City

Tiffy: Racks at SM Megamall A

Whenever I go out with friends, where to eat is always a problem. It was quite a relief when one of my friends suggested a place at once: Racks. 

Now I've eaten at Racks once or twice before. With this kind of place, however, I would tend to focus more on the company and the ambiance of the place rather than the food. The food is good enough, and the serving is huge. It's that kind of place. 

We ordered a the Surf 'n' Turf family platter (Php 1,999 | USD 45.47) that included three side dishes and two pitchers of any coke product (additional charge if you want iced tea).

Garlic bread. So greasy it's sinful.

Our side dishes. I loved their mac and cheese! 

(We also had a plate of fries but it was too far from where I was seated)

Fish 'n chips. The fish is really soft and good. I'd order this any time.

You have two choices: red sauce or white sauce on your spaghetti.

Racks Pork Ribs 

Address: 3/F Bridgeway, SM Megamall A

EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Avenue

Ortigas Center Mandaluyong City

Metro Manila Philippines 

Number: (02) 706-5427

Restaurant Review | Mr. Choi Kitchen

Mr. Choi Kitchen
Robinson's Galleria, Mandaluyong City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

Finding authentic Chinese cuisine in Manila is not necessarily a difficult task. With the fairly large population of Chinese Filipinos in the country, there are many places to go for food that is comfortably familiar. Looking for a quick bite to eat, we decided to try this updated looking Chinese restaurant. The clean lines, paneled walls, and warm yellow lighting set the ambiance. The cliched restaurant name aside, this is a good place to go to for a casual dinner, but not somewhere to go to be surprised.

Hakaw (Php 105, US$2.50)
Somehow, whether it be in a hole in the wall dimsum shop or at a high end Chinese restaurant, you can never go wrong with ordering Hakaw. This version understandably has less shrimp and more bamboo shoots, but nevertheless these slightly pink translucent dumplings are a great start to dinner.

Hot Prawn Salad (Php 260, US$6.50)
Still steaming, the battered prawns dredged in mayonnaise and fruits that comprise this dish could very well be stomach churning for some, especially if it isn't done well. What was different with this salad was the addition of vegetables, when it is usually made with fruits and shrimp. We would prefer it if they left out the fruits and just left the vegetables as fruit with mayonnaise isn't really our thing.

Seafood Fried Rice (Php 160, US$4.00)
Yang Chow Fried Rice is a staple in every Chinese restaurant, and the Seafood Fried Rice is not very much different from it. In fact, the only difference seems to be the addition of slightly more seafood, but not enough to change the dish drastically. This is one of those dishes, along with Hakaw, that seems to taste the same everywhere you go.

Beef with Broccoli (Php 195, US$5.00)
Unusually, the star of this dish was the broccoli, which came in generous servings. The beef itself was slightly rubbery, and did not lend itself well in the dish. But for the price it was more than enough to satisfy us.

Reviewed by Bong, Hannah and Mark.
Photography by Mark.
See more photos on Mark's Flickr.