Mamou Revisited

My last Mamou experience was years ago and it was at their Rockwell branch. Their Lorenzo's Truffle pasta left a lasting impression however so that when an invite for a lunch meet up landed in my lap, I ditched my gym sched and hied off to BGC without a moment's hesitation.

Mamou in Serendra is the pilot store per Manager Ms. Charm Plamenco. This was followed by the branch in Rockwell . The latest one in Ayala Malls the 30th opened last year.

Today we enjoyed the following dishes:

Hearty Lentil Soup

Spiced South American Lentil Chowder P260

Think "sosyal na monggo " ( posh monggo) . This soup is reminiscent of the monggo my mom used to make for us every Friday . It is my definition of comfort food.

Alugbati, Kamote Talbos Salad P295

Blanched alugbati , sweet kamote tops, salted egg, blue cheese, onions, orange kamote, saba, french vinaigrette topped with duck adobo flakes

This was a surprise. It's the first I heard of Alugbati being used as a salad green. After my first bite, my first thought was Alugbati leaves are thicker than the romaine and arugula Im used to. My next thought bubble was it would be perfect with a fish bagoong (local shrimp paste) for vinaigrette. Somehow the kamote-saba-bluecheese-saltedegg-duckadoboflakes-frenchvinaigrette combo were a confusing amalgam of textures and flavors that did not blend well as a cohesive whole. Im sorry it did not work for me. But hey that's just me. Why dont you try it and find out for yourself :)

Fish Fingers with Grilled Vegetable Dip

Beer battered white fish, grilled vegetables dip

Imagine fish and chips without the chips and with a vegetable dip in lieu of vinegar or ranch/tartar sauce. That vegetable dip was tasty with a texture akin to a pate. I loved the crunch on the fish fingers . It married well with the veggie dip. It was good but it was not something you rave about to your friends after you've eaten it.

Pasta Cipolla P395

Sweet onions in anchovy cream

The pasta looked plain with just the parsley on top for color. But what it lacked in presentation , it more than made up for with flavor. It was just onion and anchovy cream but it worked for me. I liked it.

Lorenzo's Truffle Cream P395

Spaghettini, truffle flavoured cream Grana Padano Cheese

Clearly Mamou is strong in the pasta department. Although the pasta itself were not made from scratch, it is perfectly cooked al dente. Lorenzo's Truffle Cream was as delicious as I remembered it years ago.

Grilled Salmon Steak P595

Served on warm couscous salad or veggie like rice

The salmon was grilled perfectly. It would be so easy to overcook it. Kudos to the chef. The salmon was moist and a joy to eat. The couscous salad was the perfect accompaniment to such a beautiful fish.

Venison curry P425

served with white and red buttered parsley rice mango cranberry chutney

The curry sauce was flavorful. Some cubes of the meat were tender while I got one that was really tough. I loved the chutney. Will I order this again? No.

Angus Ribeye USDA Prime Grade Steak

Single (approx 400 g/14 oz) P1990

Twin (approx 800g/28 oz) P3590

The ribeye was perfectly cooked medium rare which I loved. It was a beautiful dish. The meat was succulent and tender. The crunchy fat were sublime and sinful. Rice please!

Flat lay was a group effort

SUMMARY

Can not believe Mamou is 10 years old! Wow! Its almost unheard of for restaurants to last this long nowadays. The rise of new restaurants are almost directly proportional to the closing of some. Obviously Mamou is doing something right to last the equivalent of 'eternity " in the restaurant universe

Food were generally good. The steak and pasta remain must-order items. Im looking forward to trying the other dishes in the menu as well. I have not even tried any of their desserts yet. I heard their key lime pie is to die for.

Thank you for having us Mamou and for the invite @eatsearlybiiirdmnl and @seemslegeat

Definitely coming back with the piggery in tow.