My friends and I decided to eat lunch at this place --- an apparently so did a lot of groups of…read morepeople attending their respective reunions. For a place that was so busy, surprisingly, it wasn't too noisy and we were able to carry out a conversation. The staff was very attentive, and it seemed like we had multiple people serving us Like most groups, we dined family style. We shared everything that we ordered and every dish was scrumptious. Three of us reside overseas so we were all looking frward to authentic Filipino foods. This place rose to the occasion. The standout was the fish that was filleted and deep-fried, and spread out like a butterfly so it was easy to take a piece off. The fish was cooked perfectly, that is, it wasn't overcooked like most fried fish dishes would be. All of us asked for fresh buko (coconut) juice servied in a whole coconut. However, the coconut was no longer young coconut that usually has soft meat that we can spoon up. instead, it was more "niyog" or mature coconut that needed to be cut up which the staff did for us.

I've been to Abe a few times and I've never been disappointed. They offer traditional Philippine…read moredishes, some being very familiar and some more exotic. On this visit I had the following items: - Crispy Tadyang - Bamboo Rice The Tadyang (fried short ribs) was incredible - tender, yet crispy and full of flavor. There's a nice portion of beef that arrives in the order, so it's very satisfying. The rice has an interesting flavor profile since it's mixed with spices and shrimp...it's definitely an interesting rice dish you won't find anywhere else. Abe has a huge menu that showcases the diversity in Philippine cuisine. The fact that it includes appetizers, salads, soups, mains, sides and desserts means you'll leave a very satisfied customer. Can't wait for my next visit!

Good Food but service was very slow and the portions were too small for the price…read more Came to eat here 2x during our visit to Manila. It was very close to our hotel and one of the few sit downs that offer Filipino cuisine. The ambience is nice and air conditioned inside! The staff were friendly but took forever to take our orders, bring our drinks, and serve our food. The food was average. The portions were ridiculously small for the price. One order is approximately 750PHP but it's only good for 1 person. Not worth it if you want to share or try other "ulams" ... paid almost 5k PHP for 2 people.

Busy night, a party of 10+. We actually attended this place a total of 3 times during our visit to…read morethe Philippines. I can only speak for the 2 times I ate here. Positives: Service was great indoors. They were very responsive. The food was exceptional. The decor was very home like. Negatives: Service outside was less to be desired. A long wait to get our orders taken, next to no follow up checking on customers for additional orders or beverages. The outdoor experience might have been an off day for the servers (hence the docking of 1 star) but the overall experience and amazing food left a positive impression of this restaurant. Loved the food. I will return when I have the chance!

Great service. My server was named Jobs, he did a great job…read more Steak was cooked correctly. My only gripe is the serving sizes of the sides. Could be better. The ambiance doesn't match the price or quality of the food either. Overall it was good tho.

It's always a toss up when dining in mall establishments, so I was a bit skeptical when we came…read morehere to Mamou Prime. Friends wanted to take us out to try some Prime steak in Manila so why not! A bit of a surprise for the food here. We came with a big group of friends so ordered a variety of plates to share. The Dry-aged bone in steak was decent quality for APAC, but the star here was the truffle cream pasta dish! Like a lot of recommendations from others, the cream pasta is packed full of umami flavors and done just right. The purple rice here was also notably good. Overall a decent mall dining experience. I think I've come to the conclusion that in SEA/APAC a lot of good restaurants and dining experiences are mall centric.

During our most recent visit to Manila, we have dined at three different locations (actually if we…read morecount another one last year, it will be four for me). Every single location delivered the same top-notch service and excellent food. It seemed that there was always a waiting list. But what they did that was so smart was give us the menu and and an order form and that gave us the time to peruse the menu, decide what we want and place our orders. By the time we sat down, it didn't take long before our orders were delivered. The first time we dined, there were only two of us, so we ordere the small plates. Another smart idea to have the choice of small, medium and large orders depending on the number of people. We've always dined family style so we were able to taste different foods. We've ordered the essential Filipino foods i.e., different kinds of sisig, salpicao, sinigang, adobo, pancit palabok, buko pie, puto bumbong, halo halo. And every single dish was phenomenally tasty, especially for us who are all residing in the US. Manam will always be our first choice whenever we are in Manila.

Easy eats vibes with the choice of smaller portions if you aren't too hungry…read more Went for a casual lunch. Despite there being tables available, we had to wait about 15 minutes to sit. Ordered their garlicky chicken and pork adobo, sisig, garlic rice, and turon. The adobo was fine, I think it would have been better just with the pork vs with chicken. Sisig was on point. The garlic rice was fine as well. The turon didn't have bananas in it but mangoes instead. I had thought it would have had both mangoes and bananas, but was mistaken. Overall, a decent place for casual sit-down vibes.

I was looking forward to eat at Mesa, having a wonderful experience at the Mesa location at South…read moreMall 8 years ago. We ordered the Crispchon (suckling pig), pomelo salad, Laing fried rice and Chicken Binakol. Because it was only 3 of us we ordered the 1/6 size. When the food arrived at the table we were surprised the Crispchon looked old and dried. Plus we received the front part of Lechon - chopped up jaw bone, ear and even teeth. The Crispchon pieces were too big and we asked that be chopped smaller. When it returned it wasn't much different. We all commented that they are serving yesterday's Lechon. As for the Pomelo Salad, the dressing tasted as if the coconut milk was curdled with the calamansi. We complained to the staff and we were told that we ordered we should have specified what part of the pig we wanted. Apparently when 1/6 size is ordered you get the front part. We also told the staff that we could not eat the salad. We suggested to use lemon juice instead of calamansi. The only part of the meal that was satisfying was the Chicken Binakol. Served in a bowl and coconut shell, the soup was hot, the broth was tasty with sliced ginger, camias and coconut strips. We made well known how bad the Crispchon tasted and looked. At the end we were brought the check. The restaurant did not charge us for Crispchon. I can't fault the service as it was excellent but the dining experience was very disappointing. I'm not sure on our next visit to the Philippines that we will dine at this location. Sayang.

Thursday, February 29 87°F 46% Humidity…read more For dinner, my aunt decided to cater food and have the family gather at my cousin's house. Makes things easier logistically since relatives were traveling from all over the metro area and we didn't need to have a set time to meet. After walking through multiple malls (Mitsukoshi, Bonifacio High Street, Market! Market!), we ended the day at SM Aura. Mesa is a modern, casual Filipino restaurant on the fifth level of the shopping center. Close to Yabu and Ramen Nagi. It's a chain with multiple locations all around the different islands, all mostly inside SM or Ayala malls. They have plenty of tables inside and out. There are also a few chairs by the window outside in case there's a long wait, but there weren't many patrons at 3PM in the afternoon. Even though we were ordering takeout, they were kind enough to provide glasses of ice water and let us sit inside while we waited for the order to be prepared. We had the Inihaw Sampler, which comes with river shrimp, pork BBQ, sweet soy glazed bangus belly (milkfish), squid, scallops, pork belly, and grilled chicken leg quarters. This land and sea feast had a few charred pieces that were inedible, but there was a decent variety of proteins and it's good for sharing. Philippines 2024 collection: https://www.yelp.com/collection/DHwKzvo7o_ll8jmXFFU3KA/PHIL-2024

This is the only Cool Bar in Taguig that's open late.... they have Great service and good Rap and…read moreR&B music! Drinks are Inexpensive....

My new favorite Filipino restaurant in the Philippines. Great delicious dishes but it will test…read moreyour knowledge on the Filipino language because all the servers speak nothing but Filipino (Tagalog dialect).... not Tag-Lish, but deep rooted Filipino. However, the last 2 times I've been here (about a month apart), they only take cash since the credit card machine wasn't working.

I usually don't eat Filipino food but this place is good…read more I've been walking by it a lot and noticed it's always busy so finally decided to give it a try. Servings are big. Crispy pata and the calamari are good and a must try. Chicken is definitely one of the best chickens I've had The environment is nice and peaceful and service is fast.

Fun Fact: Kuya is translated to mean older brother. However, sometimes used to show respect to an…read moreolder person (non-relative).  This is a casual dining restaurant that offers great Filipino gastronomic delights. The food is superb and gives that comfort as if you were dining at your families home. Located with in Venice Grand Canal mall making it a delightful option to shop and dine. Service was okay, it is very fast paced as expected being in the mall. Order Chicken Sisig Kare Kare (oxtail) Pinkabet Pinakbet is an indigenous Filipino made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce.

We got in a little late but the staff was still nice to us lol…read moreFood was good the crispy pats was a bit dry. Squid sisig was great!

First time eater and definitely coming back. Food here was great. I would suggest driving their…read morefamous sugarcane calamansi juice for starters. We had the calamari for appetizers. The portion was moderate and it can feed 2 people. It was hot and crunchy and the sauce was pretty good. The pinakbet with pork liempo was awesome, please keep in mind that pinakbet in some regions are cooked without the sabaw (sauce). The eggplant was definitely fried. The bitter melon and the kombucha squash were steamed well. The pork was super crunchy!!! Please also note that one order of pinakbet will probably good for 2 people but I can definitely devour it on my own! The kare kare with crispy pork was also good. The sauce was slurry and not too thick. The string beans, banana heart (puso ng saging) and bok choy were steamed and cooked well. They were not soggy but crunchy. Also the eggplant was fried and added with the sauce. When you order kare kare it automatically comes with sautéed shrimp paste. This dish alone will probably feed 4 people. Overall the service was great, we did not wait long for the food, and we were seated right away since we arrived there around 11:45ish. The restaurant was clean and quite cozy. There's one bathroom for both genders. Total of all the meals including 1 sugarcane calamansi juice refill P1745.00 (also includes gratuity charges).

A decent Filipino restaurant that I expected to taste as good as their looks. Without a doubt an…read moreeye-catching storefront with its bright lights an such a wide site with 2 corners. FOOD 3.0 (Prices stated below includes S.C. and Tax) Tinumok (238 PHP) Molo (147 PHP) You get a Pork and shrimp wanton dumpling and a lot of soup. Soup is always a nice starter to any meal, but I feel that this bowl doesn't feel as refreshing with oil being a surplus. Pinalutong na Tilapia (415 PHP) Drunken Tilapia with chili sauce or soy sauce, kalamansi and chili. An underwhelming dish that's not worth its weight. There isn't much to munch and taste is lacking in punch. SERVICE 4.0 Service with a smile and food delivered on time. AMBIENCE 4.0 Interior that welcomes you and keeps you looking. The layout is flexible and they have nooks dedicated for large groups and an overall balanced setup give them a sophisticated feel.

For us, Alab restaurant set Philippine cuisine on fire with their unfamiliar regional dishes and…read morespecially concocted desserts. Their food that made our love for Filipino food ablaze were the following: 1) Okoy (P125) - It has sweet potato and shrimps deep-fried until crisp to perfection, and topped with fresh spring onions and carrots. Eating it with the served sugarcane vinegar dip truly stimulated our appetites. 2) The Tinumok (P195) - It is coconut noodles wrapped in taro leaves but soaked in coconut cream and shrimp mixture. The added heat of the chili pepper made the chewy dish more uniquely delicious. 3) Pianggang (P 290) - It is perfectly grilled coconut-infused chicken topped with a special Tausug paste. We didn't know we'd want it until we tried it and the fresh vegetables added variety on its taste. 4) Alab's Fried Rice (195) - This is good for sharing. It has turmeric which its peppery and warm flavors were balanced with the shrimp, eggs, and spring onions. 5) New York Cubao Bibingka Cheesecake (P140) - It is a Filipino traditional rice cake that is sweet because of the tart base and cream of the New York-style cheesecake. But it is also, at the same time, salty because of the salted egg. We get to make its taste sweeter with the drizzled muscovado syrup on the side, and the grated coconut and cherry on top. 6) Laing Ice Cream (P100) - It is certainly for those who have a penchant for Bicol's spicy taro and coconut milk dish or simply has an adventurous taste bud. 7) Kamote Q (P100) - It pleases those who have a sweet tooth with the texture of sweet potato felt and the taste of caramelized brown sugar tasted in each spoon. Overall, Alab's passion for Filipino food tapped our unfamiliar fondness for Philippine culinary culture ablaze.