Undeniably delicious and craveworthy Philippine plates are nicely made at Mesa. I love eating in SE Asia and love savoring the flavor dichotomies: salt and sweet, pungent and acetic, fish sauce and soy, browned garlic and spice..... it's exciting to my taste buds, different and hits my soul just right. I get Bourdain's obsession with Vietnam and its tables; eating in Asia is an example of how these flavors hit any culinary soul profoundly. The setting at Mesa is modern, simple if not utilitarian. The food and service? Delish and attentive. Philippine food is a bit like cooking Spanish, Chinese, Malay, Indo, food all converging into a melee of flavors, unfamiliar and strange to the novice, craveworthy to its aficionados. Once you've had it a few times you're hooked. The stews are delicious and tasty unique, the inihaw (grilled meats and seafood) savory and distinctive, and to a first timer, the flavor discoveries go on and on. My love of this food is vast as this cuisine represents the wondrous flavors of SE Asia: pronounced, distinctive, funky, tasty, flavor-rich and the memory it imparts to your palate is soulful, sexy, pervasive.
A bit about the service here: Wait staff are attentive (in the 5 times I've visited) and if you're confused as to what to get, feel free to ask your waitperson. They'll be glad to help. Another reason I love eating in SE Asia and the Philippines is providers and wait staff have no attitude, EVER. They're so helpful and hospitable-- you're in SE Asia; it's about the enjoyment of the memory of flavors and planning your next meal during. Not questioning that.. what-so-ever. Love.
Visits: 5 in different locations. read more