Annie Fores Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

August 1, 2008 by Janey

One of Bubba’s high school friends, Charles Lu, is leaving for New York to study photography. Eric asked Bubba to ask me if I had any suggestions where to celebrate Charles despedida dinner. They wanted to meet somewhere around Fort and since I meant to give Mamou’s steak another go, I suggested to bring the party of 15 there.

“Mamou mia, here I go again, My my, how can I resist you?” Other than the steak blip on my first visit with my high school friends, everything else satisfied my appetite. My biggest appetite that night though was for their famous steak, which was overdone, thus the letdown. Jorge Fores, the husband of Malou, said that it is the restaurant’s policy to replace any dish that does not satisfy the guest. It was really classy of him to offer a steak replacement on my next visit.

July 30, 2008. As customary, I sent an SMS confirmation to Annie on the number of party in the morning. The group’s reservation was the 2^nd dining time at 830pm. Manager and host, Annie will have you feeling welcomed and comfortable with her accommodating attitude. She greets a warm hello to each patron that walks through the doors. Service from the staff is professional and gracious. Notably, Rome and Jov attended to our table pleasingly.

Their menu is a list of tempting dishes like the roast pork and chicken, citrus rubbed pork and chicken served with helpings of buttered onions, red or white rice, cinnamon plantains, and black beans. Made, Eric’s pretty girlfriend, who was seated next to me, checked what I could recommend. I pointed to the roast pork and chicken.

The cozy dining room is very simple, decorated with warm tones of beige and rich brown wood. Framed magazine features of Mamou adorn the subdued colored wall. The restaurant is not stuffy and pretentious. It was warm and welcoming reminiscent of a family friend’s dining room.

On the Table(Bubba and mine only) :

Various breads and butter (Free)

While munching on the buttered wheat bread, I deliberated on what to order. I decided to get the steak again and an appetizer. I asked Bubba what his order was and he said the Beer Battered fish with a tone of finality. He knew I’d suggest something new to try, like the lamb venison (Woo’s order), but with the look he had on his face, I knew that the BBF (Beer Battered Fish) is his newfound BFF (Best Friend Forever). Finally, we settled on our orders of Melba Chips, 17lb Angus Steak, Beer Battered Fish, and Frozen Mojito.

Melba Chips and Vegetable Mushroom Dip with Truffle Oil PHP 185 ++

Fran suggested that I get this when I told her last Tuesday during the Healthy Shabu Shabu event about a Mamou revisit. I promised to try it. It is a starter plate of crunchy but soft Melba chips paired with a mushroom dip drizzled with truffle oil. Like no other, the smell of truffle can delight the senses.

Angus Prime Steak PHP 1680 ++

US Angus Prime rib-eye served with your choice of siding. Since the two sidings we previously ordered hit a home run, we ordered in a single breath the same sidings of corn pudding and red steak rice. It was served earlier than the 20-minute mark and what good timing because I could not contain my excitement to sink my teeth in the red meat. Rome came to the table and announced that it was complimentary. Cheers!!! The steak Bubba and I ordered this evening was the replacement of the steak we previously ordered.

A great charred outer layer forms crust of the meat. Steak cooked in medium this time had a pinkish red middle part while the outer portion was pinkish brown. The Angus steak is moist and flavorful. For sheer indulgence, I drizzled the fat oil on top of the cut steak. One bite and I was in steak heaven, this time chewing delicately. I was liberated from the disappointing memory of the initial steak we paid for. I definitely now know where to point to when craving for steak.

My primal urge to grab the meat with my bare hands had to be contained. Oh don’t you just wish to be back in the Paleolithic era where fork and knife were unreal? The steak was so good that Charles loutishly grabbed more than a few pieces of steak (more than what I had) from the plate. I wanted to defend the plate with my fork and say, “Hey be decent and order your own. This is my only food!”

Beer Battered Fish and Potato Wedge PHP 255

Satisfied Bubba’s palate as much as it did last time. It was served with malt vinegar.

Frozen Mojito PHP 145

The greenest mojito drink I have ever laid eyes on with purplish brown salt on the glass. It was a big drink and as much as I’d like to finish the whole drink, I couldn’t.

Woo gave us the story behind the name of Mamou, who is Malou Torres in paper, sister-in-law (thanks Noel for the correction) to the very successful restauranteur and caterer, Gaita Fores. Her nephew/niece had a hard time saying the name Malou, which sounded to them as Mamou and the name stuck.

Fresh Maine Lobsters are available sometimes and must be pre-ordered. Mamou also offers a selection of French and Chilean wines at PHP 550 per half glass. Mamou offers casual but fine dining, serving fresh, high quality food in large portions. Show of humility to call this restaurant only as a home kitchen while the dishes illustrate the taste of elegance and the after taste of comfortable home-cooked dishes

The family behind Mamou takes great pride in operating this delightful and splendid restaurant that constantly strive for perfection. Mamou combines the sophistication of modern day cuisine and a home kitchen. The results are sublime.

Mamou Home Kitchen

Unit 1C-15 G/F Serendra

Fort Bonifacio Global City

Please make your reservations at 8563569/09178162668.

Mamou 2 Album:

Mamou Link

Mamou 1 Album

Mamou

June 23, 2008 by Janey

Saturday dinner was spent at Mamou’s with my high school friends. It’s been a long time since I’ve last seen my PIQC friends. The last time we sat down for anything was a potluck dinner at my place last December where I cooked new dishes like Cajun Chicken, Pizza Roll and Beef Crispy. Mark and Anne missed that dinner unfortunately. When we all decided to get together, I initially planned to bring them to Sanctuario Tagaytay in Metrowalk or Chelsea at Serendra. Since we all haven’t tried Mamou, I suggested having the dinner there.

Reservation at Mamou is done differently. There are only two schedules for dinner reservation –630PM and 830PM, which means that if you made a reservation at 630, you have to finish by 820 to make way for the incoming guests. A certain Annie sent me an SMS to confirm my reservation and the number of party attending. She also sent me a second message sometime within the day regarding “Live Maine Lobsters” we can order in the evening.

CW and I arrived at 645PM. At Mamou’s, you will enjoy a home ambience and a gracious welcome. The staff are very respectful (especially one whose name appears to be Francis) but service of the rest of the crew is a bit inconsistent. As I call on one wait staff, he hesitated significantly since he probably wasn’t designated to wait in our area. Since Grace called and informed me that she will be late, CW and I placed our orders. It said on the menu that it takes 20 minutes if you order the steak.

Sean and Angel arrived at 730pm. Grace coming from work had to pick up Mark and Anne. Since it was raining all day and traffic was bad, they arrived at 820PM. My PIQC friends are almost always on time and are rarely late for our meet ups. For something fortuitous like the typhoon and the heavy traffic it causes, the dinner schedule quite limits the dining time. Good food is usually enjoyed slowly especially when dining with good friends.

On the Table:

Angus Prime Steak (14 ounces) PHP 1680

We already started eating before everybody arrived since I was really very hungry. I was so excited to order this and have been craving for it since the last time I was at Serendra. I’ve read so much about Mamou’s steaks. I heard that even PGMA chooses to dine here with the 1^st family. A 400g steak priced at almost PHP 1700 is quite steep for a non-steakhouse joint but I shrugged and gave it a go.

I debated whether to get medium or medium well and settled on the latter. It was served with your choice of 2 sidings. I decided to get the red steak rice and corn pudding. I was so excited to eat the red meat and had to resist the urge to grab it with my bare hands. Patience is a virtue after all. It was served on a white plate slanted by a small bowl underneath. The inclined surface allows the excess oil to slide towards the low side.

The meat was already cut into slices. My first bite had a little bit of fat in it. No complaints there. Fat after all makes up the flavor of the meat. It had a good charred crust on the outside but it was a bit overdone in the inside. The steak was well done and was lacking in taste. I hesitated to ask for a steak sauce because I didn’t want to insult the chef, but since the meat tasted bland for my taste, I had to ask the waiter for one. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any steak sauce and I was handed Lee and Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce instead. I asked for freshly ground pepper to spice up the flavor.

CW on the other hand didn’t complain at all about the steak. He enjoyed the side order of rice that came with it, while I instantaneously finished the corn pudding. I really like corn and Mamou’s corn pudding had the right sweetness and creamy consistency.

Beer Batter Fish with Potato Wedges PHP 255

It was also served on a white plate, 3 pieces of fish fillets in a light beer batter with 3 unsalted potato wedges. The fish wasn’t oily and the golden crust had the right crisp as you take a bite of it. CW also liked this dish a lot.

Sean and Angel ordered two dishes as well. One was the Roast Pork and Chicken with Beans and Rice PHP595 (To share serving) and the other was the Beer Batter Fish with Potato Wedges as I recommended. Whereas the three ordered the Roast Pork and Chicken too and Batac Bolognese. However, instead of the Bolognese, it was some Clam Pasta in Olive Oil that was served by mistake.

It was good to see my old friends. Anne kept the atmosphere light and fun as CW anticipated. I was so happy to be sharing stories with Grace and Mark again, while we were all delighted to finally meet Sean’s girlfriend of 3 years, Angel. We met with Grace’s aunt, who we all call Auntie, at Cacao after dinner for some coffee.

Our total bill for 7 heads was close to PHP 5,000. I resisted the desire to complain about the steak but Auntie said I should have. It is my right to do so especially if I’m paying a hefty price for a single dish.

I haven’t been inspired lately to write about the restaurants I’ve visited the past two weeks. I thought the visit to Mamou can spruce up the lull I’ve been experiencing in restaurants. Too bad that I was really disappointed and I felt like having a second dinner that night. Still, several good reviews of Mamou from other bloggers prompt me to give it another shot.

Mamou is located at Unit 1C –15 Ground Floor Serendra Fort Bonifacio Heights, Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig. Make your reservations at 8563569/09178162668.