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.

 Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/484/08_0621-_Mamou