mamou

[warning: long review ahead]

ever since stepping foot in the philippines, i’ve yet to taste a truly delicious and well-prepared steak; something reminiscent of the ones i used to enjoy back in the good ol’ u.s. of a. however, mamou was a name that always popped up among the top steakhouse lists in the metro. ever since then, i’ve been wanting to visit mamou and finally, thetimecame to call them up and make a reservation.

the items we ordered were the mamou’s greens, lorenzo’s truffle cream pasta, bone-in ribeye, and the key lime pie for dessert. 

starting the meal off with the salad, mamou’s greens, the girlfriend and i both agreed it was substandard. bitter greens, maybe only 3 or 4 cherry tomatoes, and a bland vinaigrette to top it all off. we were also served complimentary bread to accompany our salad. however, to my surprise, the bread came out steamy and damp. a sign that the bread was probably microwaved. as i bit into the bread i became even more suspicious as it was very chewy and spongy.

at this point, we’ve only gotten through the appetizers and our meal is already starting out on the wrong foot.

the next dish to arrive is the truffle cream pasta and it couldn’t have come any sooner. many recommended this dish and i now see why: the pasta itself is cooked perfectly al dente. the cream sauce is very rich and yet not overly heavy and finishes with a subtle taste of truffle. a great dish, we just wished there was more of it on the plate.

next, the dish i’ve been waiting so long to taste: our dry aged usda prime bone-in rib eye steak. we were recommended to get our steak cooked to a ”medium rare” doneness and yet when it arrived, it was a bit more on the rare side. not a huge deal, but when you pay this much for a dish, little things can leave a big impression. also, i’ve noticed a few tendencies here at steakhouses in the philippines. one is how they like to serve your steak to you already cut. something i personally don’t like but it’s whatever since it’s going to get cut up one way or another. another is how they like to serve your steak in a puddle of the oil they used to cook the steak. this is something i find pointless and unappetizing.

overall, i liked the steak.

however, i’m not trying to start a fight here but i have my doubts that the steak we were served was a usda prime grade steak. biting into the meat, there was no richness of fat that’s present in a prime grade piece of beef. also, the beef flavor alone was very lacking. i know i’m being very critical but again, when you pay almost 4k for a piece of meat you expect it to be a very high quality piece of meat.

last but not least, the key lime pie ended the meal off on a high note. perfectly balanced with the right amount of sweetness to tart and the pie filling consistency was smooth and velvety.

i enjoyed mamou and would like to come back here in the future, like long-term future. but for now, it looks like the search for that perfect steak continues…

pros
-service here is top-notch. a lot of times before we even asked, a server would come by to check on us if we needed anything.

cons
-be prepared to spend…a lot.
-serving sizes here can be underwhelming.

a day of family and food. a day of celebration.

i woke up feeling like it's just another day, one... two... three... then i remembered, it was my day. my whole family was still asleep as i began with my morning ritual, after which i headed to my home office, and plopped on my black computer chair.

in my mind, i was planning the day's activities, albeit it wasn't so much about what to do rather than where to eat. i love food is stating the obvious. and celebrating my birthday is the perfect excuse to eat where i want without the guilt of considering if my companions would enjoy the restaurant choices i make for the day.

two things i know for sure -- i'm hankering for a hunky piece of steak, and no, i don't want to do buffet. being a food blogger, surely i wouldn't be able to resist taking photos of the whole spread, and i just wanted to have a leisurely lunch and dinner.

i've been planning on going back to mamou for quite some time. admittedly, the firsttimei dined there wasn't too much of a good experience, and i blamed that on poor dish choices. i vowed to try their famous steaks the nexttimei visit, and i was adamant to do it now.

the light drizzle had already stopped by thetimemy handsome date and i arrived at serendra. with my hand tucked into the crook of my husband's arm, i slowly walked across the piazza, sidestepping large rain puddles, careful not to soil my new wedges.

inside the red-themed restaurant were several empty tables, which were soon occupied by thetimewe started eating. it's always best to have reservations when dining at mamou. we opted for steak and pasta. i also wanted to try the rb foie gras open faced sandwich, unfortunately, i knew that with such heavy dishes, there was no way i could stuff that one into my stomach as well. another time, then.

the smell of truffle was so apparent the moment the waiter laid this down on the table. with such heady perfume so near my nose as i was taking close-up shots of the dish, i suddenly didn't care if i took a satisfactory shot of it or not. all i wanted was to twirl it around my fork and put it instantly into my mouth. no meat, not even a trace of mushroom to be seen. it's forgivable if one might be dubious of its stellar popularity based on looks alone. but, we don't eat with just our eyes.

omg! was all i could say for the first few seconds or so. why only now?! i silently berated myself for not having tried this dish sooner. the spaghettini were cooked al dente; the truffle flavored cream just divine. shavings of grana padano cheese topped the creamy---both in color and texture---heap. it was just so rich, so bold a flavor, that i couldn't help but sigh in ecstasy. looks can be deceiving; trust me, there's nothing simple about this exquisite dish.

heaven on a plate! best steak in recent memory. very tender (and juicy) angus ribeye drenched in oil with a splattering of toasted fat bits. i feared that the char on the strips would have an awful burnt taste, but thank goodness it did not. it was so flavorful, i wanted to cry in delight. no need for steak sauce, though one is provided on the side, along with some sea salt. i did try putting a little of that just for the heck of it, albeit i liked it a lot better on its own.

for the sides, we chose mashed potatoes and white steak rice, which is rice bathed in the steak's fat drippings, and we chose well. other sides include red steak rice, which uses brown rice, corn pudding and creamed spinach.

i loved our lunch at mamou. it was a far cry from the lasttimeat rockwell. very good choice, if i do say so myself.

next stop: alabang, to meet up with my daughters, my parents, and my brother. we were planning on a late dinner so an afternoon snack was a must. after about a decade of not visiting, café breton suddenly became one of our go-to places whenever that midday craving sneaks in.

i remember how my best friends and i would spend countless afternoons with a plate of crepe (sometimes two, and usually la pinay), and share stories about our college life. café breton, at that time, was still located at the 2nd floor of corte de las palmas in atc -- our second home. then it closed down and moved to westgate, which was less accessible, so that was that.

it was only when we found ourselves one day inside westgate sometimelate last year, that we decided to indulge in their crepes once again. all it took is one bite for us to realize that we must not let another decade, nor another year, nor even several months pass without treating ourselves to these delicious french pancakes.

this one was pretty simple, with slices of bananas and condensed milk inside this folded crepe. a scattering of powdered sugar completed the dish. my baby's yaya kept on going how she could make a similar one at home. we may not be able to create a crepe of equal quality, but a very thin pancake batter would suffice. and it did actually, when she made some the very next day, haha. but that won't stop me from going back; i will, however, choose to order crepes with more complex fillings for my kids next time.

we've also tried a couple more crepes on other occasions, one of which was savory. the excalibur had a treasure of ham, emmental cheese, fresh cream, and asparagus spears, sauteed with onions and mushrooms. it was good, but after a few bites, i suddenly yearned for some meat. the a la nutella had this hazelnut chocolate spread on top of the crepe with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. too sweet for my taste, but my daughter liked it. well, she loves nutella so no surprise there.

and the best crepe of them all -- la pinay. i think this will be my forever café breton staple. not that other crepes are not worthy of note. it's simply a matter of unwilling to risk ordering a different kind, only to end up regretting not eating this best seller of theirs. so unless i have someone with me who willingly orders a french crepe variant surprisingly more delectable than this, i'm afraid you're stuck with me, french buddy.

chunky pieces of chicken was used in the salad, which was then smeared on a bed of lettuce and asparagus. i wished their asparagus spears were bigger, kinda like the ones in pancake house's chicken asparagus sandwich; the better to enjoy them. nonetheless, this was pretty okay, and the light salad on the side was a nice touch.

their spaghetti was good, nothing extraordinary, but enough to satisfy a simple craving for comfort food. i have to say, still way better than fast food spaghetti.

juicy beef patty with melted mozzarella, all covered with button mushrooms. as with their other snacks and sandwiches, it was pretty good, but nothing mind-blowing that you would actually crave for it. oh, and the side salad was again a nice touch.

overall café breton is a good one-stop shop for your little sweet and savory cravings. they have rootbeer float and they serve coffee, so yeah, i'm fine with that.

after a little malling and shoe shopping, it wastimefor dinner. and despite what i had already consumed, i felt famished.

for several months now, i've been eyeing this restaurant. it's near our place so i would pass by it as i bring my daughter to school, go to church or to the mall. the fact that it had these mouthwatering photos of steak and burger plastered on their windows only increased my determination to finally check it out.

the farm resto prides itself in serving only certified organic beef products that come from the farm organics. i don't have much experience when it comes to eating organic food, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i did know though, that they could be more pricey since the volume produced is smaller, and production costs are typically higher since they use alternative production processes. i'm about to find out that this isn't always the case.

we started with a salad. i was a bit disappointed to see only four pieces on the plate. that was soon forgotten the moment i took in a blob of melted kesong puti drizzled with olive oil (?), sandwiched between a basil leaf and a slice of tomato. lovely!

oh my! the bone marrow was so rich and just bursting with flavor. not to mention quite deadly, too. i hated the fact that if you scraped the whole thing off the bone, you'd find just a small amount, much smaller than you would like. but, looking at it on a positive note, i think it's just right lest you might find yourself visiting your doctor soon enough.

with the burgers being tiny, p130 a pop did look pretty expensive. my daughters, especially my older one finished hers though, and that says a lot 'coz she is one picky eater. her only complaint was that the top bun had burnt grill marks, but she certainly enjoyed the beef patty and cheese. to quote: "it was so yummy, mom!"

now that, is a burger. simple, no frills, yet the goodness is apparent. unfortunately for me, i didn't even get the chance to take one measly bite. i was assured it was really good, though. yeah, right, as if that description would be enough to make me feel better. i knew i should have cut a piece after taking a shot of it, before i handed over the wooden board it sat on.

the steak wasn't tough, albeit it wasn't as tender as i would have preferred. the flavor was there, though it could use more. or perhaps, this nitpicking was a result of just having had mamou's steak earlier that day, so comparison was pretty much a given.

my mom enjoyed this one immensely, her hogging the whole platter after my dad and i grabbed just half a piece each proved that point. it was large, for crying out loud! supposedly good for two people at the very least. but no, she wouldn't budge. even if it was my birthday. i had to order another, and i opted for the tenderloin to try something different.

this was a lot more tender than the rib-eye, although a bit blander as well. even the accompanying mashed potatoes had more salty-savory flavor than the steak. but nothing a little steak sauce can't fix, if they have one. i actually hadn't thought about asking, i was too busy scarfing down the strips. i told you i was hungry.

i'm not sure if they do that on purpose, lessening the seasonings or marinade or something, because when i asked the servers what the difference was between their three steaks---rib-eye, new york, and tenderloin---they straight up told me that the rib-eye was the flavorful one, the new york was the lean cut, and the tenderloin was the most tender. i'd be happy if they had one that's both flavorful and very tender. never mind the lean part, give me all that fat! on second thought, the salt and black pepper on the table may be an indication that they let diners season the meats according to their taste.

i'm not a fan of dense cakes, but this was different. it was rich, but had the decency not to be cloying. the strawberries were clustered toward the center of the cake, but the flavor lingered all the way to the back. it was so good! with a little shame, i handed the sorry-looking remnant back to my brother (it was his order), who repaid me with an if-looks-could-kill face. and if it weren't my birthday, i'd say that idea wouldn't be so remote.

admittedly, i was initially shocked to see that our total bill set us back several thousands of pesos. in hindsight though, when i carefully thought about it, the prices were okay considering the food was organic. the average price per person turned out to be about p500; some had steaks, some had burgers. if all of us had steak, raising it to about p600-p800 average, it would still be considered a steal compared to other steakhouses. and when you think about how it's better for your body, then that's a major plus.

thank you, lord, for a family-filled, food-filled, fun-filled day!

1sttimeto try it. was really value for money. truffle pasta was also good. it's e a perfect combination with the steak. 400g steak is enough for two people. staffs were also attentive to requests.

firsttimetrying mamou at serendra and we instantly fell in love. we're on gcq a4 and we still hadn't gotten our 2nd dose of vaccine yet so we were seated at their al fresco area but it was pretty cozy. we ordered linguine vongole and dry aged t bone steak and it really exceeded my expectations. steak was flavorful and tender and the pasta was cooked to perfection. we'll definitely be come back(soon)

i’m not really a big fan of steaks because i end up not liking it that much except for mamou

place: it’s comfortable and spacious.

service: very prompt, accommodating, and courteous. they ask you fromtimetotimeif you need anything else, how’s your food and even refill your glass of water even if you didn’t ask for it.

appetizer: we ordered the following:

orange kamote cream soup - although it was good, but it just tasted like an ordinary pumpkin or squash soup. there wasn’t a hint of sweetish taste that is usually prominent in sweet potatoes.

cracked cheese fuet with honey - i love cheese so i enjoyed this one. i never thought that cheese would be good with honey. i liked the salami too, i liked tapas / cold cuts and cheeses but i find them too expensive especially with the serving size.

caesar salad - it was simple, nothing special. you can actually skip this one but i enjoyed it eating with steak.

main: we ordered angus steak (twin) with red steak rice, mashed potato and additional creamy spinach.

the angus steak was amazing. we ordered medium rare and it was tender. their steak sauce was delicious, it was perfect with their steak. the serving was not the enormous but it was good for two as what the staff suggested.

mashed potato definitely didn’t taste that came from a box. creamy spinach was fine but i could live without it.

overall, we enjoyed our sumptuous meal. i’ll definitely go back here 🥄🥄🥄🥄

28day da porterhouse in medium rare definitely hit the spot, capping off a week at work. paired with their truffle pasta of course. service was excellent and the servingtimeis just right. margarita wasn't special though, with only a pinch of salt. you don't need their steak sauce either

this was our 2ndtimedining at mamou. the firsttimewas the most memorabletimeof our lives. the steak was amazing.

but thistimewas different. i guess consistency is not their strong suit. to be frank, we ordered the 29day dry aged tbone steak, and the lobster pasta, and as you can see in the picture, that's not medium rare, and i doubt that it's dry aged too.

my heart dropped when i saw it.

i guess we shoul've said something, but hey, we are not confrontational people. i hate complaining in public, kasi alam ko, walang kasalanan yung server sa mga nangyayari sa food sa restaurants, and our server was great. and of course i don't really want to ruin the day of anyone eating at the time.

anyway, meat was chewey, kung may cctv sila that time, you can see me laughing as i "try" to cut it with my knife. my girlfriend didn't eat much. pero i did finish it.

we aren't rich, we saved for this day, our bill amounted to almost 7k for a fishy pasta and a chewy steak. because we've put our complete trust in mamou, kasi nga our first experience was amazing.

it was a terrible experience and we just ate, paid and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

if you had mamou before, and was amazed, i agree, i tasted their steak at their peak. pero as of today, i felt cheated and robbed, might be an isolated case, but i just baffled as to why and how that meat and pasta got to anyone's table who's paying fairly.

oh well.

i can never forget the firsttimei tried this restaurant. we had the earlier seating. and we didnt want to be late. we had truffle pasta and steak. the steak stole the show! steak rice came in second. melt in your mouth beef cooked to your liking. you can see and taste the juices as you slice into it. getting hungry just writing about it

it's been a longtimesince i've dined in mamou but i must admit they are consistent thru the years.

we ordered their lorenzo truffle pasta and their rib eye to be shared for two.

while the pasta is simple it hit all the right flavors, prefectly cooked pasta with a simple sauce.

the rib eye was cooked perfectly pink at the center. it was juicy and bursting with flavor. iy was absolutely delicious. we had this with a side of steak fried rice and creamed spinach.

staff were attentive and helpful. overall, a very good dining experience.

service is very efficient and their staff is very warm. they also know their wine list which one pairs best with the customer’s orders.

food is glorious and very comforting. ordered their angus steak, alltimefavorite lorenzo’s pasta and their truffle mushroom dip.

just be sure to book your tables in advance, this place is always packed.

celebrated my steak-lovin' partner's birthday here tonight. the experience was divine. we got the twin angus usda steak with creamed spinach and red steak rice, along with the well-raved truffle pasta and an extra side of broccoli and cottage cheese. we also got ourselves a glass of pinot noir to pair with the meat.

we got the twin (800g) because we underestimated the serving, but boy was it huge. we opted not to have it pre-sliced so as to keep it moist and juicy. the steak's medium rare doneness was spot on. the steak alone was awesome. it was pink, properly seasoned, tender and had the right balance of fat and meat.

the pasta was good. i had better. but its simplicity best fits the steak should you rid of the rice and other sides.

speaking of rice, if you're having the steak and would want to greatly appreciate the meat but could not, not have the staple carbs, veer away from the flavored rice. it tends to be packed in flavor and would drown the awesomeness of the beef.

as per the sides, please stay away from the creamed spinach if you're not into laing, because it surprisingly is nothing but that, a variety of laing. meanwhile, the broccoli and cottage cheese is yum.

servicetimeis acceptable. they serve you freshly baked rolls and softened butter while you wait. the staff are attentive, polite and cheerful. they obliged to sing a "happy birthday" song for my partner as well as provide a red velvet cake as a token.

i commend their reservation system. i rang up at lunchtimeand reserved a table for two for dinner for the second seating which is at 8:30pm, while the first was at 6pm. a text will be sent to confirm your reservation as well as other polite reminders.

in sum, my partner and i had a grand time. i wish they'd move to a more spacious location though as the place tends to be cramped. lovin' those huge red chandeliers too.

my firsttimeto try and was very excited because i have been hearing and reading great reviews about their steak. so for our mom’s despedida, my brother treated us for dinner at their bgc branch. ordered the spring rolls for starter which was okay. ordered 2 pasta dishes: lorenzo’s truffle pasta and the vongole and we really loved both dishes. we liked the truffle pasta but the size was not enough for all of us so we had to order another one. the main event or the highlight of the meal was the steak. did not disappoint! we ordered for sharing with steak rice and creamy spinach on the side, i can honestly finish everything on my own hahahaha!! there were 2 tables celebrating someone’s birthday, so the place could get a bit noisy but i like the ambiance. good thing we reserved and called in advance. service was good, servers were very attentive and approachable. i would definitely go back and recommend to friends.

celebrated my birthday dinner here last october with my boyfriend. i called a few days ahead to secure a table because i heard it can get busy. there was however a bit of trouble as they placed us at a table outside and it was rather hot for an evening. there was a fan outside but it sort of triggered my boyfriend’s allergies so meh. i don’t understand why this happened despite my reservation but the waiter gave us a reason (i forgot whether it was because there was a private event or all tables were booked). after a while i noticed the table inside beside the window had a card on the table with my name on it. i was quick to point this out and they were kind enough to help us transfer inside even though our first order, the spring rolls was already served. i do not recommend the spring rolls by the way. it tastes alright but did not make enough of an impact for me to order this again the nexttimei’ll visit. next to be served was lorenzo’s truffle cream pasta. i love me some truffle. this truffle was good although it was a bit bland so i had to put a bit of salt in it and the serving size was rather small than i expected for the price point. but acceptable i suppose. finally, the main event which was the steak. i ordered it in the smallest cut they can serve it and it was marvelous. very juicy and rich.mmmm👌🏼 by the end of dinner we were pretty full and they even gave me a complimentary birthday red velvet cupcake which was good. the waiters that served us were nice especially the one serving us inside. overall, i would go back here again although i wouldn’t order the same thing except for the steak.

mamou is known for it’s angus ribeye usda prime grade steak. we were able to try a regular serving of it which is approximately 400 grams and good for two people. i love their steak because it’s rightly cooked (for me) and soft to chew. since the steak is oily and they we don’t want the meat to be soaked in oil, they serve the steak by elevating one side of the plate to allow the oil to drip.

aside from their steak, we were also able to try their healthy and yummy meals.

1. fish fingers: these are beer battered white meat and served with grilled vegetable dip. i really enjoyed this appetizer. fish fingers really goes well with their unique dip!
2. hearty lentil soup: this is their spiced south american lentil chowder. it looks like the popular filipino food—- monggo but it tastes so good!
3. alugbati kamote talbos salad: this salad is composed of blanched alugbati and sweet potato tops, salted egg, blue cheese, onion, orange kamote, saba, and french vinaigrette plustopped with duck adobo flakes. it was my firsttimeencountering alugbati and talbos ng kamote on a salad. it’s good though.
4. pasta cipollo: i really enjoyed this simple yet delish sweet onion in anchovy cream pasta! a must-try for me!
5. lorenzo’s truffle cream: i also this pasta. tastes so good!!!
6. grilled salmon steak: this salmon steak which isserved in warm couscous salad, is very appealing. and super tasty!
7. venison curry: venison is a deer’s meat. i enjoyed this dish too. it has a strong flavor and the meat is very soft. it is served with rice pluce white/red buttered parsley rice mango cranberry chutney.

steak and truffle pasta is so good!!! :)

🏖 ambience:
both inside and out, mamou’s theme is a combination between matte black and matte red. with comfy seats and red chandelier that reminds me of disney’s ursula. haha! :)��you can choose between going al fresco (limited seating) or in the air-conditioned area.

place can seat between 50-60 people at the same time.

🍽 food & 🍹drinks:

here are the following food that i tried:
1. mamou’s iced tea - i believe it has the mix of honey
2. fish fingers w/ grilled vegetable dip
3. alugbati, kamote talbos salad
4. pasta cipolla
5. lorenzo’s truffle cream
6. grilled salmon steak
7. venison curry
8. angus ribeye usda prime grade steak

the following are the one’s that i enjoyed the most.
- angus ribeye steak
- truffle cream pasta
- grilled salmon
- mamous iced tea.

woosa!!! :d
.
💆‍♂️ service:

please be advised that they have certaintimeschedules that are strictly followed. call for reservation. :)

service is really good and attentive. thank you frexy and charm for the treatment! :)

🚳 parking:
place is located in serendra, you can use the available parking lots near the area

🌏 overall:
highly recommended!!!�� enjoyed every bit of my stay. :d

you can find mg vlog featuring mamou in youtube. type in the keyword jacexperience mamou