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. 

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.

On the Table (Our orders 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.

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.

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.  

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

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.

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. 

Link: http://www.janedchua.com/2008/06/23/mamou/

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.