Philippines: Manam
As we were in our GrabCar driving from the airport in Manila to our Airbnb, there was a moment when it really hit us that we were no longer in Cebu. The skyscrapers and giant billboards felt like a completely different world from the one of bungalows and sand that we had left behind.
We saved one full day in Manila for one reason and one reason only: food. We arrived in the evening and our first order of business was to find a place for dinner. Luckily, Manam was located in the plaza just across the street from us and had glowing reviews:
Based on how packed the restaurant was, it looked promising:
We kind of started the meal with dessert by ordering a ube + sago shake (P 110 / $2.16) and an mango + pomelo + sago one (P 125 / $2.46):
The glasses were huge and the drinks icy and delicious. There were so many other interesting combos that we also wanted to try, like mango + ginger and papaya + black pepper.
The main menu was divided into two sections: classics and twists. Based on how many people are in your group (and whether you want to share), you can order each dish in either small, medium, or large portions.
Throughout our trip, we had a lot of adobo and lechon and sisig. We decided to take this opportunity to try dishes we hadn't encountered before, such as this spicy pusit en su tinta (medium for P 425 / $8.35) or squid in black ink sauce:
And this gising gising (medium for P 205 / $4.03):
None of us had ever heard of gising gising. The menu description indicated that it was made with sigarilyas, kangkong, coconut cream, chili, pork, and bagoong (fermented fish sauce). We had to Google sigarilyas to figure out what it was. (It's apparently known in English as winged beans.) It was my first time having it and I loved it.
We also ordered the laing (medium for P 205):
It was made with sauteed taro leaves, pork belly bits, coconut cream, bagoong, and chilies.
Both dishes were saucy and coconut-y and just oh-so-nice with rice. Especially garlic rice (medium for P 100 / $1.96) and bagoong rice (small for P 95 / $1.87):
My personal favorite of the night was something off the "twists" side of the menu. I'd had sinigang before, but sinigang na beef short rib and watermelon (medium for P 455 / $8.94) was a transcendent experience:
It might not look like much in the bowl, but trust me, it was AMAZING. That soup was tangy and sweet and everything lovely in this world.
The pièce de résistance, however, was the crispy pancit palabok (medium for P 385 / $7.56). A server poured sauce over the crispy noodles tableside and we got to watch as the noodle tower softened and collapsed before our eyes:
We gushed over each and every dish. There was not a dud in the lot. We loved Manam so much that we were making plans to return even before we asked for the bill.
We saw that Manam had a breakfast menu, so we returned to grab brunch on our last day before our flight.
After seeing so many posters of their super arroz caldo (rice porridge), I really, really wanted some. When our server told us they were out, I was devastated. As a consolation prize, we got the ube champorado instead (P 155 / $3.04):
As far as consolation prizes go, this one was pretty damn good. The purple yam sticky rice was decorated with a swirl of coconut cream and salted root crisps on the side. Mixed together, it was subtly sweet and creamy. We scraped the plate clean.
As a savory contrast, we had the house crispy sisig (P 265 / $5.21):
Made with pork jowls and cheek, the sisig came with an egg and rice.
Manam offered a breakfast special that allowed you to pair a silog with coffee for a set price (P 325 / $6.38 for a classic, P 345 / $6.78 for a twist). For an additional P 60 / $1.18, you could make that coffee unlimited. Since we had two coffee drinkers in our group that needed coffee in the morning to function, it made sense to order two.
And to make the coffee unlimited.
From the twist silog list, we asked for the longganisa-stuffed eggplant omelette with salted egg:
And from the classic silog section, we got the tapa, which was beef strips pan-fried in calamansi-soy marinade:
All the silogs came with an egg and rice.
To offset all the rice dishes, we also ordered the pancit lomi (P 180 / $3.54):
This thick noodle soup came with fresh shrimp, pork belly, liver squid balls, chorizo, and veggies.
Since it was our last meal in the Philippines, we went all out and ordered three shakes. Besides the ube + sago one that we had previously, we also tried out the buko + pandan (P 125 / $2.46) and the camias + lemongrass (P 110):
After our dinner experience, we had some pretty high expectations for breakfast and Manam certainly didn't disappoint. Everything we had was once again spot on and crazy delicious.
I don't want to hype Manam up too much, but I really can't help myself. It's just that good. The service is friendly, the decor is inviting, and most importantly, the food is mind blowing. If you're in the mood for something more traditional, order off the classic menu. But don't get scared off by the "twists" because they're innovative and exciting to dig into.
Definitely check out Manam if you're in Manila!
Manam
Central Bus. Dist. Unit 105 G/F Greenbelt 2, Esperanza St. cor. Greenbelt Dr. Ayala Center
Makati City, Esperanza St, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 7625 0515
https://momentgroup.ph/brands/show/manam
We saved one full day in Manila for one reason and one reason only: food. We arrived in the evening and our first order of business was to find a place for dinner. Luckily, Manam was located in the plaza just across the street from us and had glowing reviews:
Based on how packed the restaurant was, it looked promising:
We kind of started the meal with dessert by ordering a ube + sago shake (P 110 / $2.16) and an mango + pomelo + sago one (P 125 / $2.46):
The glasses were huge and the drinks icy and delicious. There were so many other interesting combos that we also wanted to try, like mango + ginger and papaya + black pepper.
The main menu was divided into two sections: classics and twists. Based on how many people are in your group (and whether you want to share), you can order each dish in either small, medium, or large portions.
Throughout our trip, we had a lot of adobo and lechon and sisig. We decided to take this opportunity to try dishes we hadn't encountered before, such as this spicy pusit en su tinta (medium for P 425 / $8.35) or squid in black ink sauce:
And this gising gising (medium for P 205 / $4.03):
None of us had ever heard of gising gising. The menu description indicated that it was made with sigarilyas, kangkong, coconut cream, chili, pork, and bagoong (fermented fish sauce). We had to Google sigarilyas to figure out what it was. (It's apparently known in English as winged beans.) It was my first time having it and I loved it.
We also ordered the laing (medium for P 205):
It was made with sauteed taro leaves, pork belly bits, coconut cream, bagoong, and chilies.
Both dishes were saucy and coconut-y and just oh-so-nice with rice. Especially garlic rice (medium for P 100 / $1.96) and bagoong rice (small for P 95 / $1.87):
My personal favorite of the night was something off the "twists" side of the menu. I'd had sinigang before, but sinigang na beef short rib and watermelon (medium for P 455 / $8.94) was a transcendent experience:
It might not look like much in the bowl, but trust me, it was AMAZING. That soup was tangy and sweet and everything lovely in this world.
The pièce de résistance, however, was the crispy pancit palabok (medium for P 385 / $7.56). A server poured sauce over the crispy noodles tableside and we got to watch as the noodle tower softened and collapsed before our eyes:
We gushed over each and every dish. There was not a dud in the lot. We loved Manam so much that we were making plans to return even before we asked for the bill.
We saw that Manam had a breakfast menu, so we returned to grab brunch on our last day before our flight.
After seeing so many posters of their super arroz caldo (rice porridge), I really, really wanted some. When our server told us they were out, I was devastated. As a consolation prize, we got the ube champorado instead (P 155 / $3.04):
As far as consolation prizes go, this one was pretty damn good. The purple yam sticky rice was decorated with a swirl of coconut cream and salted root crisps on the side. Mixed together, it was subtly sweet and creamy. We scraped the plate clean.
As a savory contrast, we had the house crispy sisig (P 265 / $5.21):
Made with pork jowls and cheek, the sisig came with an egg and rice.
Manam offered a breakfast special that allowed you to pair a silog with coffee for a set price (P 325 / $6.38 for a classic, P 345 / $6.78 for a twist). For an additional P 60 / $1.18, you could make that coffee unlimited. Since we had two coffee drinkers in our group that needed coffee in the morning to function, it made sense to order two.
And to make the coffee unlimited.
From the twist silog list, we asked for the longganisa-stuffed eggplant omelette with salted egg:
And from the classic silog section, we got the tapa, which was beef strips pan-fried in calamansi-soy marinade:
All the silogs came with an egg and rice.
To offset all the rice dishes, we also ordered the pancit lomi (P 180 / $3.54):
This thick noodle soup came with fresh shrimp, pork belly, liver squid balls, chorizo, and veggies.
After our dinner experience, we had some pretty high expectations for breakfast and Manam certainly didn't disappoint. Everything we had was once again spot on and crazy delicious.
I don't want to hype Manam up too much, but I really can't help myself. It's just that good. The service is friendly, the decor is inviting, and most importantly, the food is mind blowing. If you're in the mood for something more traditional, order off the classic menu. But don't get scared off by the "twists" because they're innovative and exciting to dig into.
Definitely check out Manam if you're in Manila!
Manam
Central Bus. Dist. Unit 105 G/F Greenbelt 2, Esperanza St. cor. Greenbelt Dr. Ayala Center
Makati City, Esperanza St, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 7625 0515
https://momentgroup.ph/brands/show/manam
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