Remember Mangrove Cafe at PH Pavilion at Expo? They’re having a pop-up at Razon’s of Guagua in Karama – from May 1 to 4 only.
We had food tasting of the dishes in the set and here’s what I honestly thought.
Appetizers:
- Kinilaw 7/10
- Okoy 6/10
- Lumpiang Sariwa 8/10
Mains:
- Pancit Canton 10/10
- Kare-kare 9/10
- Pinangat na Isda (Sea bream) 10/10
Dessert:
- Suman Malagkit 9/10
- Turon 6/10
Drinks:
- Cervesito 10/10
Kinilaw – 7/10
I don’t eat this usually (because I’m not a fan of any Kinilaw) but their kingfish marinated in coconut vinegar and kalamansi (Philippine lemon) tastes good. May sipa.
Chef Andrew Paderes described it as the “Filipino ceviche.”
Okoy (they call it “Ukoy”) – 6/10
The rating is because maybe I’m used to Okoy with shrimps. What they have is veggie fritters. The taste is good. And for a long time it is on the table, it stayed crispy (unlike typical fries). The vinegar dip is 11/10 to my liking.
Lumpiang Sariwa 8/10
This is good. Hindi tinipid ang crepe wrap and malasa yung sautéed veggie fillings. The peanut sauce is good too.
Pancit Canton 10/10
I’m surprised it doesn’t taste like our traditional canton. It taste like wok-fried indeed and the secret “Fil-Asian” sauce make it unique. I like how the beans and bokchoy blend well.
Kare-kare 8/10
If it’s beef tripe, I would have rated it 10/10. I love the tasty flavor, but I’m just not used to the oxtail texture. The veggies are crunchy and not overcooked.
Pinangat na Isda 10/10
This is the star of the set for us. I didn’t expected much since I’m not a fan of pangat. But the sea bream is so fresh and the soup has a flavor of pangat and sinigang in between. Not sure if I’m doing justice with how I describe it, but it’s a must-try.
Suman Malagkit 9/10
The latik in the sauce makes it different from Thailand’s mango sticky rice. I like the level of sweetness in it. The rice was just “very fine” for me that I cannot give it a perfect rating. I would prefer it if the texture is just like Biko. Other than that minimal thing, this one’s a winner.
Turon 6/10
The twist in the sauce and all that was good. It’s just the banana. Plantain banana here is not as sweet and tasty as those we have in the Philippines. Saka ang benchmark ko sa turon is yung right 25 pesos sa SM.
Cervesito 9/10
Calamansi soda with San Miguel Non-alcoholic Beer. Astig ng flavor. Perfect match for kinilaw. Konti na lang perfect punch na sya.
At AED210 for 2-3 pax, for 8 dishes, not really bad. It’s just like spending a minimum of AED70 per person.
