Davao Delicious

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Mamu’s Resto-Bar

Posted on 18 January 2009 by Blogie in Restaurant  |  4315 views, 11 today

This restaurant might be somewhat removed from your usual routes around Davao, but it’ll be well worth taking the trip to Mamu’s Resto•Bar. I was there for a lovely dinner with Andrew and Ria last Wednesday. And we were not disappointed.

There are few places in Davao City that offer excellent Filipino cooking amidst a classy ambience. Mamu’s, which is a well-appointed yet comfortable restaurant, is probably the best of them. I appreciate it very much that the owners have made the effort to furnish the place exquisitely, as well as to present delicious Filipino dishes in their well-deserved glory.

Many of their servings are good for 2 or 3 people, so we decided to order family-style. But before the entrées, we sampled their Shrimp Kinilaw (₱225). For the main course, we had Beef Abodo (₱320), Chicken Tinuyoan (₱200) and Relyenong Talong (₱75). The last two dishes, according to my good friend Luv-Luv Tan, who is the marketing manager there, go well together. And she was right!

Having the fresh raw shrimp in their special vinegar dressing was a delightful treat. My father — who’s a local legend among friends and family for his brand of kinilaw — uses fresh shrimp and even squid, but only as a sidebar to the real star of this very Filipino concoction, tuna or marlin. At Mamu’s, it’s all shrimp! I loved how they prepared the vinegar dressing; it had a refreshing aftertaste and it did not overpower the natural sweetness of the shrimp at all.

I didn’t misspell the first dish — it’s really called “Abodo”. Luv-Luv says that it’s a family recipe from the owners, and is prepared like regular adobo, but with extra ingredients. The sauce is thicker, and does have a zing to it… It tasted a bit like kaldereta (without the olives and potatoes), but richer, more luscious. The meat was tender and very tasty: I could tell somehow that it was cooked slowly and with great care.

The chicken dish — Chicken Tinuyoan — was fantastic! The flavor was something refreshingly new. Many restaurants settle for the usual preparations of chicken, but at Mamu’s, they’ve created wonderful new flavors to excite the palate. And as recommended, the Relyenong Talong did indeed complement the chicken.

The eggplant dish has three pieces stuffed with minced beef and deep-fried to perfection. Good thing that it wasn’t very oily. Filipino food can get a bit too oily — I’m very glad that the people at Mamu’s have been able to somehow tone this down a notch without sacrificing the taste. I do eat eggplant, but it’s not in my list of favorites. It is in Ria’s and she was practically begging us to give up our portions to her. But it tasted oh so good…

Are you familiar with mango float? Well, at Mamu’s they serve Durian Float (₱45)! If you enjoy durian, treat your palate to this creamy, heavenly dessert. It is a spectacular ending to a hearty meal, and is perfect with coffee. (It doesn’t photograph very well, however, that’s why I don’t have a photo of it here. Do check out Andrew’s food blog if you really want to see how it looks like.)

What I hope Mamu’s will try to improve on further, though, is the level of service among their waitstaff. During our impromptu food trip, our waiter was a tad grouchy and did not appear to me to be trained enough for such a fine place. He didn’t even smile, not even once, during the time we were there. I hope that the owners will devote some attention to staff training, because their beautiful place deserves it.

The place is fairly new, and is in fact located inside a cozy boutique hotel called Anisabel. They’re on Bacaca Road, Rolling Hills. Coming from Bajada, go up the third road on your left after Victoria Plaza. Go straight after the intersection, past the entrance of Ladislawa Village. It’s on the left side of the road. For reservations: landline — 225-8114; mobile — (917)623-6724.

Possibly related posts:

1. Marina Tuna Seafood Market & Resto
2. Nha Trang Vietnamese Restaurant
3. Resto roundup for the week
4. Café Andessa — home-cooked goodness!
5. Sunburst Fried Chicken

Tags: Filipino, fine dining