Mabini's Kainan Kapihan Tindahan

[2019-May-19] When you hear Mabini or Ermita, food is definitely not the top of mind item that most people would associate it with. With the advent of malls and the relative deterioration of the area, it has somewhat lost its luster. Just like what ‘Poblacion’ is to Makati, this area used be part of Manila’s ‘Poblacion’.

Sunday Lunch. That’s what reminds me of this place. This hidden gem situated along Mabini is great for family gatherings or just a casual lunch meeting with a colleague. Their menu has quirky names. I’ve ordered Sungkaan, a platter of grilled meets from seafood to red meat. Sungkaan is their signature menu item. Very unique and very IG worthy hehe. You must try their bagoong! Pwede na syang pang ulam. And don’t forget to order their dirty ensaymada (dirty ice cream Avocado and ensaymada) it’s the Bomb!!! Yun nga lang walang parking that’s why 4 stars.

A week day visit to my home city of Manila,checking the progress and rejuvenation under the leadership of Yorme Mayor Domagoso famously known as Isko Moreno. Upon arriving Taft Avenue and checking the formerly frantic and chaotic traffic both people and vehicles of Pedro Gil Street .I went straight to Ermita area specifically Mabini Street.I saw an old Art Deco building of Tesoro 's.Beside that old structure is Grand Prix Hotel and a Cafe/ Restaurant named as Mabini 's.As it was about past 11am and famished because of my long walk from Paco to Ermita.I settled in to have an early lunch there. Impressed by the name Mabini,a Philippine Patriot ,I was charmed in a way that this maybe a good representation of the Local Philippine cuisine considering it is situated at the very heart of Manila and an old tourist belt. The interior design of the place was inspired by the retro modern style ,Spanish 60s-70s designed furnitures,capiz lamps and some native adornments which is very Filipino. As I 'm a going solo for this lunch I went for the solo meal.They offer choices of combo rice meals with iced tea included(BAYANI LUNCH MEALS Available 11am-3pm, Mondays-Fridays) for the individualdiners diners.I chose the squid sisig an off the beaten path dish for me and it can also be a make or break item. Upon the arrival of the dish,it was on the round sizzling plate,rice was well cooked,surprisingly and impressively the squid is not overcooked ,the texture was perfect ,not to chewy yet there 's this certain bite into it whenever my teeth sunk into each piece.Lovely hint of heat , I like the small slivers of green local chili.The sauce has this unique savory taste and fine touch of garlicky flavor.The dish brought some happy grin on my kisser. As another observation ,I saw that they have a Chef Line which is a remarkable thing in my humble opinion.Service is very good , magalang and magiliw . Price ,mid range,the names of the dishes have touches of novelty and history which is very amusing. If you have foreign friends that will visit the Philippines ,Mabini 's is a great option to introduce them to the flavors of the Philippines.And a big plus is that it is not situated inside a mall. For now I will give it a 4 but I 'll have to try a lot of their offerings the next time. #SarilingPera #TseeboogAsiano #notfamousbutTRUE

Delightful place with good ambiance and good food choices. We had a yummy Tsokolate Batirol from Davao. Paired with Triangulo triangular rice paper filled with tasty tinapa and chives cream with a pineapple chutney. Juan Tamad a collection of chips (taro, cassava, purple yam) with a sardine keso dip is another good appetizer. Our mains were Sizzling Bulalo and Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa. Both dishes were good. The bulalo had good Batangas beef shank, roasted bone marrow, potatoes and cabbage in a thick mushroom gravy.

Very delicious and flavorful food! My favorites were the Balut Mata Pobre (which says a lot, as I don’t really look for balut), Sizzling Squid Steak, Chicharon Bulaklak, and Hito. Very friendly, attentive, and accommodating staff. Also nice that there’s a Tesoro’s inside, so while waiting for our food, we were able to look around. I forgot to take photos of the food because I kept wanting to eat more and make sure my family didn’t finish the food before I got PS They had a great playlist when we went. They were playing modern OPM artists like The Ransom Collective and Ben&Ben.