A Mamou Birthday Celebration

Birthday celebrations are always so magical to me. For one, it's such a happy celebration of a life that was so generously given to us by our Creator. And it's a sweet reminder to all of us that despite the many terrible things that may happen to us and to those around us, we are still much more fortunate and blessed. 

Last October 13th, my team and I put together a simple surprise for our big boss, Christine, who has worked so hard in the past months to ensure the bright future of our business. And so we thought it best to make her feel special and blessed on her hatch day, in an equally special place.

Mamou had a laid back and homey feel that was perfect for an intimate gathering. I also noticed quite a number of foreigners clearly having a good time. The dim lighting added to the relaxed atmosphere, with the only bright lights coming from the semi-open kitchen.

Inside Mamou

The moment we sat down, the waiter served us a basket of bread. I know it's just bread, but for me this actually ushered in the delicious meal. I particularly loved the brown-colored one, which had slightly more flavor than the others.

The bread started off the delicious meal

One of the interesting items I found on the menu was the Tuyo Salad. It was a combination of fresh greens, brown rice, slices of fresh tomatoes and onions, and chopped tuyo. At first I feared the thought of putting brown rice in a salad, but this one turned out to be a good combination as the rice added more texture to the salad. Having the salty taste of tuyo, the sour taste of the tomatoes and the bite from the onions was a nice complement to the rice and the vegetables.

Tuyo Salad (P155)

Mamou's Greens Salad was already a visual treat with the bright green color of the leafy vegetables. It had fresh pieces of small-sized tomatoes and was topped with grated parmesan cheese. The dressing was just right, not too tangy and not bland either. Enjoying this healthy dish prepared us all for the delicious meal ahead.

Mamou's Greens Salad (P295)

After the salads, we went straight to the pastas. Oh, the pastas. The Lorenzo's Truffle Cream pasta was just mouthwatering. The moment the waiter laid down the plate on the table, the fragrant smell of truffle excited our noses. It looked so simple - just the pasta and the cream sauce. No other sophisticated toppings. Just plain truffle goodness. The taste of the truffle was not overpowering at all, and made us all come back for seconds. Whoever Lorenzo is, and if this dish was his brainchild, I hope to meet him someday. :)

Lorenzo's Truffle Cream (P335)

For our red sauce pasta we ordered the Pasta Andrada Bolognese, which was also very good. Like the truffle cream, this dish was also quite simple with just small chunks of tomatoes and some cheese as toppings. Most bolognese pastas I've tried in the past were not so differentiated, but this one had more character. Out of the two pastas, though, the truffle cream obviously gets my vote.

Pasta Andrada Bolognese (P390)

After two delicious dishes of pasta, it was time for the main event. And this one definitely has to be the highlight of the evening, next to our birthday celebrant. Steak always makes any meal special, and so we just couldn't skip ordering Mamou's Angus Ribeye USDA Prime Grade Steak, done medium well. The steak came in a hot plate, already sliced into pieces so it's ready for sharing. It wasn't served flat, and instead was tilted at an angle to separate the oil from the steak. I regret not asking why they did this, but our theory was that so they could offer a choice for those who like their steak oily and those who don't. The meat was extra tender and juicy in the mouth. I opted not to use any other sauce other than the flavorful oil that came with the steak. I also liked the fact that there were some very, very slightly burnt parts in the meat. Even the parts with the meat fat were to-die-for. It looks a bit pricey on the menu but it's good to share for 4 persons, so I think it was quite a good deal.

The steak comes with your choice of two side dishes, and we had the yummy Corn Pudding and Creamed Spinach.

Angus Ribeye USDA Prime Grade Steak (P2,800 for the Twin size [approx. 800g])

Corn Pudding and Creamed Spinach for sides

After reveling at how great the steak was, we decided to order dessert. I thought the Frozen Hot Chocolate was an interesting and innovative creation. When it arrived, all we could see was whipped cream, but under the thick creamy layer was a scoop of chocolate ice cream swimming in hot chocolate. Thankfully it didn't taste like chocolate overload, with the clashing of hot and cold being a surprisingly good combination.

Frozen Hot Chocolate (P185)

You have to dig through the cream to reveal the chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate

We also tried two of their cakes - the New York Cheesecake and the Pecan Pie with "Schlagsanhe". I found the cheesecake a little dry, and I thought the sour taste of the cheesecake contrasted too much with the sweet crust. I liked the pecan pie better, with the pecan nuts adding some crunchy texture to the cake.

New York Cheesecake (P285) and Pecan Pie (P180)

And of course, we couldn't end the night without wishing Christine a very happy birthday with a red velvet cupcake courtesy of Mamou (and a very similar looking red velvet cake from Sonja's care of the team). As an extra treat, our waiter, Jov, even sang "happy birthday" especially for Christine. Notice the "kilig" in Jov's face below :)

At the end of a night that was filled with plenty of delicious food and heartfelt, laughter-filled conversations, we could only hope that Christine felt how special she was to the whole team. More than that, every one of us felt just as special and just as blessed to be working with such a wonderful team, led by such an inspiring lady.

Cheers to another year, Christine! Happy birthday!

*Photos are courtesy of Jerome Go

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 4.5 out of 5 - The steak and the truffle cream pasta are definitely worth going back for.

Mamou is located in Serendra, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. For reservations, call 856-3569.