Mesa, Filipino Moderne - Niles

One of the best way to bond with the family is to dine in a favorite restaurant, especially if a member is celebrating a birthday. A few months back (yes another late post), we went to Mesa Restaurant’s SM Pampanga branch to celebrate our li’l sis’ birthday. Meet the squad. (L-R) Jeric, Tito Danny, Tita Dolly, Diane (birthday girl), Me

Each dish was amaziiing! like delish, omfg im not even pullin’ your leg, bible! my earlier encounter w/ mesa was meh but on the second chance, it sure did redeem itself. started w/ the sisig pockets, best to share ‘coz if wolf this down own your own, your palatte will ask for something to break that richness. the first bite was pleasing, then w/ their pinakurat (spiced vinegar) it was a spectacular that i had to have rice w/ it, haha. got their best selling liempo, though i wanted it to be more charred, it’s packed w/ flavors that’ll jusy want to make u love mesa more and then i got the drunken ostrich. if you’re not tuitioned, you’d think it’s meat. was a tad salty, hence the need for rice. finally for dessert, i had the saba con yielo customised as i asked for the langka and macapuno ice cream set foot atop that mountain of icy goodness of sweet saba and cloud like shaved milk ice that was a glorious ending to one fantastic meal.

If you've got expats or foreigner friends who would like to taste Filipino food, this is the place. We ordered the Set meal, Package 3. The shrimp in salted egg was everyone's favorite, given that there is also this salted egg fad going around. My favorite: The Crispy Boneless Tilapia. It was nicely fried so it was crispy on the outside but still soft and tender on the inside. Also, the Stuffed Squid. It was big and had had a nice crispy batter outside which provided the crunch.

A great place to eat filipino food. Tried out the bbq mixed platter. I prefer the bbq pork instead of the chicken. The meat is more juicy. Paired the bbq with sinigang. The sinigang was totally unique. It's the first time I've seen sinigang cooked with pineapple and guava. Oddly it worked out well. Can't help but to order seconds.

We had their set meal good for 10-12 people. The food all tasted well although they are a bit pricey. I would recommend dining al fresco as it can get crowded and noisy indoors.