MENU: Mamou

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MENU
Fit for a Queen

By Margaux Salcedo
Inquirer
Last updated 03:55am (Mla time) 10/07/2007

MANILA, Philippines – Asking the waiter for recommendations, I received the oddest reply: “Ma’am, President GMA ordered our steak.” The President? In Serendra?! Apparently the First Family had the restaurant closed to celebrate the birthday of Dato, the President’s son who is now congressman of Camarines Sur. The whole family, including grandchildren, was there and enjoyed the steak. I checked the menu. Prime Angus Beef. But of course.

Intrigued by the waiter’s marketing pitch, I pressed on. “Any other bestsellers?” He replied: “Ma’am, Imelda Marcos had the fish ’n chips.” What about President Ramos? “He hasn’t been here.” Erap? “He is in Tanay po.” I laughed. What about actors? “Judy Ann Santos, ma’am, ordered the duck.” My guest and I giggled. I ordered the duck. What can I say, I’m a Juday fan.

The restaurant is Mamou and the crowd that gathers at this Serendra bistro is as interesting as the food you will find on your plate. At lunch on a Sunday it would not be unusual to be seated within hearing distance of Gina Lopez or Lizzie Zobel, as I was the Sunday I had lunch. On that Sunday, the waiter did not give me an enumeration of the A-listers who have dined at the bistro and what they ordered. It was my third visit, and I made a mental note to see if it was a restaurant practice. Happily, it is not. I must have just been assigned to a starstruck waiter eager to enumerate the big names he had seen.

What is the attraction of this place? I wondered as I watched the waiter by the door hand out calling cards to people standing outside, hoping to chance upon a table. It is next to impossible to get a table at Mamou if you don’t have a reservation.

I was lucky enough to get a table outside on my first visit, walking in a little before 6 in the evening. We were the only customers but all the tables were reserved. An elegant woman reminiscent of Maggy Prescott (the actress Kay Thompson) in the movie “Funny Face” approached our table for two. “Are you college students?” she asked after exchanging hellos. “Students of life! Are you Mamou?” I asked in the most perky college student-y way. “No, I’m Annie. But you may call me Tita Annie. That’s what all the younger ones call me. Malou is my younger sister. My nephew couldn’t pronounce Malou and kept calling her ‘Mamou,’ so there it is,” she explained in her well-enunciated Connecticut English.

Tita Annie, as we were allowed to call her, is one-third the charm of Mamou. I realize this a few afternoons later while having some spring rolls in neighboring Zao, watching her hover about the bistro, making sure everything’s okay.

“Malou is the chef?” I asked on that first visit. “No, she’s not a chef. She’s a cook! She wasn’t trained as a chef but she likes to cook. This is her first restaurant venture, although she also owns Blue Kitchen, that little deli in the Rockwell mall,” Tita Annie had answered.

A sampling of the food will tell you that in fact, Malou Fores, the superwoman behind Mamou, is no chef. The presentations are simple, the cooking straight up, making you understand why it is self-described as “a home kitchen.” However, she is definitely a gourmet. She knows her food and has exquisite taste.

The cheese appetizer, for instance, although served sparingly, uses Italian cheese and fuet, a delicious Catalonian salami. The duck asparagus sandwich, although wastefully drowned in mayo, had a sprinkling of curry powder that is almost invisible to the eye but clearly seen with the tongue. All over the menu is the choice for red rice. And the sans rival is made wicked by its unusual layers of chocolate.

Malou apparently likes to capitalize on the natural flavors of her ingredients. A refreshing salad of red rice and tomatoes is given flavor with our very own tuyo (dried herring). A soup has lamb meatballs. The Bolognese pasta, executed very well, uses Batac, Ilocos sausage for a slightly spicy bite. And the red rice that accompanies the crispy roast duck is given character by the addition of chorizo.

The fish ’n chips that former First Lady Imelda had was rather ordinary, but the steak that our incumbent President feasted on is a hefty slab of beef that is a very juicy and tasty indulgence. Steaks are popping up everywhere nowadays but the steak at Mamou is highly recommendable. It’s quite steep at P1,680 for a single serving of 400 grams but then again, it’s prime Angus beef, and already sliced in the kitchen for your convenience.

Juday’s Roast Duck—if that is really what she ordered—was also very pleasant, and I appreciated the succulence under its crisp exterior. But my personal favorite was something more peasant, the Roast Pork & Chicken. If you don’t let the plain presentation of the buttered onions just lying lazily on top of the rice disturb you, you will appreciate the taste of summer in the citrus-rubbed pork. You will definitely savor the savory with this one.

But the meals make up for only another third of the charm of Mamou. The dishes are not exceptional— there is no foie gras creme brulee or gorgonzola souffle or other frou frou signature dish—although all are very well executed. The final factor, therefore, is Malou Fores herself, whom you will see in the kitchen in a bun and crocs, making sure that each meal is properly prepared. And when the cooking is done she will go around herself and ask if you need an extra glass of iced tea or another fork for a shared dish, and if everything is all right.

That is the secret of Mamou. There’s nothing fancy; there’s just really good food...presented simply but properly, prepared lovingly and served personally. This shows you that when you match impeccable taste with tender loving care in the kitchen, the result is a restaurant fit for a queen...whether of the box office or of the country.

MAMOU. 856.3569; 0917.816.2668. Serendra, Fort Bonifacio. Major credit cards accepted. Casual/smart casual. Wheelchair access through driveway and basement parking elevator.