Mario's is tucked inside Tomas Morato, it was a quiet place compared to what was surrounding it - bars, casual diners, etc. Upon entering, I heard live piano music. A pianist was playing just near the doorway as we were greeted by the maitre d'. Instantly, I knew I was going to have a great dining moment here.
The place is bursting with simple elegance perfect for lovers to escape to. Most have memories of dining at Mario's with their families, because the place is just so convenient and meals are close to home.
Pork Santol Chutney
Speaking of meals, I had the Pork Santol Chutney. It sounded exotic and so I wanted to try it, I never had santol fruit in my meals before.
First off, the pork was magically cooked in a way that you can cut the skin without wrestling with the knife. the meat was just so soft and tender, the skin crispy but easy to cut and chew. I have no idea how the chef did it.
Turmeric Chicken, read my husband's post about it at Food Pilipinas
The pork oozed with its own juice while the chutney provided a naturally sweet flavor to the meat. It was so tasty everyone around me just had to ask for a bite, and so I gave them slices of my little porky heaven.
The rice was a perfect match to the pork santol chutney, everything was flavorful on the correct level, not very saturating and you can easily finish off a plate if you wanted to.
The Mango Jubilee Flambes licked by fire
Me who can't wait to taste the flambes
Just before I finished my meal, the waiter whipped up a dessert called Mango Jubilee Flambes (pronounced as flam-bei). It was more of a performance married to a delectable dessert. On his cart was some liquor, sugar, and sliced mangoes. He then set the mangoes on flame several times to caramelize and bring out their flavor. Then they were served in wine glasses together with vanilla icecream. No words can explain how delicious the Mango Jubilee is. We were all looking around for extra servings because it was that good.
Finished Mango Jubilee Flambes
I also have to mention that Mario's is one of those dining places who serve real iced tea, which is brewed and not powdered. Everything was like an orchestrated dining experience and I cannot wait to go back on our own :)
More desserts to try next time :)
Check out their website http://marios.com.ph/ to find out more about their menu, reservation, and location.
