Manam Comfort Food is the restaurant previously known as NamNam. Its name is derived from the Filipino word malinamnam, which means delicious or tasty.
True to its name, Manam Comfort Food serves all-Filipino dishes that are malinamnam. Its menu is a virtual list of traditional Filipino dishes, from breakfast to dinner plus merienda, that have been passed from one generation to the next. But do not call Manam Comfort Food a stickler to the tradition because its menu offers Pinoy cuisine in two opposing yet complementary teams: the classics and the twists. The classics include super arroz caldo, chocolate champorado, dinuguan with puto, house crispy sisig, beef belly bulalo, and bibingkang galapong of salted egg. The twists have chorizo ensaymada ‘wich (which looks really wonderful), crispy pancit palabok, sinigang na beef short rib and watermelon, and palitaw yema.
Last weekend, my friends and I had lunch at Manam Comfort Food in Greenbelt 2 mainly because I wanted to try the crispy pancit palabok (it was my turn to choose the restaurant). We were there a little before 11am. Two tables were occupied when we entered. We were seated right away but were told to wait a while to order as they were still serving breakfast at that time.
We had fresh lumpiang ubod, laksa halaan soup, gising gising, crispy pata, crispy pancit palabok, and ube and sago shake.
The dishes were served in batches. We had the fresh lumpiang ubod, laksa halaan soup, crispy pata, and rice first. The gising gising arrived when we were halfway through the meal. The crispy pancit palabok was served towards the end of the meal. I would like to assume that the Greenbelt 2 branch was understaffed. Not only was the food not served accordingly but we had to call the attention of the staff more than twice to have our glasses refilled and have our food expedited. Paying for the food was also an issue because it took them a while to give the receipt and card back. Yet, the girl who served us was friendly.
On to the food.
I did not taste the fresh lumpiang ubod because I did not have a good experience with it in the past, but my friends said that it was good.
The laksa halaan soup was divine. It looked gorgeous without the broth and it looked even more appealing with it. The permeating smell that came from the bowl was enough to open the passageways of my nasal cavity. The clams tasted fresh and absorbed the rich flavor of the broth well. The corn kernels and vegetables added a touch of freshness and sweetness to the soup. We ordered a medium sized serving of this soup. The bowl looked deceptively small, but its content was more than enough to satisfy four people. I would give it a 9.2/10.
Gising gising is chopped green beans with ground pork, shrimp paste, chili, and coconut milk. It was the least liked dish of the group. Maybe it was partly because of the lateness of its arrival. Maybe it was because of the thinness of the coconut milk. I am a fan of coconut anything and this one had barely any coconut milk flavor in it. The chili was not pronounced either. It was like eating tiny pieces of greens with tiny pieces of pork. So disappointing.
The crispy pata needs no introduction. It was love at first smell. They sprinkled it with chili powder, and the odor hit me before I saw it. The skin was superbly crisp and the meat was so tender it fell off the bone on its own. I did not dip need any dipping sauce. It was perfect on its own. I am salivating while typing this. Ohmygaaahhhd.
As mentioned earlier, the crispy pancit palabok was the reason I chose Manam Comfort Food. It looked so gorgeous in the photo. It was a towering edible edifice of crispy white noodles with the egg, pork belly rinds, squid, and shrimps as its base. However, ours arrived more like the leaning tower of crispy noodles than an upright one. The server poured the sauce unceremoniously (maybe she was pressed for time) and mixed the noodles and the other ingredients haphazardly. Then, she left. We mixed it a little thoroughly but with care before we had it. We did not have the best of introductions but this crispy pancit palabok gave the crispy pata a run for its money. The seafood was juicy and tender. The noodles were not the same as the usual noodles associated with palabok, which was a good thing. But the winner was the sauce! It was so creamy and seasoned so well. If I could marry that sauce, I would. It was a 12/10.
The ube sago shake had a strong ube flavor, which is always good. It was yum!
My Manam Comfort Food experience was a happy one. Overall the food was splendid and malinamnam. It was a veritable showcase of elevated Filipino dishes. In terms of price, it was relatively cheap. We had five dishes, rice, and shake for *P1,955.97 (US $38.46), which was good for four people. My only criticism was the slow service, which marred what could have been a more enjoyable experience.
*Exchange Rate: US $1.00 = P50.86
All prices are inclusive of 12% tax and are subject to 8.50% service charge.
Manam Comfort Food – Greenbelt 2, Makati City Contact Number:
(02) 7625 – 0515
Manam Comfort Food – Greenbelt 2, Makati City Operating Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 7am to 11pm
Thursday to Saturday: 7am to 12midnight
Sunday: 7am to 11pm
Manam Comfort Food – Greenbelt 2, Makati City Address:
Unit 5 Ground Floor, Greenbelt 2, Parkside, Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila