Reviews Mabini's Kainan Kapihan Tindahan

A week day visit to my home city of Manila,checking the progress and rejuvenation under the leadership of "Yorme" Mayor Domagoso famously known as Isko Moreno.

Upon arriving Taft Avenue and checking the formerly frantic and chaotic traffic both people and vehicles of Pedro Gil Street .I went straight to Ermita area specifically Mabini Street.I saw an old Art Deco building of Tesoro's.Beside that old structure is Grand Prix Hotel and a Cafe/ Restaurant named as Mabini's.As it was about past 11am and famished because of my long walk from Paco to Ermita.I settled in to have an early lunch there.

Impressed by the name Mabini,a Philippine Patriot ,I was charmed in a way that this maybe a good representation of the Local Philippine cuisine considering it is situated at the very heart of Manila and an old tourist belt.
The interior design of the place was inspired by the" retro modern style",Spanish 60s-70s designed furnitures,capiz lamps and some native adornments which is very Filipino.

As I'm a going solo for this lunch I went for the solo meal.They offer choices of combo rice meals with iced tea included(BAYANI LUNCH MEALS Available 11am-3pm, Mondays-Fridays) for the individualdiners diners.I chose the "squid sisig" an off the beaten path dish for me and it can also be a "make or break" item.

Upon the arrival of the dish,it was on the round sizzling plate,rice was well cooked,surprisingly and impressively the squid is not overcooked ,the texture was perfect ,not to chewy yet there's this certain bite into it whenever my teeth sunk into each piece.Lovely hint of heat , I like the small slivers of green local chili.The sauce has this unique savory taste and fine touch of garlicky flavor.The dish brought some happy grin on my kisser.

As another observation ,I saw that they have a Chef Line which is a remarkable thing in my humble opinion.Service is very good ,"magalang and magiliw".

Price ,mid range,the names of the dishes have touches of novelty and history which is very amusing.

If you have foreign friends that will visit the Philippines ,Mabini's is a great option to introduce them to the flavors of the Philippines.And a big plus is that it is not situated inside a mall.

For now I will give it a 4 but I'll have to try a lot of their offerings the next time.

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Very delicious and flavorful food! My favorites were the Balut Mata Pobre (which says a lot, as I don’t really look for balut), Sizzling Squid Steak, Chicharon Bulaklak, and Hito. Very friendly, attentive, and accommodating staff. Also nice that there’s a Tesoro’s inside, so while waiting for our food, we were able to look around. I forgot to take photos of the food because I kept wanting to eat more and make sure my family didn’t finish the food before I got 😅 PS - They had a great playlist when we went. They were playing modern OPM artists like The Ransom Collective and Ben&Ben.

As what the Hotdog band sang in their song Manila, “I keep coming back to Manila. Simply no place like Manila.” It’s just so difficult to say goodbye to Manila. It’s so hard to forget. All the good times during its heyday. No matter what I’ve already experienced, no matter where I’ve already been, there’s really no place like Manila. I just got to keep coming back to Manila. In this edition of EATSplorations, I will be featuring a restaurant that aims to bring back the old days with its classic Filipino dishes and an ambiance that would really take you back to the good old days! Get ready to be transported back in time as I share about the Classic Filipino Food at Mabini’s Restaurant in Manila!

[2019-May-19] When you hear Mabini or Ermita, food is definitely not the top of mind item that most people would associate it with. With the advent of malls and the relative deterioration of the area, it has somewhat lost its luster. Just like what ‘Poblacion’ is to Makati, this area used be part of Manila’s ‘Poblacion’.

Located in Tesoro’s Building is a charming Restaurant called Mabini’s Kainan, Kapihan Tindahan. It is yet another Restaurant in Ermita Manila whose name tells you exactly what it’s all about. They serve the best traditional Filipino dishes as close as they could to the original recipe with a little twist to make the feeling heavenly.

It was really amusing to read their Cleverly named menu. What we got first was the Balut Matapobre, Sizzling in Garlic Butter. It really turned out well. Never knew it tastes that good, just dont stare at it while eating 😁. Next was my personal favorite, Laing Inside, Lobster stuffed with Laing. Looks too good to eat. If you’re like me who prefer prawn in Laing, you should try it here! It’s really good! You’d also want to try their freshly made hand-pulled noodle, Pansit ni Aling Doreen. It’s a bit salty yet the noodles were nice and chewy.

Sungka Sungkaan is an ideal when you’re out for a group. A mixed Inihaw Platter served with different dipping sauces to complete your enjoyment. Everything on the platter was grilled to perfection.

And ofcourse, we got our taste buds treated to different version of desserts like Dirty Ensaymanda, or what we call icecream sandwich. I just love how the sweet and salty taste of chees Ensaymada combine with icecream.
If you fancy kakanin, they have Skillet Cassava Cake. A dessert everyone will love. Not too sweet and just right. Best eaten when it’s hot. Both desserts were highly satisfying.

For this, you pay for the quality not the serving size, definitely better quality than i expected for a Filipino food. Will definitely go back here!

There are two Mabini restaurants along with the old and used to be famous, A. Mabini Street in Ermita, Manila. One of them has been around for years, Mabini Cafe, the restaurant of Mabini Mansion, a hotel, and a residential suite.

This one, Mabini’s Kainan, Kapihan, and Tindahan just opened, it’s under the Tesoros group of companies. Their main goal is to ignite a Filipino food revolution in the area, and be one of the establishments to bring back the glory days of Manila!

Our group had lengthy conversations with Chef Pete Ayson, one of the two heads of Mabini’s kitchen. He mentions that each dish is designed to relive Filipino home cooking, nothing commercial, no shortcuts. To add, a lot of their offerings are classics, heritage recipes by our lolos and lolas.

It’s fun being a Filipino, and this is captured while you go through their menu full of pun. Check out their Sardinas Na Naman, Ubod ng Sarap (Lumpiang Ubod), Talalalong (Ensaladang Talong) and Wake Up, Wake Up (Gising Gising), to name a few.

I am not a fan of Balut, and that was the first plate served to our group. Mabini’s did their share of making it interesting to be consumed by more customers, as it is slaughtered with garlic, sinful aligue and chili. Insider tip, you can request for Penoy as an alternative.

Mabini’s craft is seen evident most in Pansit ni Aling Doreen. Its fresh hand-pulled noodles combined with crispy bagnet and smoky longganisa. At Php 398, it’s a value for money entree, as it’s good to share amongst 4-6 pax.

Laing Inside impressed me the most, from its picturesque look utilizing a beautiful, giant baked prawn to a nothing fancy, tasty with hints of spice, laing.

Can’t decide what to get? Mabini’s has an Inihaw Platter of Chicken Inasal, Liempo, Pork Barbecue, Pinaputok na Tilapia, Okoy and steamed vegetables matched with 16 different sauces and add-ons, creatively placed in sungka board. Some of the dips include homemade banana ketchup, peanut barbecue sauce, and bagoong.

The dessert here are made of art. Dirty Ensaymada is an Instagram worthy combination of ube sorbetes ice cream sandwiched between really cheesy ensaymada. The Skillet Cassava Cake too is worth your time and calories; dense hot cassava made extra special with caramel, condensed milk, and cheese.

It’s time to come back to Ermita, and this Mabini should be your first stop. Expect more changes in the area as well as they lead more concepts in the near future.

Really good filipino food. Here are some must-try food in the restaurant:

1. The triangulo- an appetizer with tinapa and cream cheese with pineapple chutney. I have never tasted anything like this else. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Pancit ni Aling Doreen- freshly pulled pancit canton. You can even see them preparing the noodles and it just looks soo amazing. But what's more amazing is the overall taste combined with the sauce, and all the sahog that they definitely did not scrimp on. Best pancit I've had. There is something about that freshly pulled noodles that you cant resist. ❤⭐
3. Pork barbeque- I dont know exactly how long it is, but if it doesnt fit in the plate, then it must be a good thing.
4. Balut ala pobre- no words. So deadly. 😋🤣
5. Sizzling squid steak- I don't know how they cook the squid steak. It's so tender and you can cut through it like butter.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Them Triangulo's are TO DIE FOR. Cream Cheese with Tinapa and mango chutney?? Ungh. Sarap! The noodles are hand-pulled-- so imagine eating ramen-level noodles in your Batchoy. 😍 You are definitely getting waaaay more than what you are paying for. Great for families!