Mangan

Bikini_dakini

4.0

I may have mentioned before that our own local cuisine is closest to my heart and tummy. And because of this fascination for Filipino food, I have visited and reviewed a number of restaurants that offer it. As of this writing, I have shared my experiences with 384 Filipino food establishments. Mangan, a member of the esteemed Cabalen Group, is my next story to you. Mangan is a Kapampangan word that means let's eat. And eat we did together with their team and my close website friends, Chel (@chelinumerable), Raina (@konyoqueen) and Miguel @mykeasy). It was an intimate invite filled with mostly Pampanga inspired dishes. I had the liberty to choose what we had, I guess it was perks of arriving first at the venue. The ambiance here gives a homey vibe. It has a touch of a modern with feels of Filipino heritage. The table sizes are mostly designed for groups, depicting the usual set-up of a Filipino dining, the more people, the merrier. Anyway, the food arrived and they came in with an inviting aroma. We hurried our usual photo shots so we can sip and bite our way to Mangan's specialties. I started off with their version of Bulalo. They call it Bulalong Baka with Mais. The meat was tender as expected, and its soup was full of flavor. I got loads of vegetables in my own bowl so I can balance all the chunks of beef I also took. This was my runaway favorite dish that day. Our hungry team got Sisig too, probably the most known offering from Pampanga. Personally, I am not a fan of it for its fat and grease. I found Mangan’s relatively tasty though but a bit burned on some parts. I love Kare Kare and we shared a spin-off with seafood. The sauce was on point- it was thick, creamy, peanuty and slightly sweetened. The squid and shrimp, in particular, were also cooked well, no hints of gummy texture. Another sizzling plate arrived, and it was classic Fried Chicken filled with a tad salty gravy. The meat, however, was seasoned well and had the welcoming crisp to it. To balance this, have it with Mangan’s unusual Laing Rice. It’s like having your greens and carbs in one go! To end this journey, we had a Christmas combination of desserts, Bibingka and Puto Bumbong. I liked that the muscovado and grated coconut were separated giving one the liberty to create his or her combination. For refreshments, we shared their distinctly curated Watermelon and Cucumber shakes. Since I found these oversweetened, I settled for all natural fresh Buko instead.Thank you, Pampanga for your worthy contributions to our vibrant local cuisine! And kudos to Mangan for bringing their worthy creations accessible to us here in Manila. Hoping I made you curious to try it on your own tagging along throngs of family and friends.

Kadee

2.0

Sinigang na hipon is 10/10; definitely a must try! Bagoong rice is fair; I’ve had something better (the one at Recipes is much much better). The place is small and I have to say that the staff at the time we were there was rude. They weren’t nice at all. They didn’t smile; they had this ticked off look in their face. This restaurant could’ve been better. I was expecting a full experience since this is all about Kapampangan cooking, but their service fell short. There is really nothing special about the food. There is no wow factor. Sigh.

David Ventura

3.0

I'm giving a "fair" rating for this branch, considering that it's not the first Mangan branch I visited. The crew kinda left me an impression that they do now know how to efficiently manage seating arrangements for customers. Some of our dishes also didn't have serving spoons, considering they were all good for sharing/group meals. Food is like the usual Mangan quality (but apparently small in quantity tho). Overall, it was a fine visit, but the branch could take in customer feedback for their improvement.

WiEncuy

2.0

The place is huge, there is a lot of food choices. Decided to order their crispy pork adobo and one of their coolers. The adobo did not disappoint, i did not love the cooler by the way. All in all it was a lovely experience. Food is a bit pricey.

Fransisca Natalia

1.0

What a TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT!!!I originally planned to bring my Balikbayan cousin to Manam's but there was a looooong wait to get a table. We ended up in Mangan because there was hardly any wait to get a table. My cousin ordered pancit luglug, karekare and pork sisig..... then I ordered the fried adobo.The server assured me that each food was good for 2-3 people.... NOT!!!The sisig was an insult, was it meant for a kid serving?!?Pancit luglug wasn't any better, you'd be better off getting Jollibee's palabok. Then they had the nerve to serve karekare with five pieces of meat and very few vegetables. The bowl was FULL of sauce though, so I guess they were expecting us to eat it like gravy style at McDo and Jollibee.... pang dagdag lasa sa rice?!?NEVER AGAIN will I set foot in the restaurant and I suggest that neither should you (unless you want to swim in that bowl of karekare full of sauce)!!!!!!!!!

Andri Sugianto

4.0

The "Saan tayo kakain?" question is one of the most challenging one for my boyfriend and I. Between the two of us, I am the most "pihikan" when it comes to where to eat. Whenever we are strolling around MOA, Mangan is one of our go-to restaurants. We both love their Sinigang! Never that it went missing on our table every time we dine. Another favorite is their Bangus belly bistek! It's sooooo good! :)

Super Faim

4.0

Been here many times for Filipino comfort food 👌❤They have good ambiance though the place is small, not recommendable for big groups. Service is nice. Staffs are attentive and courteous. Price is just right for their servings (except for Pusit ala Pobre ✌).Almost all on their menu is recommendable for me.For appetizers and main course, try Pancit Puti, Pusit ala Pobre, Sisig ni Mely, Bulalo, Sarsiadong Pla-Pla, Bistig Bangus Belly, Adobong Pusot and Bagoong rice. For dessert, feast on your favorite pinoy delicacies like puto bumbong, bibingka, leche flan, buko pandan and my fave Gulaman at sago! 😊😊😊

Edgy Edge Ed

4.0

Restaurant is not that spacious and can only accomodate 7-8 groups, but has a nice ambiance with huge mirrors on the wall and hanging lights. I suggest that they should play some music to keep customers entertained while eating. It was my first time to eat kare-kare with seafoods(more on mussels but I appreciate your very few squid) and tbh it tastes nothing like special, just different. Their salmon sinigang is just okay. What I love most is their ensaladang talong.. it has a generous amount of salted eggs and tomatoes! Superbb ❤❤❤ Overall the experience was great.

Sandra Walina

4.0

Mangan is my usually go-to place whenever I crave for Filipino Food. They may not have the finest Filipino meals but I'm sure their dishes will bring you back to them when your lola feeds you her specialty Filipino meal. The MOA branch though is a little cramped, but nonetheless it's the dishes you're after for here. A good dining experience.

Tommy Siswanto

4.0

To try Philippine dishes is not a matter of bein' adventurous eater or not. Actually, it should be one of the most popular ethnic restaurants we can find worldwide like the Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mexican knowing that millions of Philippine people emigrated anywhere in the world. But still it's ingestible the obstacle why it's not easy to find one in some countries where there are hundreds of Philippine people are (like in New York the Philippine restaurant erected just decade ago).Philippine cuisine did not only draw fillip from Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese cuisines but also schleps pungency and spice. What made Filipino cooking different from other Asian cuisines? For the authentic homestyle simplicity fare, the dishes are served family style. There’s no impressionistic constructivist smudges on the plate not like those gigantic European plates with smeared sauces in just a bitesize of food. Here is just steamingly hot from casserole to the plate, the food is gloriously delicious. The rice cakes once you tasted, you'll gonna love itfor its authentic taste that brings your senses into an enticing flavour- superb blend with the cheese! Oh, so good for tea or coffee with. The grilled mix platter is the best for any time of the day or anytime of the year in one dish! The pretty shrimps, mussels and fish with a quarter of chicken and slices of pork are riveting . Grilling brings out great flavour, and the easy marinade with the spices really kicks up the flavour, which you dip into a chilli 🌶 -spiced soya-lime sauce and pop into your mouth just perfect with the garlic rice.Right price for homestyle foodies.