Mesa Is Now Open At The 30th Ayala Mall!

by Paula Cabildo - August 10, 2017

Mesa is a Pinoy restaurant that serves traditional food and made even better with a twist. This February, Mesa opened its 30th branch at the Ayala 30th Mall in Pasig. Filipino foods can be differentiated with other cuisines on how it was prepared and cooked and the many ingredients that are combined together to come up with a satisfying taste.

Eating Filipino foods reminds me of special celebrations with my family and loved ones. After all, Filipinos are known foodies and it's always best to share sumptuous dishes with people who are dear to you.

Interior and Ambiance

Mesa reflects a clean interior with wooden chairs and tables with makes it look elegant and timeless. There are many long tables which are suitable to Filipinos who mostly have an extended family structure. The space that separates one table from another is big enough for you to move freely. The place is well lighted using hanging lights that look like big bubbles.

Overall, it has a homey feel and welcoming ambiance not to mention friendly staff who are always ready to address your needs.

Must Try In Mesa

Appetizers

Tinapa Roll Wrapped With Lettuce

Smoked fish with chopped tomatoes and salted egg, wrapped in lumpia wrapper and fried to perfection. And the result is a delicious Tinapa Roll that is a healthier alternative to the usual lumpiang shanghai.

Sisig In A Pouch

Everyone's favorite beer match and viand presented in a unique way. The flavorful sisig is made crispier by the wrapping it in a pouch and frying until golden brown.

Main Dish

Laing 2 Ways

Laing is a well-loved dish from Bicol. It's made with dried taro leaves bathed in coconut milk. There are many ways to cook your Laing and Mesa will show you 2 ways on how to serve this spicy dish. Both have a generous amount of pork, shrimp paste and coconut cream and topped with adobo flakes. Wet laing is cooked the traditional way while the dry laing is crispy.

Swahe On The Rocks

The way it was cooked is an added entertainment. Fresh shrimps are placed on hot rocks in a bowl. It creates a white smoke and did not take long for the shrimps to be cooked.

Crispy Boneless Tilapia

Tilapia are cut into bite size and deep fried. It is served with 4 different sauces including vinegar, sweet chili, bagoong and soy sauce with onions.

Boneless Crispy Pata

What else can be better than a Boneless Crispy Pata? It's topped with lots of garlic and pre-sliced upon serving so everyone gets a share of crispy skin and juicy meat.

Karekare

I am not a big fan of Karekare but by far this is my favorite dish from Mesa. The beef and fresh vegetables are cooked in creamy peanut sauce. Karekare is best eaten with shrimp paste but this one is oozing with so much flavor and can be eaten on its own.

Pinatayong Manok

Crispy whole chicken that hangs on a wooden serving dish. It will be cut right in front of you! The meat is tender and tasty even without the sauce.

Patotim

This dish is Mesa's duck version of Patatim. Mesa uses organic duck which is also their way of helping local farmers. The chicken meat is tender and all the ingredients compliment the rest.

Binagoongan Rice

Steamed rice combined with shrimp paste and topped with shredded green mango. The sweet and salty shrimp paste is just perfect for the sour tasting mangoes.

Drinks and Dessert

Kamias Cooler

A tropical fruit that is usually used as a base to create a sour soup. This cooler is one of Mesa's best seller. It still has its signature sour taste but is tolerable.