I have always enjoyed my lunches with my momma friends.

With so many mommas and preferences of what to eat for lunching with the ladies, there is always quite a few choices to have fun with…
Trying out new restaurants with my girlfriends is sometimes, even better than trying them out with Nino, because I get to try more dishes.
The Moment Group has quite a few restaurants already under their belt. Their success in serving up good food with the different concepts that bring people together around a table speaks for itself. Whenever I eat out with the girls, it’s safe to say that there is plenty of food on the table, simply because of all of our different taste preferences. It’s fun, there is chikka, and most definitely lots of laughs to go around…
Especially, when you have some mommas around the table that haven’t tried some of the dishes on the table.. LIKE SISIG.

My first time to try SISIG was a raving success!!! I loved how crispy crunchy this dish was. Photo Credit: Sinfully Sabrina
Confession. I’m a picky eater. I’m not sure if I have shared that yet. But it’s true. I have texture issues and it’s part of the reason why I’m such a creature of habit when Nino and I visit restaurants together. I know what I like, and usually, I don’t stray too far from it, because I want to leave a restaurant with a happy and full tummy.
So, when some of the ladies were invited to try out MANAM by my friend Maita, I did a little research. I looked on social media and was happy to find some interesting food combinations to dishes that I already know and love. LIKE SINIGANG NA BEEF SHORT RIB & WATERMELON

Sinigang with a TWIST means it is made with short ribs and watermelon. Such a delicious take on the staple that is served in our home.
Manam is a really great place to go out with the family as well. Besides having the option to TWIST and change things up with some of our favorite Filipino dishes, you also have the option to choose the size of the dishes you order. So this is perfect for a family of 4 or 6 or even 8. In our case, we were mom bloggers on a mission. And we came prepared.
Bloggers who lunch @manamph come with @fujifilmph A photo posted by Michelle Aventajado (@mommanmanila) on
I don’t think I ate for days after this lunch. Just take a look at what else we had!
Of course I had to try each and every single dish…
Seafood Kare Kare was served with scallion pancakes. Underneath all that peanutty sauce was crab, prawns, tanigue, squid and mussels. This was perfect for the non meat eaters at the table!
I had three favorite dishes of the day. Corned Beef Kansi, House Crispy Sisig, and Kesong Puti and Alugbati Salad. I had to balance the rich and savory dishes with the light and fresh salad, so I wouldn’t feel so bad about what I was eating!

This salad was light and fresh. I liked that the house made kesong puti was breaded and fried. It gave the salad a little crunch which balanced the sweetness of the mandarin oranges.
But trying crunchy sisig wasn’t enough for me…I swear I was super adventurous. I even enjoyed this Sisig Pancit as well…I love how it was served in a lumpia wrapper…cute noh?
Here is another dish that I really do enjoy. I think it’s because my sister in law is Kapampangan. She introduced buro and Mustasa to me soon after I moved here. I enjoy it with fried fish.
You would think with all of this food that the mommas wouldn’t have space for dessert…
Think again.
Manam actually offers an all day menu where you can have breakfast, pancit and kakanin. So at anytime if you are craving for leche flan and bibingka, you can order this!
This kakanin satisfies two cravings in one! The light and airy rice flour cake is topped with leche flan with salted egg. Such a medley of flavors…it’s like a party in your mouth that is perfectly paired with coffee.
So, remember my texture issues? It’s part of the reason why I really don’t enjoy Sapin Sapin. This version of Sapin Sapin was creamy and soft…super freshly made. I LIKED IT!
Now, I have to say that Nino was a little upset with me when I came home bragging that I ate Sisig and LIKED it. He has been trying to convince me to eat Sisig since we moved here almost 10 year ago. I don’t think he will be mad too much longer though. I plan on bringing him over to Manam so he can taste for himself, what I said I enjoyed two servings of.

Thanks for having us for brunch Manam! T-B, L-R: Maita from The Moment Group, Seanta Reyes from My Tummy Craves, Joey from 80 Breakfasts, Tin from Manila Fashion Observer, Pam from Green Lunch Diaries, Meg from The Moment Group, Lou, me, Sabrina from Sinfully Sabrina, Amber from A Momma Abroad
In fact, I enjoyed myself so much that I brought my big sis and my cousin and his wife who were visiting from Connecticut just last Sunday. We tried the Grilled Tiger Prawns topped with House-Made Aligue Butter too. Sorry, I don’t have a photo of that dish, but it was YUM. The reason why I don’t have a photo of any of the food we ordered that day is because we gobbled it all up while we were catching up on family stuff that I forgot to take ANY photos.
Guess that means we will have to visit again soon….
MANAM has four locations for you to check out with the fam bam.
Greenbelt 2-02-625-0515
Mall of Asia-02-511-8401
Ayala Fairview Terraces-02-625-4719
BGC-02-332-9390
Really enjoyed this lunch with you and the other moms Mish! My sister who lives in San Francisco will be visiting us this month, and I’m planning to take her to Manam too ☺️
Me too, Pam! I think it’s a great spot to bring guests, balikbayans, and people who have never tried Pinoy food before! It has something for everyone!