The New Year's Eve Dinner

So January's almost over and I've yet to tell you about our New Year's Eve dinner!

I went absolutely crazy that day. My room was a terrible mess (the results of a year's over-shopping, panic buying, hoarding... you add the synonyms) and there were TWO huge "orocans" (pinoy-speak for LARGE plastic boxes) full of CLOTHES! And shoes strewn all over the floor... And clothes PILED on the bed... Cosmetics making molehills on my dresser... Accessories on top of the telly, on the bedside table... It was chaos. Not to mention the paperbags full of bags, scarves, hats, beads, and gowns I had stuffed under my bed! (This was perhaps the most challenging and stressful aspect of all, because it was so dusty).

So, for the whole of DECEMBER 31, 2010, I locked myself in my room and sorted through the entire mess. I ended up with FOUR ginormous garbage bags full of unwanted stuff. I just FORCED myself to give away the stuff I would never again wear. It was awfully painful, because I've always held on to the hope of having a garage sale or succeeding on selling everything on eBay. But I just decided that it wasn't worth the headache of a TERRIBLY MESSY room... It had reached a point wherein I couldn't study anymore because the MESS was so stressful!

Now my room's absolutely airy and everything in my closet (well, not everything, I always exaggerate too much) is in the spectrum of browns and tans and taupe and cream. I am absolutely in love with those colors right now. They are to me what GRAY and WHITE once were. I'm very happy because everything in my closet is wearable-- the most ridiculous and unwearable thing I have right now is a pair of embellished and partly-crocheted Diesel jeans my grandma bought for me from a trip abroad. They are crazy and not going to be in fashion for quite some time (not to mention far too big for me now) but I just couldn't give them away... Okay, I'm deviating too much away from food now...

It was around 10 hours of full-on cleaning! Not lying! There is no hyperbole going on in that sentence-- I really spent 10 hours cleaning out my room. I was so into it that I didn't eat a single thing. Which was perfect because I knew that I was going to PIG OUT come evening. And I really did!

Here's what greeted me (after a nice, long shower):

Black pepper prawns

Mamou: A Home Kitchen, Serendra, The Fort

I've been to Mamou endless times. I like the place cause it brings back flooding good memories dating back to high school and as well, it has undoubtedly good food that reels me in. My favorites are the Fish and Chips with Malt Vinegar and Lorenzo's Truffle Cream.

The kitchen and busy staff

Today, I decide to cut back on the fried stuff as well as the creamy buttery ones. I shuffled through the menu a couple of times and I was puzzled which dish to pick. I know Mamou has been very famous recently for their Dry Aged USDA Prime Grade, the issue is, I'm not allowed to chow down a wad of beef since it's bad for my particular diet. So, I decided to get the Roast Pork and Chicken cause it did seem appetizing.

Bread and butter

As per always, they always give complimentary dinner rolls and butter. I like their bread very much cause it is dense and a fair bit nutty. I do however favor the brown bread over the white ones.

Roast Pork and Chicken- Mamou's citrus roasted pork and chicken,
buttered onions, red cuban rice, cinnamon saba, and black beans.

When my main arrived, it seemed like a whole plate of cuban influence was dumped right in front of me. The plate looked gorgeous with all the different colors outshining one another. The beans seemed a tiny bit overcooked, but that wasn't the case with I swooped some into my mouth. It had a smoky flavor that was utterly satisfying. The bananas were partially caramelized with cinnamon sugar, the slight crunch proved to be very inviting. As for the chicken, it was moist and packed with the citrus flavor, it was impeccable. The pork's skin was burnt and not quite palatable.

Beer Battered Fish with Malt Vinegar- Choice of potato wedges,  mashed potato,
red or white rice with tartar sauce and malt vinegar.

We also ordered the Fish and Chips with Malt Vinegar. Still the same banana as it used to be. The hot crisp batter with the velvety flaking of the fish. Bliss. Arguably still my favorite item on the menu. Oh there was a side of rice since someone decided to choose it over the chips. The rice was buttery and perfectly cooked.

Slow roasted bone-in, Prime Rib/ Yorkshire Puddings
Choice of two sides.

For the ultimate piece de resistance, there was Wawa's Prime Rib. We had a short chat with the owner and she said that this is one of those dishes that has been passed down in her family. I would simply describe it as a full-on juicy steak with a perfect gravy. The steak was a pleasure, or it was up until we hit the bone which proved to be a little bit shifty cause it was hard to carve and the meat there was definitely on the raw side. There was a huge amount of fat on the steak as well. The Yorkshire puddings were dry and bland, not their best. The mashed potato and creamed spinach were equally good, and did I mention the amount of butter? It's something that you probably wouldn't miss in any case.

Mamou: A Home Kitchen
8563569

Serendra, Bonifacio Global City

Taguig City, Metro Manila

Philippines