Manam Greenbelt — Restaurant in Makati

I came to this restaurant with very high expectations. I had heard good raves from my daughter, her friends and from family. We arrived at 1215 and the line for tables was long. It took us 15 minutes just to get a seat. We were given a table on the second level. Now I know why the party before us declined that table.

The temperature at the second level was warmer than outside. The blowers were not functioning and the AC was broken. According to the waiter, this has been the case for a long time. Well we got the menus and were excited to try their Classic Recipes and Their New Twists to Philippine Classics.

We ordered their Gising Gising, Camaron Rebosado, Chicken Inasal Skewers, Overloaded Garlicy Chicken and Pork Adobo, All Day Batchoy, Lamb Adobo, Sizzling Corned Beef Belly Kansi, House Cripy Sisig and Calamansi Tart.

The Gising Gising was amazing. The winged beans perfectly blended to the coconut milk sauce. I would have wanted a bit more spice but very good even without. The coconut milk a necessity for the absorption of Vitamin A from the winged beans.

The Camaron Rebosado was so so. It tasted like an overfloured tempura shrimp with fried kangkong on the side. It was probably rushed and cooked in improperly heated oil as it became very mushy and soggy quickly.

The Chicken Inasal Skewers were nice and tasty while remaining very crispy. Only complaint was the serving size. This was a large order with only 9 tiny satay size skewers that were barely a mouthful.

The Overloaded Garlicy Chicken and Pork Adobo was exactly that. Too much breading but nice tangy Adobo sauce. The boneless pork pieces were good but the boney chicken pieces were a bother to eat.

The All Day Batchoy is an insult to the Original La Paz Batchoy. This tasted like egg noodles in an instant noodle Batchoy flavored broth topped with massive pieces of liver. No garlic taste at all. This was so bad that we did not eat it.

The Lamb Adobo was good. But for P520 for the medium size and 8 small pieces of meat. Way too expensive.

The Sizzling Corned Beef Belly Kansi was different but satisfying. It was very good corned beef placed in a KFC like gravy with Petchay.

Their House Cripy Sisig was the star of the lunch. Perfectly Crispy and tasty. This and the Gising Gising are the only reason I gave a 3 star rating.

On to dessert. Almost all of their desserts have a 20 minute lead time so order early. The only quick dessert was the Calamansi Tart. It did take 15 minutes to serve but was...

The two Major Negatives: The two main issues were the waiting/non-bookable policy and the disorganised service.

Manam is a modern Filipino bistro located in Greenbelt 3 on the upper ground toward the end of the row of restaurants .

Unfortunately, they do not take reservations, meaning you have to queue to get a table. At around 7:30 PM, we waited about 10 minutes.

They take your orders while you’re in line, but the process felt disjointed, with staff easily distracted by multitasking.

We were seated at the second table near the door, which was uncomfortably hot due to the door constantly being left open. After placing our order, our food arrived before the drinks — a sign of the service issues throughout the evening.

Aubergine and Okra Vegetable Dish: Very good.

Sinigang na Beef Short Rib & Watermelon: An interesting, sour soup (similar to tom yum) with beef and watermelon cubes — unusual, but surprisingly enjoyable.

Gising-Gising: Sautéed winged beans and kangkong in a creamy sauce; an average dish. Squid in Olive Oil and Garlic: Very good.

Shrimp Bicol Express: Shrimp in a creamy, flavorful sauce — another excellent dish.

Beef Salpicao: Cooked like a stew or curry; tasty, but the beef pieces were tough and difficult to cut.

Buko Cake: A light, enjoyable dessert made with the white flesh of coconut.

Service was abysmal. Besides food arriving before drinks (including the pandan iced tea, iced lemon tea, and mango pomelo sago), staff were consistently disorganised — clearing tables halfway through service and then getting sidetracked seating new guests. Overall, the service lacked coordination and focus.

While the food at Manam is excellent and well worth trying, the poor service and chaotic organisation significantly detract from the overall experience. If you’re patient and willing to overlook the service flaws, the food itself makes it...

"Lakas Maka-highblood ng mga kinain namin. Sisig at Crispy Pata...." - An old lady next to me said but with a big smile on her face. With that smile, I knew she was satisfied. 😁

Manam is one of the best Filipino restaurants I've been to. They're serving good quality food at super affordable prices. Sizes availability (S,M,L) is something I really like most especially yesterday that I had my lunch here alone.

This was my second time here and I ordered Crispy House Sisig, Caramelized Patis Wings, Lumpiang Bicol Express (All in Small Size), Mango+Pomelo+Sago Shake and additional Melon+Banana Shake when my partner arrived from his business meeting.

Crispy House Sisig is the best sisig I've tasted so far. My satisfaction yesterday and 3 years ago was exactly the same. It was crunchy, meaty and tasty. Something you shouldn't miss when visiting here. Malinamnam!

Caramelized Patis Wings reminded me of the Buffalo Wings in Honey & Garlic Flavor. That sweet and tangy glaze complements the wings. A must try!

Lumpiang Bicol Express was something unique. I personally liked this one. It was meaty and tasty. Plus it was not too oily. Definitely worth a try!

I tried Sinigang na Beef Short Rib & Watermelon 3 years ago. The taste was unique but it was not something to die for.

The shakes were just OK. I expected too much especially the quantity of Pomelo on the top of my shake as what I saw from the menu. They put too few. The taste of both shakes was just OK. Nothing so special aside from the quantity of sago in them.

Customer service was excellent! The place was packed yesterday but I didn't wait long for my orders to be served. The staff were so attentive and accomodating.

Overall, it was a...