Manam Comfort Filipino | Lucky Chinatown Mall | Manila — Restaurant in Manila

Food is - without a shadow of doubt - terrific. Watermelon sinigang ribs, tinapa rice, crispy palabok, calamansi tart, even the service water. Nothing to complain about the taste.

Calamansi tart, bigger than a regular tart though still small like a mini pie, commands 300 apiece, but it is worth it. It's so sour - I LOVE IT! Kinda reminds me of Boracay's calamansi muffins. I like everything tangy and zesty like that.

Utensils are spotless; dishes, once finished, are promptly cleared.

Order taker polite.

They are thoughtful as well, with someone I assume as the lady manager asking us in the middle of our meal how our food is, even offering a soup refill, and the order taker is giving option if warm or cold water is preferred.

So the high prices are justified.

They serve Filipino comfort food but most customers are Chinese.

The pancit pancitan and bento (rice toppings) are for take out only, not for dine in.

Spacious area. With clean all gender restroom. Vegan options.

No free wifi.

However we were flanked by the other tables' antics' which made us uncomfortable, the one to the left was loudly coughing so much, and to the right the child who broke his glass was wailing.

What could have made this a better experience.

More attention to detail- devein the shrimp; there are still some shell in the egg, tinik or bones on the tinapa rice. But this is of course not a big deal.

Customer should have the option if we want the waiter to pour the sauce on our crispy palabok. I was too stunned when he started pouring coz I contemplated taking a pic of it while it was picturesque -dry and standing. Also I want the noodle crunchy and not soggy. And a lot of noodles flew away while he was mixing. Sayang!

Most of all, the reception or fronting was just staring while we were coming in, not greeting whatsoever. When she said the name of our waiter nothing too. While on the table beside us after she said the name, she said thank you. So that is the reason I deducted stars - kinda felt discriminated as we are Pinoys in Lucky...

A Mixed Bag at Manam Manam's spacious layout is a definite plus, easily accommodating a large number of diners, but it seems their service struggles to keep up with the demand. The few servers on the floor appeared to be focused on getting all orders ready before serving, which, while understandable, can make it difficult to get their attention, even for something as simple as water. When it comes to the food, the experience was a real mix. The Mushroom and Tofu Kare-Kare was a definite standout—served hot and absolutely delicious. Just be aware that, like traditional kare-kare, it's made with peanuts, so it's not a good choice for those with a peanut allergy. However, other dishes didn't quite hit the mark. The Crispy Pata, a popular choice, had a satisfyingly crunchy skin but the meat inside was unfortunately very dry. The Adobong Pusit sa Tinta was disappointing due to improperly cleaned squid. It also seemed they were holding back on the sauce, which they added at the table rather than mixing it in completely. Similarly, the Sinigang na Ulo ng Salmon and the Watermelon Sinigang felt like a shortcut. The soup base tasted like a pre-made powder mix, a far cry from the traditional way of making sinigang. For the watermelon version, it seemed they just added the fruit to the same powdered soup base. Even the drinks and sides had issues. The Fresh Watermelon Shake was surprisingly mixed with sago, the same sago used in their Ube Palamig, which took away from the expectation of a pure fruit shake. The quality seems to be slipping, possibly due to the sheer volume of customers they serve. While the ambiance is pleasant and the restaurant handles large crowds well, the service and inconsistent food quality leave a lot to be desired. It feels like Manam's focus on accommodating a high number of diners has come at the expense of its food quality and...

I now understand why most of my friends always recommend that I try Manam's food.

First, the ambiance is incredibly elegant, welcoming, and cozy. This place is ideal for important occasions as well as casual dining.

Second, excellent service! I appreciate how attentive each staff member is to its customers - Ms. Sang Li, in particular took the time to help us and suggest dishes that would satisfy our appetites - from appetizer to dessert. I highly recommend Ms. Sang Li, just look for her when you visit the store - she's great in suggesting dishes based on your cravings.

And last but not least - ofcourse the meal! The food is sooo delicious! All of the meals we ordered were so delicious that I forgot to take pictures!

It was my first time eating kare-kare, which was almost identical to my mother's recipe. While my daughter loved the garlicky chicken and pork belly adobo so much that she doesn't even want to share it with us! lol!

I must say that one thing I appreciate about Manam is their reasonable pricing. You get to taste one of the finest cuisines in the PH at an affordable cost.

All in all, my daughter and I had a great meal and experience, considering it was our first time at Manam's, and we will definitely come back.

On our next visit, I'll try the gising-gising and the famous...