Manam - GH Mall — Restaurant in San Juan

June 27, 2019. 4:00pm. We are big fans of Manam Cafe Alabang and Manam in Greenbelt. For afternoon merienda, we opted for their lighter fare of Lumpiang Sariwa, Batchoy, Pancit Palabok and Puto Bumbong. The lumpiang sariwa although advertised as large portion does not look like it was good for 3 people. The filling left us wanting, it had more wrapper than ubod. And the sauce was too salty. The Batchoy was even worse. The soup base was sickeningly salty for the seniors on our table. We naturally expressed our concern to our server, Princess who took our bowl back to the kitchen and returned not with the manager in tow, but with a rather illogical explanation as to why our soup was salty. She said that it was because it was sitting for too long that it absorbed the saltiness of the chicharon and meat. Did she taste our bowl and compare it with the soup stock at the kitchen? Really? Sodium level was way above normal! She then offered to replace to which we declined because of her approach. We would have wanted for the manager, who we assume was the one sitting by the other side, doing clerical work, hunched over on her laptop, in plain view of all diners, to have personally approached us, but we guess she's too busy to be disturb. Overall, service was good up until Princess' lack of customer warmth and poor handling of the situation, we felt she did not take our complaint seriously. We paid, situation was salvaged by our good drinks (Ube Sago is still the best for me), but left disappointed. Good thing it was only a visit to this branch but a lasting bad impression that could have been avoided. If they have properly addressed our concern at store level, we would have been satisfied. This branch is not...

Food was a mix of hits and misses—but you definitely don’t come here for the service.

Gising-Gising – 4/5 Loved the rich, flavorful sauce and fresh vegetables, but there was very little pork to balance it out.

House Crispy Sisig – 3/5 Crunch in every bite, but not always from the sisig itself—some came from the toppings. The strong vinegary taste wasn’t what I expected or enjoyed.

Garlic Rice – 2/5 Nothing memorable. Just plain rice with minimal garlic flavor.

Kare-Kare with Oxtail – 2/5 The oxtail was nice and tender, but the vegetables were cold and the sauce was only warm. Overall, it lacked the depth I usually look for in kare-kare.

Ube Sago – 4/5 A pleasant and refreshing dessert. Probably the highlight of the meal.

Now the service… From the start, the experience was off. The waitress at the entrance wasn’t welcoming at all, and once seated, it felt like the servers were trying to avoid eye contact. When they did catch your eye, they looked visibly uncomfortable—like they were hoping you wouldn’t ask them for anything.

They served me the wrong dish without a word and brought out the kare-kare almost 20 minutes after everything else. Not a single apology for either mistake.

Come here for the food (some of it), but definitely not for...

My family and I are regulars at Manam GH Mall—and for good reason! The atmosphere is always warm, lively, and inviting, whether it’s a casual weekday lunch or a special weekend dinner. The service is consistently excellent, with waitstaff like Hadji going above and beyond to make sure every meal feels like a treat. He’s attentive, cheerful, and really adds to the welcoming vibe of the place.

As for the food? Absolutely unbeatable. Their Crispy Palabok is a showstopper, with a perfect crunch that blends into the rich sauce and toppings. The Sisig is one of the best we’ve had - flavorful, sizzling, and always hits the spot. Don’t skip dessert either! The Buko Pie is flaky and comforting, while the Mango Pomelo Sago is refreshing and light, the perfect end to a hearty meal.

If there’s one downside, it’s that everyone knows how good Manam is, so weekend wait times can reach up to an hour. We really hope they consider expanding seating to accommodate the growing number of loyal diners. But even with the wait, we always find ourselves coming back.

Highly...