My day started very early last Tuesday and I had done so many things already when I headed out for the convention. So when I got to
Mall of Asia, I decided I'd reward myself with a nice brunch. I had no restaurant in mind but figured I would eat somewhere I've never eaten at before or one I've never blogged about.
Mall of Asia offers many dining choices from the inexpensive to the uber expensive. I would have settled for Don Henrico's, a place I haven't been to in a long time, except that their servings are huge. I walked into Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse but walked away when I saw the menu with
Manggy's words ("when I'm by myself I set the limit at P250") ringing in my head.
And then I saw
Gumbo. I've always been interested having read that they serve cajun cuisine, a favorite when I was at Cleveland. Last year, I was invited to a birthday lunch here but unfortunately had to work. I learned today that that was too bad.
I had the
Grilled Pork Chop (PHP 225, petite),
tender pork chops, marinated with special seasoning and spices and grilled to perfection. The dish comes with 2 side dishes of the diner's choice. I opted for cajun rice and corn on the cob as I've been craving for the latter for about a week's time. I say missing last year's birthday bash was too bad because the dish that I had last Tuesday was one of the best I've tasted. The pork was very tender and flavorful; it had very little fat and the serving size was just right for one. The week-long wait to have corn on the cob was worth it because the corn served me was just heavenly. It was sweet, soft and juicy and the ear of corn was perfect from top to bottom . I also loved the
cajun rice but couldn't help but think how
my yang chow rice loving family could appreciate this.
I paired the dish with
Bottomless Lemon Iced Tea (PHP 70) which was very good. It was served cold, the lemon taste was prominent and the refills were served even without my asking.
They served me complimentary fresh bread which came with garlic and olive oil. The bread was good but I like the ones of Italianni's and
Bizu better.
The good thing about Gumbo is that they serve dishes in different
serving sizes. It was the petite choice which pulled me in. The fact that it was priced appropriately and not very expensive made it sweeter.
As it was brunch and the place had just opened, I had the restaurant to myself. Though it had an outdoor seating area, I opted to dine inside because of the heat and was seated in a table near the window with a view of Manila Bay. The staff were very attentive and the place very clean. It has a restroom on site.
This is definitely a restaurant to come back to. I learned that an invitation to dine at this place should not be passed up.
