The Shady Chronicles: Mesa

D: Upon the recommendation of one of my kids, we decided to try out the fare at Mesa, which is found in The Atrium, Megamall. It also happens to be conveniently located near F21, which I took advantage of while waiting for the food. I dashed to and around the store for 15 minutes and then realized it was impossible to cover the entire store before dinner so I gave up and went back. Anyway, I digress...

FOOD

Pork sisig with egg

P: I love that this dish is made with the good parts ie. the cheeks and ears. Other versions consist mainly of pure pork fat. It's also not your usual bar and grill fare which is all crisp and sauce and no substance.
Thumbs up for this dish!

Bagoong rice

D: I'm a huge fan of bagoong rice and I've tried A LOT of versions from different restaurants and houses. This just did not make the cut at all. It was bland and tasteless and boring. Tasted like white rice with salt.

Catfish and green mango salad

D; Loved the concept of serving the salad on 8 individual spoons! The dish itself was delicious and juicy with the perfect catfish crunch.Watch out for the chili though!
P: Got burnt by a piece of chili which I grossly underestimated. The rest of it was pretty good though.
Could have used a bit more mango and dressing to round out each bite.

Honey-garlic chicken
D: My favorite out of everything we ordered. The honey and garlic was awesome with the perfectly cooked chicken. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish!
P: Oh man the skin of this was fantastic,clight and crisp all the way through! It wasn't fatty or bready at all!
Plus I had more than my fare share since D doesn't like the taste/texture of fried chicken skin.

The interiors of Mesa were very cozy and comfortable. They had these little alcove/booths that looked like a great space to dine in.
The servers were all very attentive and friendly and that definitely made for a nice dining experience.
It was just too bad that some of them took abuse from an evil group of diners who berated a waiter in the most obnoxious "conyo" English and then snickered when the waiter stuttered in response. : (
Some people are just cruel.

On to sweeter things!
We were craving for dessert so we stopped buy Poco Deli (in Kapitolyo) and got a slice of their Black-out Cake (Valrhona chocolate). It was deliciously gooey and the chips on top gave it an interesting texture. We loved the mix of chocolates, sweet and semi-sweet and the thick and moist texture.
Try it out!

FASHION

H&M chambray shirt, Topman jeans, Zara sneakers

P: I like the rugged yet soft feel of this shirt but this might have to be my last chambray/denim piece for a while. Too much in a short span of time haha. Hoping for more interesting finds soon!