Nevertheless, one Thursday morning, my friends and I finally had the time to head to DOH to get some stuff for school. We only spent a few minutes there but by the time we finished, it was lunch time. Naturally, I suggested for us to have lunch at Mango Tree. My ever-supportive friends instantly agreed.
It was like going to someone's house for lunch. It never looked like a restaurant and no one was outside to usher us in. So we let ourselves in. Once inside, one waiter was by the counter and a dog was wagging his tail near the counter. This may be a minus in the hygiene department for some or a plus for appeal for some.
I headed to the tables while my friends played with the dog. I scanned the menu and then ordered with my friends. We had Pork Steak and Pork Binagoongan and chatted for 20 minutes before the food arrived.
The first thing I ate was the Pork Steak. It was tasty like Grilled or Barbecued Pork, which is my favorite food in the whole wide world. :D The Pork Steak was tender and was not really special since it tasted like what it should be. But it was really very delicious. Too bad, it came in thin slabs.
The Pork Binagoongan, on the other hand, was rich and tasty... very tasty, in fact, that we ordered second helpings of rice which was overpriced at PhP20. The meat was tender too and came with many tomatoes. Nom nom nom. I was expecting small servings but was very surprised that they exceeded my expectations. Very much worth it. :)
I was very satisfied with my Mango Tree experience that I can't wait for my next visit.
I'm definitely coming back!
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Because my friend arrived, we just had to dine somewhere to celebrate that special occasion. We all thought that Mango Tree is the place.
Two of my friends and I ordered Lengua and Beef Salpicao but when our orders arrived, we were so disappointed at the very small servings. I alone could eat all of it. So we decided to add Pork Sisig - the only thing we could decide on from their limited menu.
The Beef Salpicao was not amazing. It was composed of bite-size beef cuts swimming or rather wading in its own sauce and topped with garlic. I wish the beef was more tender, and I would have appreciated if there were more sauce and if it were more tasty. I still believe that the best salpicao can be found in Dive Road, where it is sizzling and spicy.
The Lengua was already cold when we ate it. It was the most so-so of all so-so things. It was composed of 6 or so slices of tongue baste in mushroom sauce and topped or rather sprinkled with grated cheese. The taste was fine but there was only a few of it which made me not really enjoy it. Among all the dishes that day, this disappointed me the most.
The Sisig tasted like one I ate a couple of weeks back in a carenderia near where I live. No offense but that is what it really tasted like. There was nothing special and there was too much fat in it. I still think the best sisig is that in Omp's in Miagao where you can even request for it to be almost burnt so that you get a somehow crunchy sisig. :)
My friends ordered Pork and Tofu and Spicy Korean Pork.
The Tofu was good but the Pork in it was just underfried Pork Fats, which I think should be crispy like chicharon or even just like Lechon Kawali. There was only a few pieces of tiny slices of pork too. It was just like minced pork. :-|
The Spicy Korean Pork was good. I like the spiciness and the hotness of the dish. I think I'll order this next time.
The Mango Crepe we ordered for dessert was the winner. I wonder how they make their crepe. But I like the slices of mango and banana inside the rolled crepe. There was also a generous drizzling of chocolate syrup and mango syrup as well.
On my first visit, I thought Mango Tree is one restaurant which is consistent. This was proved wrong on my second visit. I just hope they could redeem themselves on my future visit/s. Right now, I'm still thinking if I should retain them on my Favorite Restaurants list or cross their name out.
Updated menu (in addition to the menu below). Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.
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Menu. Click the images to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.
Mango Tree
Guzman St., Mandurriao, Iloilo City
(033)5007877
Open daily from 11AM-10PM
Mango Tree on Facebook
