Mesa Philippines

After a company event, one of our bosses gave us a tread at a restaurant called, Mesa. This branch we ate at is located at the third level of Robinson's Galleria just beside Kenny Roger's Roasters. I remember seeing one at SM City Lipa and SM Fairview if I'm not mistaken. As for other branches, you better do a Google check. They are better known as Mesa Philippines. Although a search for 'mesa' would still point to them for now. You'll never know in the future, it might bring you to a search result for tables.

This restaurant serves food that is covered by BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). For those who know me, I am not very fond of crustaceans and mollusks because I have an allergic reaction to those kinds of foods. So as they were serving the feast, I could not help but just look since I could not eat most of them; shrimp on century egg, steamed shrimp, fried squid on oyster sauce, some sort of sisig that I definitely do not know what's in it, lumpia that I wasn't also sure what's wrapped inside it.

It was a feast that I couldn't really partake wholeheartedly. Then came the tilapia. At last, fish. I'm fine with fish. Why don't they have tuna or mackerel or sardines. They took out at least three platters of fried tilapia. The flesh was already fried and the bones (with a little flesh left over was fried and shaped into what seemed to be a heart. It came with four condiments; alamang (I think that's fish paste), vinegar, sweet and spicy sauce, and one that I did not bother trying. And yes, I took one whole platter and claimed it my own.

It is rather unfair to judge the restaurant by a single dish; that would be a very common fried tilapia. The only thing uncommon about it was the heart-shaped ornament made from its bones. But nevertheless, it was good. And basing form how the rest of us ate, I guess the other dishes were great as well.

If you're like me who cannot eat most of BFAR-covered foods, then this is not for you. But if you're good on seafood, then this might be the place for you. I cannot give you if it is worth the budget because I didn't pay for anything.