Foodie’s Guide: Mom & Tina’s Bakery & Café
Manila is fast becoming a culinary hodgepodge more so in the last two years especially with several unique concept cafés and restaurants popping up all over the metro. The country has adopted quite quickly following the global trend of crafting specialized, boutique dining experiences.
My recent visit to Mom and Tina’s Bakery and Café (Pasig branch) sparked that – a growing interest to try out new dining spots. Not the best place to start, but since it was close to my home and was very much endorsed by my own mom, I thought Mom and Tina’s might be a good enough sanctuary to tame my growling tummy that night.
To start a food blog, of course I had to bring a decent camera with me. I was prepared to take several photos of my food before devouring them. But… I got too shy! Too shy, I even asked my sister to take some of the photos for me. I thought doing all this might be too pretentious. Hope the photos didn’t turn out that bad though…
Mom and Tina’s was pretty homey. It had the perfect elements for a cozy hangout: comfort food, yellow lights, cakes & desserts, rustic home decor hanging by the wall, etc. It’s a place where you can have a good chit-chat without worrying too much about the table nearby eavesdropping in your private conversations. It was pretty snug, it resembles a typical living room or your own house’s dining/kitchen area.
Their food though–especially the main dishes–were uninspiring. It lacked the vibrancy of their ambiance. Meh.
Of course I asked for the best-sellers on the menu. The waiters easily recommended Lengua Con Setas (ox tongue in mushroom sauce, P435.00). Although the meat was tender and was just nice, the presentation was plain and the tastebud experience was nothing great. Easily forgotten.
My dad had a Big Momma Burger while my sister ordered for the Barbecued Pork Steak. And they had the same reaction–nothing exceptional.
The dessert though was unexpected. I asked for a White Toblerone Walnut Torte, and they served it in a small transparent cup. It was an ice-cream and it was a cake. It was a candy and it was a chocolate bar. It was the best I had. Thumbs up for this.
Will I still be coming back to Mom and Tina’s after this? My mom still adores them, so why not!
I just think their appeal is more toward the mature crowd – those who would rather eat something standard and not necessarily experimental in taste. The ambiance was a feast to the eyes, but the food were surprisingly so-so.
