THIS SMALL NIPA HUT RESTAURANT IN A SMALL TOWN HAS INCREDIBLE TASTES TO OFFER
8:00 AM
Looking
for a scrumptious restaurant yet budget friendly outside Metro Manila? Well,
try to visit a small, peaceful and picturesque town which is one of the popular
tourist attractions in Laguna, Philippines - the Municipality of Liliw. If
Marikina is known for shoe making in Manila, well in Laguna, Liliw is known as
the footwear or tsinelas capital of the province. A lot of tourists from all
over the world visit Liliw Laguna, not just for the footwear but also because for
its beauty and its delicious foods.
From left to right: Chef Mau Mobile Fastfood and Restaurant, Arabella Café and Restaurant. Photos from Juan Gala, a Feature Documentary for BESC102 (2015)
Chef Mau Restaurant and Arabella Café were
the two most recommended restaurants in Liliw Laguna. What makes Chef Mau
Restaurant unique from other restaurants in Liliw is that aside from its
scrumptious taste, it is also budget friendly. You may belittle the restaurant
once you see it because of the very simple nipa hut like structure but once you
get inside and taste their dishes, everything becomes extra ordinary.
From left to right: Chef Mau Mobile
Fastfood and Restaurant (cart), Chef Mau Restaurant (nipa hut). Photos from
Juan Gala, a Feature Documentary for BESC102 (2015)
In
2004, Chef Mau Restaurant and Catering Services started as a mobile fastfood
and restaurant. Their mobile fastfood was located in Sta. Rosa where Chef Mau
was living. Their mobile food cart tends to roam around the area of the
municipality, bringing food to the people. Unfortunately, they were only able
to sell in San Lorenzo near Enchanted Kingdom. Securing permits for each place
they want their cart to be, weren’t easy. That is why their mobile cart didn’t
last long enough, but that didn’t stop Chef Mau’s passion to put up his own
restaurant. He decided to have his restaurant in Liliw instead. In 2005, Chef
Mau and his family put a small nipa hut beside their house that caters 30 to 50
persons only. Few of the dishes they served first were Pansit, Stuffed Eggplant
and Cordon Bleu which already attracted many tourists.
According
to Ms. Cristie Arjona, the co-owner/ branch manager of the Chef Mau Restaurant
in Liliw and one of the 12 siblings of Chef Mau, some people from the famous
newspaper in the Philippines, Manila Bulletin were the first publishing company
that told them that their dishes were good enough to bring it to other places.
A lot of customers started to come by their restaurant and in 2008 they decided
to expand their 30 to 50 capacity nipa hut to 70. They also decided to start
offering catering services.
From
left to right: Chef Mau Restaurant (nipa hut interior)
Every
single dish was thoroughly studied by Chef Mau that’s why the scrumptious taste
of every dishes in the restaurant were later on brought to other parts of
Laguna. They now have branch in Calauan, Laguna where Chef Mau handles the
place. The Calauan branch is bigger than in Liliw and it focuses more on its
catering service.
Here are some of the dishes to be found in
Chef Mau Restaurant:
Spicy
Sisig “Ala Mau”
The
spiciness of the Sisig makes it more appetizing. This Sisig costs Php120.00
only. (Good for 2 to 4 persons)
Stuffed
Eggplant
Their
Stuffed Eggplant is more than just a fried eggplant. The pork sausage stuffed
inside it is one of the reasons why the Stuffed Eggplant is one of their best
sellers’. You can have it for only Php100.00 (Good for 2 to 4 persons)
Chicken
Cordon Bleu
The
Chicken Cordon Bleu with fried potatoes in it is already delicious but the
lemon butter sauce makes it more extra-special. This Cordon Bleu only costs Php
120.00 (good for 2 to 4 persons)
Cheesecake
with fruit toppings
Per slice Php85.00
Whole Php800.00
It’s
not the ordinary cheesecake that you know. This cheesecake is quite special
because of its crust. Its crust is not just a graham, (which is the typical
crust of cheesecakes) it is mixed with Macapuno which makes its taste more of a
“province made” type of dish. A definitely must try dessert!
Chocolate
Fondue
Their
chocolate fondue is served with fresh fruits (banana and apple) along with
marshmallows. The balance of chocolate and good fruits will surely made your
dining experience wholesome. This
Chocolate Fondue is available for only Php95.00 which is already good for 2 to
4 persons.
Tempted
for what you just saw? Head to South now! It may take hours of road trip, the
feeling of travelling somewhere you don’t know when you will arrive. But for
sure, it’s really worth the trip.
Chef
Mau Restaurant and Catering Services is open from Mondays to Sundays from
9:00AM to 9:00PM. The restaurant is located in Brgy. Bungkol, Liliw, Laguna,
Philippines. For inquiries, you may contact them at (049) 573 6290 or 0915 926
7824.
0 comments