ABE Filipino Cuisine Restaurant in SM Mall of Asia

Abe Filipino Restaurant - where Good Friends Dine

My Story 

On a fine Sunday, my family decided to dine in Yabu: The House of Katsu for lunch, since 4 out of 6 in the family haven't tried it out. After knowing this, I became full with enthusiasm knowing that we will definitely have a seat, considering that it was already past 1:30 pm. However, to my surprise and eventual dismay, we still needed to wait in line for an estimate of 45-60 minutes when we got there. Heartbroken, we decided to search for something else, until we ended up in Abe, a Filipino Cuisine Restauarant. 

Note: I want to emphasize that I was really disheartened by our failed Yabu experience, and so this may impair my normal judgement and/or taste. In fact, I didn't participate in choosing what we need to order. I just let them do that supposedly exciting part. 

The Place 

Interior of Adriatico Cafe

Before we proceed with the food, let me just give you my brief insight on the place. 

Abe is adjacent to Adriatico Cafe (a sister company), and there are no full divisions in between. Hence, you can easily go from one to the other. With this, if one of the two is full, you will be asked to sit in the other. This was what happened to us, which explains the photo above. 

Now for the specifics, the restaurant looks somewhere between casual and fine, while featuring modern Filipino designs that make you feel "at home". However, my main problem with it is the lack of free space, but other than that, there's nothing more special about the place. With that, let us now proceed with the food!

The Food 

Most of the dishes we ordered are the popular and usual ones. This was because we simply miss having them. Now, to help me cool off as I waited for the orders to come, I ordered this:

Buko Juice (P105)

The overpriced Buko Juice of Abe Restaurant

Usually I don't order any beverages, since I want to avoid excessive sugar, but this time I wanted to. Unfortunately, I regret that decision because there was nothing so special about this buko juice. It didn't even go with a nice presentation, at the very least. That being said, I don't think you should order this because it's overpriced, unappealing and mediocre. Well, as of the taste, it was just the way it is.

Paco Fern and Tomato Salad (P155)

Young rainforest fern with tomato in a light vinaigrette salad dressing

Special Paco Fern and Tomato Salad of Abe

This salad dish was somehow new to me - the leaves, the salted eggs and the combination. All I can say about this salad is that I really found delight in it, and considering the price, this is definitely a must-try!

Bamboo Rice (P250)

Mountain rice cooked with shrimps, wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots steamed in a bamboo shell; may serve 6

Bamboo Rice of Abe Restaurant

The Bamboo Rice was interesting for me, since it was my first time to have something like it. The way it was presented was neat, and the taste was distinctly flavorful. However, my mom didn't agree with me and said that  it wasn't that special as it seemed.

Laing with Tinapa (P255)

Gabi leaves cooked in coconut milk with the distinctive flavor of smoked fish

Laing with Tinapa of Abe Filipino Restaurant

Spicy, potent, different and full of flavors - these are the words that will describe this Laing. I'm not fond of eating Laing because of the coconut milk, but this one caught me off guard. Note, however, that this has a moderate to high level of spiciness.

Morcon (P390)

The Embotido, I mean, Morcon of Abe

When we ordered this Morcon, we have the usual morcon in mind which has eggs, hot dogs and raisins. Hence, we were so surprised to see an "embotido" on the table, and apparently it was their "special morcon" according to the waiter. Trusting the staff, we just decided to enjoy it. Oh, and of course it tasted like an embotido.

Chicken Adobado (P390)

The Chicken Adobado of Abe

Now, for the second to the last dish, we had this Chicken Adobado. Interestingly, this is not your usual adobo because the sweet taste dominates the salty one. However, there isn't anything else unique about it aside from that.

Klassik Kare-Kare (P595)

The Creamy Klassik Kare Kare of Abe

This Kare-Kare is creamy, thick and yummy infused with peanut buttery goodness! It was so good that it was able to keep at par with my favorite Kare Kare from Barrio Fiest and may even top it a bit. The other thing I like about this dish was the presence of ample amount of meat.

Recommendable?
I recommend the place ONLY if you don't mind paying more that what you should have. However, in case that you choose to dine here, my recommendations among those we ordered are the following:

• Paco Fern and Tomato Salad (P155) - this is not you ordinary salad, but you will definitely enjoy and find it interestingbecause of the inclusion of salted eggs.
• Bamboo Rice (P250) - the rice is interesting and unique for me, although it may be not worth it for some. 
• Klassik Kare-Kare (P595) - this may not be that budget friendly, but for me it really tasted great!
• Laing with Tinapa (P255) - this is the only laing I like to date, considering that I usually dislike it. 

Estimated Budget: P350 each for a group of four (4)

Abe Filipino Cuisine Restaurant
2/F SM Mall of Asia,
Business Park I, Bay City
Manila Bay Reclamation Area, Pasay
Contact No.: (02) 556-0608

Menu and Prices:
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