Maple - A New Fancy Restaurant to Try in Mandaluyong

A good friend of mine celebrated her birthday recently. We didn't get the chance to really celebrate on that day so we decided to meet up a few weeks after instead. She invited us to dinner in a relatively new restaurant at the relatively new wing of Shangri-la Mall along EDSA, Mandaluyong. The restaurant is called Maple.

It was my first time to go to that part of Shangri-la and it was my first time to eat at that restaurant. When she said we were eating there I  got really excited. I didn't have any idea about the place so I was really looking forward to eating there.

Another friend and I met up earlier than the actual "call time" so we had the chance to go around the new wing first. After a few minutes of malling, we decided to go to Maple. The birthday girl wasn't there yet but she said we could already order. We know nothing about the place so we opted to wait for her. But since we were hungry, we ordered Fiesta Chips and Dips. When it arrived, it was a total disappointment. The chips are "hard" and definitely not crispy. It's worth Php 360. I felt it was overpriced.

Fiesta Chips and Dips

When the birthday girl arrived, she ordered Caesar Salad, Maple Glazed Chicken Wings, Drippin Baby Back  Ribs, Prime Rib Tapa, fish tacos and Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower.

The waiting time was not very long. They served the food just a few minutes after we placed our order. The food came even ahead of another friend lol.

The salad came out first. I liked it because the vegetables were fresh and crisp. I  think even those who are not so into vegetables will appreciate it. They gave us just a small amount of dressing so I thought it wouldn't be enough. Well, it wasn't enough but I  didn't mind because the Romain, even without a lot of dressing was good enough for me.

Caesar Salad

The Maple Glazed Chicken Wings came next. It was okay. There's nothing really amazing about the chicken but it wasn't bad as well.

Maple Glazed Chicken Wings

The Prime Rib Tapa is something I will probably have again the next time I visit the place. The meat is tender you wouldn't really need to use the knife given. Well, that's an exaggeration but what I'd like to say is that the meat is really tender you wouldn't have difficulty chewing. It was perfectly marinated. However, it has very small fat. I like the fatty portion, you see.

Prime Rib Tapa

Maple's Drippin Baby Back Ribs is also something I would recommend. Juicy and tender -- that's perhaps the best way to describe it. And compared to baby back ribs served in other restaurants, the one served there at Maple is reasonably priced.  

Maple's Drippin Baby Back  Ribs

What came as a real surprise for me was the Fish Tacos. It's not your ordinary tacos not only because it's fish but because the 'shell' or crust is like pita bread -- flour tortillas. The salsa-ish mixture that you put with the fish when you wrap is flavorful. It's something I really liked even if at first I was hesitant because I saw an herb that I do not like. It's good the smell of that herb was masked so I had the courage to try -- I would have regretted it if I hadn't.

Fish Tacos

The Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower of course came last. It was a pity, really. It tasted so good and yummy but we were already full so we were not able to finish the whole tower. It was a great injustice to the pancakes.

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower

After dinner we decided to go to the main mall. Though we were full, we still had dessert. I think it's more for us to have the chance to talk more than to really eat something sweet. Hmmmmm......