Here’s another restaurant that serves Filipino food in a lovely little environment – Maria Maria in San Juan City. I actually ate here twice.
Two features caught my attention – this lighting fixture made up of cups and saucers, which is sadly too high for me to photograph properly. . .
then this mirror! It reminded me of my grandmother’s mirror in our old house. Nice fancy old school mirrors are awesome, aren’t they? The one in the restaurant is smaller though.
This wall decor of pocket watch with initials was kinda cute.
I didn’t find out who Maria Maria was, so I assume it’s these two ladies.
Now here’s what we ate at Maria Maria.
This is Lumpia Napoleon that came with brown sugar garlic sauce. It’s really a deconstructed lumpia. What a delightful take on an old favorite!
Naturally, I had mango shake with my meal. While in the Philippines, I was trying to consume as much mango as I could. Finding proper mangoes that come close to Philippine mangoes in Connecticut is like finding a needle in a haystack. Mexican Ataulfo mangoes, while a good substitute, is not as good as the ones from the Philippines.
This is Cebu Lechon Sinigang.
Sinigang is a sour soup that usually has tamarind as the soup base (although you can also use guava, camias or even unripe mango). I usually cook either pork, shrimp or salmon sinigang. This dish (pictured above) from Maria Maria used Cebu lechon. FYI: Anthony Bourdain proclaimed Cebu lechon as “the best pig ever”. I haven’t been to Cebu yet, so I wouldn’t know. All I know is this Cebu Lechon Sinigang was very tasty.
The next dish is Chinicharong Tilapia that came with sweet tamarind sauce. I’m not sure what the difference is between this and good ol’ crispy fried tilapia.
Bahay Kubo is a dish with an assortment of local vegetables with anchovies.
As adobo ranks high in my list of favorite Filipino food, we tried their Adobo Cooked Three Ways – Puti, Dilaw and Smoked Gata. I preferred the dilaw version.
For dessert, we ate Mango Panna Cotta and Lola Mary’s Pecan Tart. Their panna cotta was well-executed with its lovely consistency and texture.
This cute little pecan tart is perfect for those who are hankering for something small and sweet.
Verdict: Maria Maria is located in the ground floor of Xavier Residences near Xavier School in Greenhills. It is a casual dining restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine. No reservations are required and seating is fairly easy to get with no wait time (at least it was when I went there twice).
While street parking is free, I imagine it can be difficult to find a space during peak times. Luckily, I didn’t have that problem when I went there. The place has a nice, relaxed vibe that’s perfect for conversations. With its gracious ambiance, it’s pretty easy to relish the food when you visit Maria Maria.
Address:
Maria Maria
Ground Floor, 81 Xavier Residences
General S. De Jesus Corner Xavier Street
Greenhills, San Juan City, Philippines