incessant rambling

most places are closed the day before christmas or new year. with little options, i took a chance that mama gie was open on the 24th - one, to get some lunch and two, order palabok for take out. the kitchen gods must have been listening as we arrived to a busy crew preparing orders and orders of pre-ordered palabok. i was tempted to order the pinakbet for lunch considering that in my previous visit, it easily stood out as my favorite. nevertheless, in pursuit of (re)discovering more of mama gie's dishes, i decided to order the embutido and paired it with an order of callos. callos is a tricky thing as i have a tendency to compare it with the way my mama palangging would cook hers. the soft velvety texture of ox tripe and pata boiled for hours to get the heavy, sticky, meat flavored stock then simmered in a rich tomato sauce with the smoky flavor of bell peppers is something that automatically transports me to my mom's kitchen and the nightly dinner with siblings that usua...

u-huh another pilipino restaurant. in a city where every nook and corner feature the gamut of low to high end filipino restaurants, another new pinoy place doesn't necessarily make me go oooh and aaah. what piqued my interest was the enthusiastic response i got from friends when I mentioned "Mama Gie". specifically, people who studied in Velez circa late 60s up to the late 80s. coincidentally, these people are established professionals in the medical field and to hear them reminisce about mama gie as the place where they hanged out for snacks and meals left me wanting to know more about mama gie. the set up then was simple enough, people sat on a long counter set with stools and food is served through a serving window that connects directly to the kitchen. nowadays, it occupies the space left by Big Bucks cafe in Bigfoot along F. Ramos St. and operates as a full service restaurant. as far as their story goes, Mama Gie became popular as the place that introdu...