Moomba Bar Cafe: Manila’s Signature Dish for 2010

The moment I stepped inside, I knew Moomba would offer a promising dining experience. The music from a singing pianist, the spacious and well-illuminated two-story restaurant, and the crafty furnitures and piles of pillows calmed myself from all the excitement and questions, which the signature dish brought. Thoughts, like how ostrich meat tastes like, ran through my mind.

To give an idea of what the inspiration was behind the set meal (Moomba is part of the Manila’s Signature Dishes for 2010 that is sponsored by Unilever Food solutions, Casillero Del Diablo and BPI), Chef Jimmy Jardiniano welcomed everyone with a smile and short conversation. He’s been a kitchen master of Moomba for 6 years out of a decade since the bar has been established. It was a privilege to be with him, especially when Moomba was always fully booked this holiday season, getting around 200 to 300 reservations a day. He also teaches some culinary classes and attends culinary work. Too gracious of him that he even provided a starter which was out of the promotional dish and my favorite – an uber-cheesy thin-crust pizza. Truth is that this is the cheesiest pizza of all pizza’s that i’ve tried and this isn’t because I was swayed by the chef’s hospitality.

Moomba Cheese Pizza

The Signature Dish of Moomba consists of Deep Fried Rillet of Chicken with Tomato Salsa as an appetizer and Tiyan of Ostrich & Julienne of Vegetables as the highlight course. This also includes Panna Cotta with Mango Ganache and Castillero de Diablo wine.

Moomba’s Chicken Rillet is a light breaded chicken in strips. Although deep fried, it ended up not that crunchy, and still gives the chicken in full taste. It sat on a Mexican bed of spicy salsa and tasty crispers just enough to prepare the taste buds for the main entree.

Tiyan of Ostrich takes an inspiration from the popular shepherd’s pie having a mashed potato on top, a perfect partner for the ostrich meat. It is carefully marinated thin cut (like of a shabu-shabu) of ostrich meat laid on vegetable layers. Suprisingly, although ostrich is a poultry by nature, the Tiyan of Ostrich tastes like or rather tastes better than beef. Tender and uniquely delicious. Definitely, it is a healthy alternative for beef dishes.

Chef Jimmy disclosed that the ostrich meat served comes from the ostrich farms of Philippine Ostrich Association. He also added that it takes much longer and learning to cook ostrich meat than cow’s beef. And from my experience of the Tiyan of Ostrich, Chef Jimmy indeed mastered the ostrich culinary.

To complete the dinner, Panna Cota with Mango Ganache has been served. Although the panna cotta would stand alone, mango ganache and raspberry added more color and sweet-and-sour taste.

Moomba uses products from Unilever Foodsolutions (UFS), which is the preferred foodservice business partner among restaurateurs. UFS felt the need to acknowledge notable restaurants that are developing Manila as a culinary city. They have partnered with select restaurants within the metropolis in coming up with signature dishes. UFS has synergized with these restaurants, both through dish development and promotion campaign for these signature dishes, in achieving one common goal: coming up with a different culinary experiences that provide value for money and culinary memories for diners.

If you’re a restaurateur (or an aspiring one) and in need of help in coming with your signature dish, call (632) 588-8855 or email at [email protected].

Contact Details:
MOOMBA BAR CAFE
1810 Mother Ignacia Street Corner Roces Avenue Quezon City Metro Manila Philippines View Map
Phone Number: (+632)3732487

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This article on Moomba is written by one of our guest bloggers, Jonas Roque. Jonas Roque is the author of Facebuko.com.

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