Kubiertos

Let me just start off with saying that I am not a fan of mediterranean cuisine.

Food that are classified to belong to this group would be those native to the countries that surround the mediterranean sea. Think Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco and imagine all the exotic flavors that you could succumb your taste buds to.

Now you’re confused because I profess to love Italian cuisine. And I do, absolutely! And that is why I frequent Italian restaurants as much as I can. But eating at a restaurant that serves mediterranean fare is very different. I do not know why but mostly I feel these places focus on specializing in Greek and even Turkish dishes. The few times I went to such places, I became fairly disappointed with the Italian dishes that they served.

It was the same with experience I had dining at Mezze! in Greenbelt 2. The place was elegantly upscale. It had dark wood interiors and cushioned seats. The place was cooled by an air conditioner that I can only guess was turned on high. We arrived early for dinner and there were only a few people there so I guess there were less bodies to absorb the cold.

I browsed through the menu and zoomed in on the lamb dishes. I chose lamb croquettes. My hubby ordered the prawn pasta and we all had paella to share.

While waiting for our food, we chose to fill ourselves with patatas bravas which were deep fried potato wedges sprinkled with herb seasoning and topped with tartar sauce. Tartar sauce is really just a mixture made with mayonnaise and some relish but my husband didn’t know that because he had a taste of this and liked it. Hehe.

We also had salpicao which tasted simply great, the meat soft and the dish overwhelmingly flavorful. Unless the meat becomes overcooked and very little garlic is used, it would be hard to go wrong with this dish.

Taking this as a sign of more great food to come, I waited eagerly.

The lamb croquettes were ok. They were tasty and I would have loved them had it not left a dry taste in my mouth. The best part of my food order was the salad that came with the lamb. The greens were sprinkled with balsamic vinegar that captured my taste buds.

I focused my attention on my husband. He had this unhappy look on his face that displayed how miserable he was with what was served in front of him. You see my husbands favorite food is pasta. But his version of pasta is the kind made with lots of meat and thick tomato sauce. Yep, you read right - bolognese. Now and then however, he is open to trying out pasta dishes unfamiliar to him.

The prawn pasta was made of spaghetti noodles cooked with prawns, peppers, asparagus, olives and wine. It was made to be a light pasta and indeed it was. I found it yummy because the only pasta I stay away from is those made with pesto. The pasta absorbed the taste of the prawns and the flavor was really brought on by the variety of peppers and asparagus and the fresh tomatoes. I was left full but not heavy after eating my husband’s food.

The paella was served in a large pan and I could tell immediately I would love it. I could see the crab and mussels sticking out under the yellow colored rice. It had the appearance of too much oil but tasted otherwise. I was more inclined to think the rice just absorbed all the flavors contained in the dish. This is a thumbs up for me.

We were ready to call this dinner an overall disappointment until we were served dessert samplers.

The plate contained a serving of panna cotta, mini decadent chocolate cake and one other dessert I wasn’t able to taste.

The desserts was the reason I changed my mind about Mezze. I loved the panna cotta which is a gelatin dessert only better. Its made of cream and sugar that it actually turns out soft delicious.

The chocolate cake is to die for. The cake was rich and moist and the taste was capped off by the dark chocolate sauce. Y-u-m-m-y!

Mezze! promises to give you an unforgettable dining experience because of our distinctive feature of small plate dining, and a scrumptious array of tapas, petits plats, and cichetti, both hot and cold, that are served in portions meant to be shared with friends, family, colleagues, and the flavors are paired with a good glass of wine or two.
– Excerpt from Mezze!’s menu

Mezze!
Greenbelt 2, 1st Level
Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. No: 728-8895

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Mediterranean, Mezze! . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.