Restaurant Review: Manam

The waiter nodded. “Good choice, sir. The sinigang is our ‘Watermelon’ variant—sour, but with a sweet finish.”

“ Gising-gising ,” he said to the waiter. “The spicy one. And the Sinigang na Beef Short Rib .”

Marco pulled out his phone. He wasn’t a food blogger, but he wrote a review anyway, typing with one thumb while holding a spoon in the other. manam restaurant review

It came in a deep clay bowl, the broth a murky, opaque pinkish-red from the watermelon purée. The beef short rib was enormous, falling off the bone, its marrow glistening. He ladled the broth first. He tasted the sour of tamarind, but then—a ghost of sweetness, a hint of summer melon that made the sourness deeper, more tragic.

He didn’t look at the menu. He knew what he wanted. The waiter nodded

I came to Manam alone on a rainy Tuesday. I ordered the Gising-gising and the Watermelon Sinigang. The Gising-gising woke me up to how hungry I actually was. Not just for food. For that .

Rating: 5/5

Then the sinigang arrived.