Birthday Dinner at Abe'

It was my Mom's birthday last week so we decided to go out and have dinner at Abe' in SM Mall of Asia.  Abe' is a restaurant dedicated to the late artist and writer, E. Aguilar "Abe" Cruz, father of the legendary restaurateur Larry J. Cruz.  I was meaning to try this restaurant out for the longest time so I was quite glad that everyone agreed to visit this place.

Couldn't wait for them to grow any bigger

The design of the restaurant is relaxed and the dark wood furnishings makes the place really cozy.  The menu contains mostly Capampangan dishes and traditional Filipino comfort foods.  T, as you may well know is a sucker for chocolate, so she ordered the Tsokolate-Eh for starters.  It was rich, thick and delicious just the way she loves it.

Tsokolate-Eh

My Mom wanted something healthy so she decided to order the Lumpiang Ubod.  It is a type of spring roll with shredded heart of palm as filling topped with peanut sauce.  I was not able to taste this but my Mom said that it was good.

Lumpiang Ubod

We also ordered their signature Binukadkad na Pla-pla.  It's an oversized Tilapia, butterflied then fried until golden crispy.  The fish was huge and meaty.  The flesh was delightfully crispy on the outside and was smooth and silky on the inside.

Binukadkad na Pla-pla

The fish was served with Mustard Leaves and the Capampangan favorite Balo-Balo which is fermented shrimp rice.  The fish is best paired with the mustard leaves and the balo-balo, the serving of balo-balo was a bit small but since I am the only one in the family who really enjoys it, I had it all to myself hehe.

Balo-Balo

My younger brother and I opted for their amazing Lamb Adobo.  It is lamb cooked adobo style with lots of garlic.  The lamb was full-flavored but doesn't not have that over-powering gaminess flavor.  We all liked this dish even my Mom who's hesitant about the taste of lamb.

Lamb Adobo

The meat was really delicate and succulent.  The sauce was really flavorful and the loads of toasted garlic was a really nice touch.  My brother really liked this recipe and was already thinking of how he can re-create it at home even before wiping out the entire plate.

The star of the dinner was the Sinoteng Baby Squid.  It is baby squid sauteed in olive oil, chili, bay leaf and lots of garlic.  The squid was soft and absolutely flavorful which perfectly pairs with the toasted garlic in terms of taste and texture.

Sinoteng Baby Squid

The olive oil was able to capture the essence of the squid and aromatics.  I couldn't resist to spoon the flavored oil on to my rice and man it was really tasty.  This dish was so good that we all agreed to order another serving.

I can definitely say that everything we ordered was good and we all enjoyed it.  The service was efficient and staff was even kind enough to greet my Mom and send a complimentary dessert.  So when you're craving classic Capampangan fare or traditional Filipino comfort food, visit Abe.

You may take a peek of their menu HERE.


Abe' Restaurant
Entertainment Section
SM Mall of Asia,
Pasay City