Millie's at Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Manila

A skip and a hop away from SMX Convention Center and SM Mall of Asia is Microtel Inn and Suites by Wyndham Manila. I seldom go to these parts in the metro because of its geographic location; but I never knew I was missing so much. I visited the hotel's restaurant and fell in love with a few dishes.It was small but classy. It was upscale but accessible to everyone who wanted to grab a bite. A lot of contradictions but mostly, I got schooled about this quaint place right beside gigantic malls, hotels and casinos in Pasay City.

This restaurant is located at the ground floor of Microtel Inn and Suites. You might fear the place because you would think everything's expensive but in my standards it wasn't at all. The lovely interiors are laced with modern chairs, tables and a couple of compartments where they showcase the actual things of Millie. She was a woman and a mother who enjoyed to travel; and it was shown evidently on the shelves of this restaurant. From perfumes, suitcases, memorabilia it had that sense of powerful matriarch personified in this establishment.  

Best of all, you can feel that you can come home and she'll whip you up homey Filipino, European and International dishes that's unpretentious, nothing fancy and just straight forward comfort food. It's a thing you would love to have while on a vacation. It's like what Mom would have made for you if she were an Italian modern woman.

First up was my drink!

Mango daiquiri. Since it was a weekend, I opted to have cocktails together with what we were about to have that evening. This concoction wasn't really that strong but you can probably tell them to spike it up since they've got a full pledged bar to dish out whatever you would want for leisurely drinking. They use fresh mangoes and it's perfectly sweet. I'd love to have seconds but we had to check out the other things on the menu. It's something I was really prepared for!

Greek Salad - Fresh and lovely, their Greek Salad was really good. It had the basics of goat cheese, zucchini, olives, red, green, and yellow bell peppers. It wasn't over powering and just had the right balance. If you are vegetarian, this is something that I would suggest you get off of the menu because it's filling and had all the right things I'd want in an ensalata.

Seafood Marinara -  The best catch of the day plus Italian homey marinara sauce that doesn't flood the whole plate. It's probably something that you would say, a staple if you want comfort food in your menu and they've done it right. It's not too tangy, just the right amount of sauce for the pasta that you have on the plate. The crusted and toasted bread was also a deal breaker for those who don't want it oily.

Salmon with lemon, garlic and capers on top of mashed potatoes - Comfort food at its best, this is one of the things that I absolutely loved on their menu. All the nicest things I love in a fish dish are here and you can say it's really comfy. I would have wanted my fish presented differently because I would have wanted my salmon to be filleted and sliced in portions whilst this is cut across the fish. Personal preference I guess.

Gnocchi - Velvety soft and creamy potatoes cropped and formed into little pasta pieces then smothered in white sauce and tons of cheese. How can you say no to that? This is my favorite among all the things served that evening. I would come back for this but it's part of their special menu. You should ask about this when the Chef is around because it's got that mean bleu cheese flavor but not overpowering because they add in other cheeses to tame it out. It was a bowl of perfection and I loved it!

Osso Buco -Literally an Italian word that means Bone with a Hole, this chip off the whole leg is just ahmaaazing. Imagine beef falling off the bones plus the gorgeous marrow inside that makes the guilt of having this dish all worth it. We shared this plate, so whoever gets the marrow is just lucky... make sure you save that for yourself haha! This and mashed potatoes is just heavenly. Make sure you eat this while it's hot!

Chicken Parmigiana - The classic cheesy recipe would get a run for its money if you order this homey version of Chicken Parmigiana by Mellie's. Chicken smothered with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce served with a side of pasta that's just perfect for kids who want all the cheesy goodness it brings. Mmmm...

Bistek Tagalog - Like any particular style of cooking in the Philippines we all have our own version of Bistek which is coined from American Beef Steak. This however isn't that cheap cut of meat you often see its prepared with because they use US grade steak to make their own. It's so soft and you don't really need a knife to taste it. I love onions too so this was a hit for me.

Baby Back Ribs - Do I need to really even convince you? Hehe. It's a slab of ribs and garlic ranch dressing plus a side serving of coleslaw. This was good but I'd probably leave this a few more hours in the oven (this was served a little chewy) or probably be eaten by with hands. Not a good date meal but if she's a carnivore go ahead and order this!

Tiramisu - Lady fingers, cream, chocolate, booze, what more could you ask for? They warned us that it'll be a little on the alcoholic side but when we tasted it, it was all good. I think it could even pass for kids even with the alcohol content. More so when you are planning to get them to sleep early haha. But really this was a nice way to end the meal on an Italian note.

Panacotta with Mango Coolie - It was wiggly, jiggly but full of mango goodness. This sweet concoction partied in my mouth right after the Tiramisu. It was not too sweet and looked perfect for a date. I love how every detail of this dessert just made our evening close to fireworks. The festive plating plus the good panacotta cheese made our evening sweeter, even prettier. You just get more surprised at Millie's!

Of all places you wouldn't really expect that there's something at the edge of Edsa to actually serve comfort food this good. A full service restaurant that serves the Microtel clientele can also be good for diners who want to enjoy good food from sun up to sun down. Congratulations to good looking Chef Gino Santayana and full blooded Italian F&B Director Enzo Ciliani on preparing top class comfort food at Millie's. I am really impressed!

P.S.

You can also enjoy the sunset or awesome bay view at the Microtel Inn & Suites by going to the hotel's roof deck every Friday while they hold their CHILL OUT FRIDAY event complete with buffet dinners, acoustic entertainment at PhP550.00 net/person from 6:30PM to 10:30PM; or enjoy their TWO for ONE promos on standard drinks and house wine during HAPPY HOUR from 6:30PM to 7:30PM and 9:30PM to 11PM. It's totally worth it!

For more information and reservations

Please contact

Microtel Mall of Asia
Ground Floor Coral Way Avenue corner Sunset Boulevard
Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City
+63 2 4033333 local 597

Or

Across Microtel Sto. Tomas Batangas
First Philippine Industrial Park
Sto. Tomas, Batangas
+63 43 4056447
Or Mobile 09178239058