Nothing beats a good home cooked meal shared with family. Well, except a sumptuous modern Filipino meal prepared by a professional chef, served by well-trained staff and enjoyed in a homey restaurant setting. That’s what MESA Filipino Moderne is all about.

Think of it this way. Think of the whole clan coming together for a reunion, with everyone bringing their specialties with well-guarded recipes.

Think of your Tito Boy bringing his famous laing. Think of your Tita Baby and her fresh prawns. Of course, the whole clan pitches in for crispy and juicy lechon. Drool!

You don’t have to wait for your next family reunion to enjoy such an experience. At MESA located at SM City Lipa, you can do so right now.

We really encourage you to do it right now.

About MESA Filipino Moderne

The name suggests that it’s not your ordinary restaurant serving Filipino cuisine. MESA Filipino Moderne is all about the modern take on classic Filipino favorites. They did just enough to give these dishes a welcome boost, while staying true to their Filipino roots.

What We Tried

The laing 2 ways arrived first.

Just like your Tito Boy’s laing, it has taro leaves, pork, shrimp paste and coconut milk. MESA’s version is served 2 ways – one is cooked longer and is therefore richer. Both are sprinkled generously with crispy adobo flakes. This is a crowd favorite that you shouldn’t miss.

Then, out came the boneless crispy pata.

Work of art, isn’t it? It’s how crispy pata should be. The skin is crunchy all over and the meat is tender and juicy. The crunchy garlic bits are a nice touch.

We also tried the prawns sautéed with salted egg.

Salted Egg Prawns
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Prawns Sautéed with Salted Egg

The savory salted egg provided nice flavor. Make sure to smother a spoonful of the sauce onto your rice. If you’re in a group, make sure to immediately get a piece or two. They’ll be gone in seconds.

We were also served swahe on the rocks.

This is a good way to taste the goodness of the swahe because it’s simply steamed in a bowl with hot rocks.

Fish lovers will love the salt crusted apahap (seabass).

While not appetizing to look at, it’s one of the best fish dishes we’ve tried. It’s cooked encrusted in salt. The salt seals in the moisture.

Upon removing the skin, the aroma of the ocean invaded the room. Surprisingly, it’s not too salty at all. It tasted perfectly seasoned.

The centerpiece of the meal is of course, MESA’s famous crispchon.

It’s served two ways. They’ll prepare it in front of you as they slice off the skin along with some of the meat with the precision of a surgeon so they can be put inside pandan crepe.

It’s served with several dips. I was already full but found myself grabbing a couple more wraps. It’s so good.

Crispchon Wrapped in Pandan Crepe
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Crispchon Wrapped in Pandan Crepe

The rest of the crispchon goes back to the kitchen to be sautéed in either chili garlic or garlic oil.

Crispchon Tossed in Chili Garlic
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Crispchon Tossed in Chili Garlic

Yep, every bit of the crispchon is enjoyed and rightfully so.

Visit with Your Family!

MESA Lipa
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The blogger (right) with the MESA SM City Lipa team.

The best way to enjoy a meal at MESA is with family. This explains the crowd during Sundays. So gather the family and have your own mini-reunion at MESA SM City Lipa.

New Offerings by MESA

We got invited back by Mam Wheng Lopez because they wanted to introduce some new offerings. We had an amazing time enjoying their dishes the last time we were there, so of course we were excited to try their new offerings.

Bellichon Feast is a Feast Fit for a King

Their new offerings are centered on their version of the bellichon. Basically, it’s a lechon belly that’s cooked to perfection. When talking about lechon belly, perfection means two things – juicy meat and crispy skin.

MESA is known for serving delicious and affordable dishes that are good for 2 to 3 people. This is why guests have been clamoring for something that can satisfy:

  1. Someone dining alone.
  2. Someone looking to try several dishes at once.
  3. Someone looking for the best value for their money.

The Bellichon Feast provided by MESA SM City Lipa is able to satisfy all of that.

As you can see, you are given 6 options. All options feature their Crispchon Roll (the aforementioned lechon belly cooked to perfection) with spicy pork liver sauce, unlimited rice, soup and 1 to 2 other dishes. Each option is fit for a king, I should say.

Feast A has Bam-I. Also known as Pancit Bisaya, this Cebuano dish is one of the best pancit dishes you’ll ever try. Good enough on its own, its generous toppings invite you to eat it with rice for some carbs on carbs action.

Feast B also has Bam-I and adds Tinapa Roll. The tinapa taste is subtle which is perfect in this case. It’s a good appetizer before you take on this mammoth of a meal.

Feast C still has the Bam-I and adds Chicken Barbecue. I love how the chicken barbecue was able to retain its juices, with the flavor of the marinade embracing every strand of the chicken meat.

Feast D replaces the Bam-I with the Gising Gising. This is the feast to go for if you want veggies as Gising Gising features green beans cooked in rich coconut milk. It’s spicy so prepare to whet your appetite even more! This feast also has Bistek Bangus that is perfectly salty and peppery.

Feast E still has the Gising Gising and adds Braised Beef in Dessicated Coconut. The beef is fork tender and its sauce goes perfectly with the rice!

Feast F still has the Gising Gising and adds Kare Kare Beef and Tripe. I love how thick and savory their version of kare kare is.

Now you know why they’re called a feast! They’re a feast on the eyes and the belly!

NOTE: The Bellichon Feast is only available on weekdays. It’s not available on weekends, holidays and special occasions.

Other New Offerings

We also got to try the Lechon Sisig.

MESA was able to make something good and sinful (sisig) into something better and still sinful (lechon sisig).

They also served us Sinigang na Lechon in Pineapple Guava.

Sinigang na Lechon in Pineapple Guava
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Sinigang na Lechon in Pineapple Guava (PHP 290)

Say what, now? The fact that it’s sinigang na lechon should make your mouth water, but pineapple guava? Believe me, it works. It’s one of the best sinigang dishes I’ve tried.

Open for Reservations and Deliveries

Hello Lipa team
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Hello Lipa team meeting over great food.

You can schedule your next function or meeting at MESA Lipa so you can enjoy these meals while being productive. Just call 09561334258 to reserve. You can also call the same number for deliveries. To preserve the quality of the food, they only delivery to areas that are 15 minutes away.

Contact Details

Address: 1F SM City Lipa (near the grand terminal entrance in front of BDO)

Fan Page

Phone Number: 0956 133 4258

Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10 AM to 9 PM

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