Mesa Filipino Restaurant in Tagaytay

It was midday and I haven’t had lunch yet. I was in a quandary whether to eat first or head straight to Manila and just eat nilagang mais along the way.

Parang I had no real craving or appetite but when we passed by the row of restaurants at SM Prime Holding’s Sky Ranch, I asked the driver to make a u-turn. We went back and the first restaurant that’s closest to where I was dropped off was Mesa. O sige dito na lang.

My confidence grew when I saw their awards displayed at the entrance. I told myself, they’re food and service must be extraordinary.

The giant canopies are the focal point of the restaurant’s interior.

Since it’s alanganing oras, there were only few diners. Only two tables were occupied. One, by a couple and the other table was occupied by 4 people.
Then there’s me.

I will never buy leaning bowls, pitchers, glasses. Leaning is for the Tower of Pisa, not on my table. Feeling ko tagilid ang mundo ko.

Although I got a little disappointed when I saw that their menu was Filipino, I stayed. I love our Pinoy food but not on this day. Kasi nga sobra akong mabubusog.

I went over their menu and I decided on lumpia and palabok / pansit luglug.

Super bagal ang service.

Sa tagal ng upo ko, I totally forgot where I was and why I was there for. No exaggeration. My mind wondered and before I snapped out of my own inner world, 45 minutes had passed, wala pa order ko. I thought of leaving, but they might find me rude. I stayed. I called the waitress. Miss sa’n na yung order ko?
She said “wala pa?”
After 10 minutes, my order hasn’t arrived. I called her again. I asked for the check. Aba, ang bilis, In two minutes, she handed me over the bill. I looked at the time they punched and printed this— as soon as I ordered, they prepared the bill, but based on the amount of time that have lapsed, obvious that they forgot to cook my food.

I began to doubt the award they received from Philippine Tatler. What was that award for? Best tasting food? I couldn’t say yet because my food hasn’t arrived. Maybe for the fastest bill.

For a few minutes, I contemplated on walking out, even if I have already paid for my food bill.

The Tinapa roll wrapped in Lettuce finally arrived. I was no longer in the mood to eat. I was already in a bad mood but I tried to appreciate the plating and taste. The lumpia was good. It would have been better if they served it in 10 minutes, not in an hour.

After 15 minutes, the pansit luglug was served. It was obvious that there was no coordination between the waitress and the kitchen. They forgot to take my order. They only realized that they have a hungry customer waiting after I made several follow-ups. Patayo-tayo pa ako kasi inip na inip na talaga ako. I was already standing at the door to their kitchen. Gusto ko ng pumasok sa loob at ako na lang ang magluto ng order ko.

I regretted having come here. “Miss, isang oras na ako dito”.

Finally dumating na siguro galing sa palengke yung cook nila. Dumating na ang aking pansit luglug or palabok.
The palabok tasted fairly decent. It had flaked smoked fish, tomato, onions, eggs. I wished there were visible ingredients like shrimps.

I wasted so much time at Mesa and this single mistake cost me additional forty five minutes in the traffic from Filinvest to the Sucat interchange, and another 15 minutes at the traffic jam near MOA. If I had not stopped at Mesa, I would have reached Manila in 1.5 hours, and not in 2.5 hours. I could have avoided the additional hour of aging while sitting in the car, plus the hour I wasted at the restaurant.