Swisher called for another meeting and when I was asked where’s a good place to eat I immediately suggested Mann Hann. I heard they moved to a brand spankin’ new building and I wanted to see it.
Mann Hann has been around since 1995. They started with one small restaurant and now they have several branches in malls. I think having their own free standing restaurant adjacent to their office is a feather in the cap in their long, successful stint in the restaurant scene.
I think the secret to their success is their consistently good Chinese comfort food. There’s nothing extraordinary in their menu. But most of their dishes are what the Chinese in Manila look for when they want a good, simple home cooked meal. Dishes that they grew up eating and want to share with the new generation.
From outside you would think this is a car dealership or a high end art gallery. There’s still no sign outside the restaurant but everyone knows what’s inside. The restaurant is located in a small residential street in San Juan, not exactly a prime location for a big restaurant. But if you build it they will come. And come they did.
Swisher partners
high ceiling and excellent lighting
2nd floor available for big parties
don’t know what this area is for
nice long tables that can seat up to 10
beef hofan P195
steamed dumplings P110
sate chami P195
The oyster cake is one of their most popular dishes. In the Philippines we eat this with ketchup. I realized this was not the norm when we ordered this in Hong Kong and they didn’t even have ketchup in the restaurant. I had to go to the nearest fast food outlet and ask for some ketchup packets to take back to the restaurant.
oyster cake P190
Kiampung is sticky rice with meat. You could say it’s Chinese paella? Try it instead of fried rice the next time you go to Mann Hann.
kiampung P75/bowl
The squid was crunchy and spicy and served with Chinese bagoong.
spicy squid P215
garlic kangkong P135
Their dessert specialty is homemade sherbet. It’s very smooth and creamy and has sago (tapioca balls), buko gulaman (coconut jelly) and crispy pinipig (toasted rice) on top. The picture below is half an order. You can ask them to split an order for you. I think half is just enough.
buko (coconut) sherbet P80
buko sherbet all mixed up
Their menu is back to back Mann Hann and Mannang (Filipino food). When we were there the Filipino food wasn’t available yet.
(click on pic to enlarge menu)
Mann Hann (main branch)
233 J. Abad Santos St.
Brgy. Little Baguio
San Juan City
telephone: 726-3706, 725-8515
233 J. Abad Santos St.
Brgy. Little Baguio
San Juan City
telephone: 726-3706, 725-8515
Shoot First Eat Later 
first off, thank you for the compliments re building design (lol@car dealership). the area in question (tagged “don’t know what this area is for”) is supposed to be a coffee bar/deli/ice cream section. clients changed their minds in the middle of construction. currently, it functions as a buffet area during big events. otherwise, you will almost always find the owners doing paperwork behind the counter. the black squares on the wall now has bas-relief depicting the four winds. check it out next time you visit. cheers!
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Mr. Rico Calma you made my day! Sorry for the car dealership dig =-X . You’re building is nevertheless awesome. note to readers: Rico Calma is the architect for Mann Hann’s empire.
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Mr. Rico Calma you made my day! Sorry for the car dealership dig =-X . Nevertheless your building is awesome. Note to readers: Rico Calma is the architect of the Mann Hann empire.
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no apologies necessary. found it rather amusing. check out the two new branches at SM North (2nd floor near Sky Garden) and the Ground Floor of Mezza Residences in Sta. Mesa opening within the month (Oct). again, thanks for all the kind words.very nice blog btw! keep up the good work. cheers!
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hi!!! me and my husband is a big fan of Mannhann!!! everytime we’re in Megamall the only restaurant that we dine in is at Mannhann.. As well as my family. we just want to share how much we love the food!! we hope you would continue to serve mo delicious food!! =) regards!
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