The Minokaua: Sisig Rice, Beer Mussels, and more!

The Minokaua

I recently went to a newly-opened place in Malate called The Minokaua. The name is catchy, sounds "indie", though I don't know what it means. Heard there's great live music here, but I came for food.

second floor

The Minokaua is owned by 3 Mike's (Cortez, Kaluag, Tayag), a Billy (Villareal), and a John (Flores). It is evidently a restobar with its dim lighting, bar counter, and band/music setup. The ground floor is relatively smaller yet perfect for intimate acoustic nights. There's a comfy couch at the back to make the experience more "chillax-ing". The second floor has bigger capacity and meant for full band set up. The bar counter can also be found here where their bartender concocts the drinks. There's a loft at the second floor which is the VIP area. It can be availed for a minimum consumable amount Php8,000 and can seat up to 20 guests. You get a nice clear view of the live band and enjoy a private space with your buddies.


ground floor	bar at the second floor

The Minokaua opens at 5PM and is closed every Sunday. If you noticed the bare white walls and the directional lights, the plan is to have an art gallery/exhibits from 10AM until 5PM. That's going to be a good use of the space.

Best Sellers

Now, let's go to what I came for -- the food!

Chicken Chicharrones + Garlic Vinegar (300Php)

Chicken Chicharrones

This Chicken Chicharrones looked so simple yet so crunchy and addicting! The flavor is just right, not oily nor too salty that's why I find myself getting a piece one after the other. The garlic vinegar isn't strong but good, though I prefer the chicharrones on its own. It's also of huge serving that even though I've eaten a lot, there are still a lot left to take home. Surprisingly, when I ate them at home, they're still crunchy... not as crunchy as it was freshly served, but still good! This is a great appetizer, a beer match, or something to munch on while watching the gigs.


Chicken Chicharrones	Chicken Chicharrones

Beer Mussels (850Php)

Beer Mussels

There are three options for the Mussel Pot: Laksa style, Kimchi style, or Beer-based. Since I ain't into something too spicy, the only option I had was the Beer Mussels. The first thing I noticed were the huge mussels! And I learned they are imported mussels, so that's why. The soup/broth has dominant beer and mussel taste. It is good, and I liked it better when I tasted the bacon bits, but the noticeable taste of beer, even after toning it down a bit with toasted bread, makes me feel that this dish is not for me. But if you have no issues with that, if you're a beer- and a seafood-lover at the same time, go for this and try it yourself. Again, huge serving! The mussels are already big and there are a lot of them in this pan.


Beer Mussels	Beer Mussels

The Minokaua Sisig Rice (880Php)

The Minokaua Sisig Rice

The Minokaua Sisig Rice is my most favorite among the dishes I tried in this place. It is not as simple as the usual sisig rice, which is sisig mixed with white rice. This is more like a paella where the rice is flavorful, good, and has a nice texture. The sisig on top gives a kick of spiciness and an element of crunchiness. The sisig and the rice create a harmonious fusion with their complementing characteristics of soft and crunch, sour and spice. By the way, according to the menu, this is good for 3-4 people. I'd say it can be shared by up to 6. The pan isn't too shallow as in the usual paella, while the rice is compact -- really filling.


Sisig Rice	Grilled Ensaymada

Grilled Ensaymada Ice Cream Melt (320Php)

choice of cheese, vanilla, or ube ice cream

Grilled Ensaymada

When The Minokaua says, Share-Size Eats, they are not joking. Even their dessert, this Grilled Ensaymada Ice Cream Melt is a giant! Option for ice cream includes cheese, ube, or vanilla. I associate it with two things: first, I think it's their version of hot-and-cold dessert; and second, I remember the sorbetes or "dirty ice cream" sandwiched between buns, which I really love! For this case, the ensaymada is grilled that you can feel the crisp on the outer parts. That's a nice balance to the cheese ice cream with cheese chunks. However, I feel that the ensaymada was grilled too much that I lost some of the essence of ensaymada like its cheese and butter.


Iced Tea (Php65)	Cranberry (Php70)

For a non-alcoholic drinker like me, their Iced Tea is already a good option. But if you prefer something different, The Minokaua has a variety of juices such as Cranberry, Pineapple, Calamansi, etc, though fresh juices are not available.

The Minokaua's Original Bottled Cocktails (280Php per 500ml)

Pink Floyd, Agent Orange, Burnt Umber, Canary Songbird, Deep Blue

Choose your potion! These are own concoctions prepared and chilled, and served in a stylish re-usable bottle (sorry, you can't take them home). Each cocktail has a different alcoholic base, may it be gin, vodka, rum, etc. Just ask the in-house bartender to know what suits you best.

Bottled Cocktails

I kept on saying that I came here for food. But while I was eating at the second floor, I can't help but get curious on who's performing at the ground floor. The guitar skill is superb that for a moment, I wonder if there's just one person playing the guitar. So after eating, I went downstairs and saw the performer. It was the legendary Noli Aurillo. I felt so privileged to see him perform. But the night was made even so much better when sir Noli's friend, Bo Bismark, came to sing. Man, he is so great! He was just supposed to be a guest like us, but it turned out the other guests -- that's us, were requesting him to sing more. I've been into a lot of bar gigs before but these two people really captured my attention to the point I can't even look at my phone. It was an awesome night!

Below is one of the songs they performed:

There are performers everyday at The Minokaua with genres ranging from blues, jazz, accoustic, and more. Each night, they'll perform two sets starting at 9:30PM and ends at around 1 or 2AM. I can really see how The Minokaua specially curates the line up of performers every day.

Bo Bismark and Noli Aurillo

From my experience, The Minokaua offers a variety of delicious food meant for groups. They mentioned that they'll come up with bar chows to cater solo-goers or couples (that might already be in place as of writing). Food prices may look expensive, but again, that is because they are meant for groups or for sharing. Plus, you get the value for your money not only with the food taste and serving size, but also the experience of watching live music by proven great performers. I know I came here for food, but I stayed for the music, and I'll be coming back for both.

The Minokaua
1951 Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila