La Mesa - Sydney

LaMesa has that home away from home feel. Upon entering the restaurant, the look of the place will remind you of coming home to your grandparents’ and you just know you’re about to enjoy good home cooked meals. <br/ <br/ We ordered:<br/ • Sinigang na Hipon I am a sucker for sour tamarind soup and this dish delivered. I can still distinguish the difference from what I used to have in Manila but this one’s pretty close. Plus, the shrimp has that sweet taste to it that makes it a good mix. <br/ <br/ • Lechon Kawali perfectly crispy and just plain sinful. I LOVE THIS!<br/ <br/ • Daing na Bangus Cooked to a crisp and marinated just right. Pro tip for those who haven’t tried eat the belly part!<br/ <br/ • Lumpiang Sariwa have to say I’m not a huge fan of this because I felt the wrapper was too thick but might just be personal preference<br/ <br/ • Halo Halo the ultimate summer companion! This one’s a must try!<br/ <br/ • Sago’t Gulaman this local pearl cooler is simple yet deliciously refreshing<br/ <br/ <br/ Overall, I love LaMesa and will keep coming back!<br/ <br/ NOTE: They have karaoke nights every last Friday of the month!

Okay I am definitely rating La Mesa based off how much I enjoyed the pork adobo if you come here you should 110% order either the chicken or pork adobo. This is quite a cute restaurant with fun interiors and a pretty homely vibe. Service here is friendly and the food was brought out to us in a reasonable amount of time. The chicken skewers with the vinegar sauce were delicious, as were the fritters which we ordered vegetarian. The seafood bouillabaisse was really very intense, but the fresh seafood was absolutely fabulous. The curries here are delicious and intense in flavour. I loved the garlic rice too but avoid it if you are on a date :P I'm looking forward to coming back to try the chicken adobo!

Came with a Filipino friend, and the dishes they picked were amazing! Tamarind soup with a startling but pleasant sour, tender and flavourful crispy para pork leg, with my favourite being the stuffed milkfish. What a treat! Would come here again

Started with beef tapa and okoy, both are really nice. Then got kare kare, sisig, spicy calamary, garlic rice, crispy pata, chicken adobo, and pansit bihon. Finished with halo halo. Friendly staff, nice food esp the crispy pata, sisig and halo halo. But waited quite a bit for the food. But overall, great experience

The final stop of the Chinatown Taste Food Tour is at Le Mesa which is a Filipino restaurant. Taste Food Tours is a not for profit organisation that promotes diversity and cultural harmony with any profits going back into the cultural hubs in Sydney. As it's the final stop, it seems only fitting that we have dessert although the menu looks really interesting and tempting. I must confess I have am not an expert when it comes to Filopino food but I definitely have a lot of curiousity.