Mesa Osquare Greenhills: Your Innovative Filipino Food and Asian Fusion Restaurant in Greenhills

Filipino food with a modern take and Asian fusion was my impression with Mesa Osquare Greenhills. They offer Filipino food with a refreshing way of serving the dishes we have grown to love.

I was able to check them out recently at the Osquare Mall at Greenhills. It's also my first time in Greenhills and was delighted as I check out the nearby malls and establishments.

Inside Osquare Greenhills, there are a number of restaurants and cafes. Mesa is located on the 2nd floor and I went in to see what they offer and check out the ambiance.

Front of MESA Greenhills

A welcoming and warm Filipino inspired interior will greet you upon entering. Capiz shells and Rattan materials are some of the pieces you'll recognize at this restaurant. Just like the Bahay Kubo where wood is the main material used, the place embodies Filipino culture and hospitality.

Dining setup

MESA dishes serves mostly Filipino food and they present in a new and unique way, making your dining experience a visually and flavorful treat.

The first dishes that were served were the Tinapa Rice and Pasta Caldereta. The Tinapa Rice is made up of stir fried rice with tinapa(smoked fish) flakes, added with fresh diced tomatoes and red salted eggs. This is one of the best fried rice I tasted, the aroma and the wonderful burst of yumminess of the smoked fish flakes partnered with the fresh texture of tomatoes. The salted egg made the fried rice complete, it added the saltiness and creaminess when you get to taste the bits of the yolk part. This dish will make you order seconds if partnered with a fried or grilled dish with sawsawan.

TInapa Rice (Special rice)

This is my first time seeing a Pasta Caldereta and was initially curious about the pairing of a Filipino savory dish to pasta. Seeing the melted cheese on top assured me that it will be a delicious dish because anything with cheese on it elevates the taste of a dish. Visually it reminded me of a happy spaghetti meal seeing the red sauce of the caldereta stew blending with the pasta. The rich flavor of the comfort food caldereta and the generous toppings of melted cheese made this one of the group favorites. And paired with toasted garlic pandesal, this would be a perfect merienda meal for me. If you're with a kid, order this dish and see your kid smile while eating.

Pasta Caldereta

With Crispchon (suckling pig), their serving is done 2 ways: wrapped in pandan crepe with wansoy, cucumber and leaks and 3 sauces (Rikki's choice, garlic mayo and spicy pork liver) and chopped and tossed in chili garlic or just garlic if you prefer it to be not spicy.

Crispchon

The crispchon are carved and sliced into strips in front of you, the crispy skin and tender meat strips are ready to be wrapped. This way of serving the crispchon together with the healthy vegetables inside a wrap is good way to enjoy it and not feel guilty about the crispchon you're about to devour.

Crispchon wrapped in Pandan Crepe

Enjoyed the crispchon chopped and mixed with chili garlic, sometimes you just want to savor just the crispchon by itself. The juices of the meat, the crunch of the skin and scraping the last piece of meat off the bones will get you to pork heaven.

Crispchon Tossed in Chili Garlic

Their river shrimps or suahe also has an interesting way of cooking it right on your table. Suahes are placed on very hot rocks that will cook it within a minute. There's nothing more fresher and more sumptuous than someone cooking the shrimps and serving it immediately in your plate.

Suahe on the Rocks

After cooked right in front of the guest, River Shrimps looks yummy!

Tinapa Roll also deserve a highlight in this spread. It's like a lumpia with tinapa bits, tomato, onion and salted egg enclosed in a lettuce leaf. The perfect balance of the saltiness of the salted egg and tinapa together with the sweetness coming from the caramelized onions with the added crunch of lumpia makes this appetizer dish a must try dish.

Tinapa Roll

Of course, we must also have a soup dish for a well rounded meal and a Chicken Binakol dish slides perfectly in this array of Filipino food. A chicken simmered in rich broth with added chorizo, young coconut meat and green papaya. Perfect for Sunday lunch with family or a soup to enjoy during the rainy days that will be your go-to comfort dish.

Chicken Binakol

Chicken Binakol in a Coconut Shell

A grilled fish dish, their Salt Crusted Sea Bass or Apahap in Tagalog is covered with lots of salt enough to cover the fish and grilled. The large amount of salt covering the sea bass prevents the moisture or some of the juices from the fish to escape making it more juicy, all the flavors of the fish intact and not dry. It also makes a highly dramatic presentation once the salt is removed in front of you.

Salt Crusted Seabass (Apahap)

Inside the skin of the Apahap is the moist fish meat

Where can you find a Crispy Leche Flan? I found it here and it was a great dessert to close the Filipino food feast we had. Make sure to order this hot and consume immediately to enjoy the crunchy bite and warm leche flan inside.

Crispy Leche Flan

We ate a lot and I still crave more, look at the spread below for all the food we devoured. We also had some wonderful drinks such as the Kamias and Grapes Coolers.

They have set menu which you can choose from depending on your choice of dishes which are good for 10 to 12 persons. Here are their set menus:

** Package 1 Php4,100.00

Tawilis with Manga

Pinaputok na Bangus

Swahe Salted and Spicy

Mesa Braised Beef

Grilled Liempo Mesa Way

Chicken Binakol

Bam-I

Sisig Rice

** Package 2 Php4,500.00

Tinapa Roll wrapped in Lettuce

Crispy Boneless Tilapia with 4 Sauces

Swahe on the Rocks

Boneless Patatim/Crispy Boneless Pata

Pinatayung Manok

Kare-Kare

Laing 2 ways

Bagoong Rice

** Package 3 Php5,950.00

Baked Scallops with Garlic Butter

Patotim

Shrimp grilled in Lemon Butter

Boneless Crispy Hito

Stuffed Squid with Meat and Vegetables

¼ Crispchon 2 way

Sigarilyas

Tinapa Rice

** Package 4 Php6,950.00

Hito Flakes on Spoon

Tinapa Roll

Crab in Chili Sauce with Seafood

Steamed Apahap in dayap and Chili

¼ Crispchon 2 way

Patotim

Sinigang na Baboy sa Bayabas at Pina

Shrimp in Salted Egg

Pinakbet with Bangus Belly

Laing Fried Rice

Enjoying the feast! Pahabol ng isa pang Tinapa Rice please!

The big door that leads to the function room

MESA Osquare Greenhills also offer a place to do your meetings and gatherings at the same time providing the privacy and with a good view of the streets and the city.