restaurant review - Max's of Manila

First of all, let me just say that I love food. I think my tummy is solid proof of that haha. Anyway, on April 11th it was my eldest sister's birthday so we decided to celebrate at Max's of Manila on Steeles and Dufferin. It was a bit of a drive, seeing as we come from the heart of Scarborough, but it was definitely worth it!!!

We weren't able to make any reservations but since it was a Monday the staff told us that it wouldn't be a busy night. I guess since the place is new their definition of "busy" is a little different, because the place was still pretty packed! That's always a good sign though, everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. I liked the ambiance of the restaurant, it took me back to the Philippines; the tagalog songs were a nice touch haha. The only problems were that the tables are placed so close to each other so waiters were squeezing through and knocking things over when they passed by and I could clearly hear the conversations of the families around us. (Filipinos are very loud people. VERY LOUD. )


We ordered the Per Table Menu C (this is the menu in the Philippines btw), minus the roasted nuts, bangus and sinigang na hipon (wasn't offered) and with buko pandan replaced with vanilla ice cream (I wanted buko pandan but what can ya do) and we added crispy pata (of course). Now, before I go on about how marvelous the meal was, I'm going to break it down for all the non-Filipino people reading my blog. (All one of you).




The Per Table Menu C consists of the soup of the day, plain rice, Max's fried chicken, lechon kawali, pancit bihon, kare-kare, and a cup of vanilla ice cream for dessert.


The soup of a day was a creamy blend that tasted like potatos with a little sprinkle of ground meat (bacon I believe). It was sooo yummy and it was like the perfect comfort food, if only I had figured out exactly what it was haha.


The pancit bihon (noodles, basically) was delicious, but it wasn't exactly anything new. You can get pancit of pretty much the same quality from other Filipino restaurants.

Max's fried chicken was amazing as always. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, but cooked without batter or any extra oil. This is the kind of chicken that can make everyone happy haha.

Lechon Kawali is pan-roasted pork. This dish isn't for the faint-hearted (literally). One bite is full of flavour and juices, but also full of fat. Of course true Filipinos (myself included) love it and it just wouldn't be a birthday celebration without it. But this one should be eaten in moderation, folks.








The kare-kare was definitely one of my favourite parts of the meal. It's a stew made with vegetables and ox-tail in a yummy peanut sauce. It's usually eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste) but can be eaten without it. I'd say it's the best kare-kare I've ever tasted, hands down. But of course, my Tita Purita's kare-kare is a close second haha.


As for our add-on, the crispy pata (pork leg), I didn't try a large piece as I had the lechon right beside me and I kept sneaking pieces onto my plate haha. From what I did try, it was cooked to perfection, nice and juicy with the skin perfectly crisp, just like what you'd expect from one of the best Filipino restaurants!

For dessert the birthday girl ordered the halo-halo (crushed ice in milk with a mix of sweet beans, fruits, and other things topped with a scoop of ube (purple yam) ice cream and leche flan (custard)). I tried a little bit and loved it! I just wish they had put more ube ice cream haha.








All in all the food was amazing and the service was alright. The meal itself was a little pricey ($208 CAD from what I saw from the cheque) but we had enough food to last for a few days and everyone was satisfied with the meal. I suppose when more chains open or they add a few more staff members the service will be a lot better. All of the employees were very polite and gave us that feeling of true Filipino hospitality. I will definitely come back someday and bring a lot of friends with me!!!