Another little quirky eatery, Mad Mark's, has popped up in the burgeoning foodie area that is Kapitolyo. This is the same area that gave rise to Charlie's Grind and Grill, the car wash cum burger shop. Mad Mark's is a little farther down the street, sandwiched between Thai Dara and Lia's cakes.
Entering the doors you'll see the counter on your right and the dining area straight ahead with its nice red chairs and the nice signage.
There's also a bar area directly across the counter, with red high bar chairs.
I ordered half a Lumberjack (P170) sandwich. Even though a whole sandwich would be cheaper at P250, I decided to try it out first and just order a couple of other things instead. The nice crusty bread enveloped certified Angus beef, caramelized onions, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. I liked that they cooked the beef in a little bit of spice, just enough to get the taste buds going. The slight spiciness was balanced out by the sweet onions. The sandwich was very good and I think a full-sized one would definitely fill me up but this one should do it for the ladies.
Irene ordered their Wings and Fries (P220). The order had four full pieces of Zing Wings so it’s equivalent to around eight pieces at other places. The sauce was tangy with a bit of spiciness, which was the only level they had, so those that do not like spice should stay away from the Zing Wings.
The fries that came with the wings were Cajun Fries, deceptively simple in looks but the taste surprised us. The flavoring looked like the ones used in the barbecue fries from Potato Corner but with a little bit of red specs, probably the peppers. The fries were crispy to the bite, the outer layer flaking as you bite a bit. The inside is where it differs a lot from other crispy fries, since it’s still hot and soft. Irene and I kept on getting piece after piece and did not realize it was all gone. We were actually tempted to order some more but decided to order something else instead.
Irene was not quite full yet so went back to the counter and ordered the Country Pork Steak (P185), which was served in a circular aluminum tray (like something for baking). The pork fillet was grilled and topped with mushroom sauce. The pork was tender while the rice, which they called Garden Grains, tasted very similar to Japanese fried rice. The letdown was the veggies, which were not crisp and were soft and soggy instead.
Even though I was a bit full already, how could I resist not ordering ice cream, especially home-made ones? Mad Mark's has around eight flavors, but not all were available that day. Irene and I each picked a flavor since its much cheaper to get a double scoop one. The single scoop ones cost P68 while double scoops go for only P98. I chose Madagascar Vanilla Bean while Irene got Chocolate on Chocolate. These ice cream scoops are not small and are man-sized also, each one almost as big as my fist.
The Vanilla Bean ice cream was wonderful, with flecks of vanilla bean readily seen all over. The Chocolate on Chocolate contained bits of chocolate cookies and was a surprise, something we both liked; maybe our aversion for chocolate has reversed.
Mad Mark's is a nice cozy place, serving good food as well as yummy ice cream. Irene has been dreaming of the Zing Wings since we ate there last week; really have to schedule another return. I want more ice cream and I'm interested in trying the other stuff on the menu. Kapitolyo is really giving rise to lots of small restaurants, which is good for nearby residents. A slight bit of problem is parking in the area gets a bit sparse.
Location Map (from Mad Mark's FB page)
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