Great Eats

A quick stop at Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen to satisfy cravings

Some time late last year, I got to eat at Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen for the first time. I know, I know… What the heck kind of foodie am I, that I’m always so late at trying these popular places out? Well I don’t tend to go out much so that’s actually one of my resolutions this year haha!

In any case, it’s nice to finally get a taste of what everyone keeps raving about. When the subject of UP Town Center gets brought up, I always get asked about my opinion on Mama Lou’s and I always have no answer. Finally, I manage to give it a go.

Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen isn’t new by any means, since it first opened years ago in BF International Las Piñas. It seems to have become way more popular though, now that it has opened branches in more mainstream malls.

Typically, getting a table at an early dinner hour isn’t hard for us, but when we got to Mama Lou’s the small space they had in UP Town Center was packed. We had no choice but to sit outside, where luckily it was nice and breezy. I took it as a good sign though, and maybe some of these customers were having a late merienda since Mama Lou’s serves pizza after all.

We weren’t feeling particularly hungry so we just ordered a few dishes to share, and as with most Italian restaurants these days, you get some free crusty warm bread with dips. For people who weren’t that hungry, we had two baskets of the bread as we waited for our food to arrive!


Mama Lou’s Special Pizza (Php 450 for Large) 🌟

Whoa guys, look at this pizza! I think it’s so pretty for some reason, with lovely pops of colours that make it more mouth-watering. It’s homemade pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, mango, and arugula. As a final touch, it also has a drizzling of balsamic cream. I was super excited to dig in! And the verdict?

I love this pizza. LOOOOVE. On paper the toppings look pretty normal, but once they put it together on that thin crisp crust, with a drizzle of the balsamic on top, wow! I wish we had the prosciutto-mango-arugula trio all over the pizza though.


Risotto Tartufo Funghi (Php 325) 🌟

This is a flavourful risotto with wild mushrooms and truffle cream, but my problem was the risotto itself. It seemed a bit undercooked to my taste as it had a bite to it I’m not particularly fond of in risotto. The texture got in the way of the whole dish becoming a creamy affair to be honest.

Despite that, I still recommend this because as far as the level of “truffle-ness” is concerned, it was perfect taste-wise. I’ve had trouble with other truffle dishes tasting off but this had the flavour pinned down that I can forgive the texture of the risotto. That’s saying a lot.


Rosemary Lamb Rack (Php 695)

Grilled Grade A New Zealand Lamb Rack, seasoned with rosemary; served with a side of mint jelly (a must!), and some mashed potatoes plus steamed veggies.

This was juicy and tender to the bite, with that unmistakable rosemary hit. Meat-lovers would enjoy this surely, but I was a bit disappointed by the size of this lamb rack for the price. The sides of creamy mashed potatoes and steamed veggies complement the meat very nicely though. I like the mashed potatoes a lot!


Steamed Fish Fillet in Brodo (Php 390)

A lighter meal option for those watching their diets. Fish fillet is perfectly steamed to a softness in brodo (broth) flavoured with ginger and spring onions. It comes with rice and steamed veggies for a complete meal.

As a lover of fish, I enjoyed this creamy soft fillet of yumminess. However because it tastes very similar to what we cook at home, I can’t help but wish we picked something more unique instead. Nonetheless, if you haven’t tried this kind of dish yet, I do believe this is a good choice.


Final thoughts

Most of my friends love this place for its value for money aspect, because you get big servings for great prices, and most dishes are shareable. That might not be the case for the Lamb Rack, but Mama Lou’s is a fantastic place to find some great-tasting, tummy-filling, homey Italian food, without breaking the bank!

This review is shorter than most because I don’t have too many comments on ambiance and such, since we were seated as if isolated from the rest. But I can say for sure that I’m looking forward to coming back and trying a lot of other dishes. We haven’t tried any of the pastas after all. But right now I particularly recommend the pizza, and just looking at it through the pictures I’m getting a major craving. Let’s see if my rating goes up on my next visit, shall we?

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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MAMA LOU’S ITALIAN KITCHEN

Ground Floor, UP Town Center,
Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Hours: 11AM to 9PM
Contact No.: (02) 2469069 ext:302
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Full disclosure: This post is not sponsored in any way and opinions are 100% mine alone.

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