Marikina is only a jeep ride away from our place, but I haven’t explored it much except to visit a spa and attend last year’s Pride Parade. One Sunday date night was spent at Miguel & Maria, one of many establishments along Lilac Street that offers good food and drinks.

It was hard to pick just one dish because everything on the menu sounded so good. We ordered a plate of dry rub ribs that come with rice and coleslaw – one of their two options for baby back ribs, the other being classic. The ribs were so tender that the meat just fell right off of the bone. They didn’t skimp on the dry rub. The sweetness was a bit overwhelming, so it was good to have the rice and slaw to balance the flavors out. Most of the Miguel & Maria menu items are meant for one person, but the serving was big enough to share.

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We also got a plate of baked salmon. I’ve ordered salmon at a couple of different restaurants and often found myself hoping for more, but Miguel & Maria did not disappoint. I got a hefty serving of salmon covered in melted cheese, on top of mashed potatoes, with a simple side salad.

The salmon was perfectly cooked. It was soft and flaky. The potatoes, which were quite garlicky, complemented the fish nicely. I also appreciated that there were some small clumps of potato in the mash – an indicator that it was made from real potatoes, not dehydrated potato flakes like some fast food joints use.

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For an appetizer, we had a plate of nachos. I love nachos with a ton of toppings. These have ground pork, bacon bits, and shredded lettuce, with more on the side. Their salsa has the usual tomatoes and onions, plus some pieces of bell pepper and mango. The nachos also come with cheese and barbecue sauce in their own ramekins, as well. I don’t know why the barbecue sauce was there, but to each their own. If you’re sharing, just throw everything in, mix it together, and chow down. They’re so good they probably won’t last long enough to get soggy.

I washed everything down with a mango shake. It was a fabulous meal, delivered by friendly servers to boot. This was my first time there, and I’m already excited to go back.