Light Eaters 3: Nomnomnom

September 11, 2011

Nomnomnom is an inconspicuous restaurant located at the basement area of a building on the corner of Tomas Morato & E. Rodriguez. The ambiance is clean and fresh, although I’d strongly advise a table in their air-conditioned area especially with the annoyingly hot weather of late.

Given good weather however, the air-cooled section of Nomnomnom would be a great place to hang out with friends with good food and a few beers. The light-colored walls (I believe they were a shade of white) and the wooden chairs and tables all add to the inviting feel of the place.

I’d like to believe that Nomnomnom’s ambiance and menu are somewhat reflective of the owners’ personalities - young & health-conscious.

It’s worth noting that Nomnomnom’s menu is composed primarily of healthier takes on popular dishes such as pizza & pasta. My friend & I looked forward to trying the Fried Ravioli - one of the primary reasons we wanted to give Nomnomnom a try. Unfortunately it, and all other similar dishes for that matter, were unavailable at our time of visit. What quickly grabbed my attention on the menu was the King Kong Calzone (P160). It was an equally (if not more) healthy & Pinoy-oriented take on a spinach & cheese calzone. I ordered a flavored iced tea as well - I believe it was strawberry-mango.

So how was it?

Ordering a calzone, I had a presumption that the first slice would bring me to cheese heaven. This was not the case with Nomnomnom’s King Kong Calzone. The menu said that it was filled kangkong, and they meant business - I sliced my calzone open & found that it was filled with much more kangkong & much less cheese than I expected. But it was good! It could use considerably more cheese, but it was good nonetheless! The dough was alright; I just couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.

I found the strawberry-mango flavored iced tea a bit strange. There was a teabag floating in the glass, so I thought it would have strong flavor either from the tea of the strawberry/mango. I found neither in that glass of iced tea.

Likewise, my friend was a bit disappointed with the pumpkin soup that he ordered in terms of flavor. From the food that we ordered, the general observation was that Nomnomnom’s menu is composed of great ideas & great dishes alike, but slightly lacks in the flavor department at times.

Then again, I think Nomnomnom aims to serve healthier food.

It got me thinking, maybe healthy is an acquired taste.