The Mami House: Filipino Cuisine in Niagara Falls (US side)
Lumpia, Tortang Talong, and Turon
When I was recently asked for dinner recommendations in Niagara Falls, I was a little embarrassed to pause. I could think of a few solid places for a quick and casual lunch, but nothing came to mind for a sit down dinner with table service. Although we frequent The Book Corner at 1801 Main Street, we were typically gone from the area well before dinnertime.
I began my quest by reviewing my to-try list and came across The Mami House at 250 Rainbow Blvd. This restaurant had landed on my list due to tantalizing pics shared on social media. I was excited by the prospect of trying a new-to-me cuisine so we decided to pay them a visit.
The Mami House is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesdays through Sundays. The menu is expansive. Offerings include appetizers, rice, porridge, and noodle dishes, noodle soups, fish, fried & grilled features, combo plates, a few vegetarian plates, and Filipino specialties including beef pares, chicken adobo, and pinoy bistek (Filipino beefsteak).
To start, we selected the Lumpia, seasoned ground pork with a mix of veggies and oyster sauce, wrapped in a fried egg roll wrapper and served with a side of sweet spicy sauce. But then we decided on ordering a combo platter which included a sampling of these fried pork egg rolls.
In addition to four lumpia, the combo plates included a side of steamed jasmine rice and a bowl of the house soup. The various combos combined two proteins from options such as chicken or pork skewers, fried or grilled pork belly, savory chicken, beef short ribs. We chose the later two. The tender and flavorful chicken was marinated in lemon grass, oyster sauce, and 5 spices. The beef short ribs, cut Korean style and marinated in oyster sauce and sesame oil, were served topped with chopped scallion and sesame seed.
We wanted to include some veggies in our meal so we also ordered the Tortang Talong. This is a classic Fillapino dish of a whole eggplant charred or grilled, peeled and flattened, then dipped in egg and shallow-fried. Think omelet—tender eggplant with hints of smoke wrapped in a blanket of fried egg.
For dessert, the purple, yam-flavored Fillapino ice cream intrigued us as did several other options. Ultimately, we chose the Turon to share. The two banana and jackfruit filled, fried spring rolls were served with a side of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup. This plate was the perfect finale to our meal.
The service had been warm and welcoming. Upon settling our check, validation of parking was offered, had we parked in the neighboring lot. We had actually utilized metered street parking, so this was good to know as an option for next time. We will definitely be back to try more from their menu.
Can you recommend any other places to check out for a sit-down dinner in the falls? Please share your suggestions in the comments.