Jim's Pares and Mami: The Viral "Pares Usok" Spot at Malate (Manila)
Thanks to social media, news travels faster. When there’s a good food spot, it can easily go viral nowadays. The only question is: Is it worth the hype? To find out, I’ll be visiting these trending places and share my experiences in a series—Eats Gone Viral! Check out the installments here.
Pares, also called Beef Pares, is a braised beef dish eaten with fried rice. There are 2 kinds of pares: The one that has a thick, slightly sweet gravy and the one that has a thinner broth and typically sold in street carts. And I think I’ve found the best of the latter in Jim’s Pares and Mami.
Jim’s Pares and Mami was started in 1999 by its namesake proprietor, Jim Delos Santos. He used to move around until he found a permanent location in Maria Orosa Street in Malate, Manila. He started with a P2,000 capital and now earns more than P100,000 a day, even during the pandemic! No wonder food vlogs such as TikimTV and news outlets such as GMA News have featured not only its pares but also its inspiring story. By the way, Jim’s opened a second branch in Sampaloc, Manila. Wow!
Jim’s is known for its Pares Usok (smoke). That’s because they use wood fire instead of LPG to boil its beef. It turns out it can tenderize beef better.
They use wood fire to tenderize the beef.
My friends and I went there late at night and there were still a lot of customers:
Jim’s used to run out of customers. Now, they sometimes run out of food due to the volume of customers!
The queue was very quick and we were welcomed by this sight:
I already knew I had to get this!
Jim’s has a simple menu, mainly offering three items: Pares, Pares with Bone Marrow, and Mami (noodle soup). You can order it solo (with rice only, if I’m not mistaken) or set (with rice, boiled egg, puto or rice cake, and soda).
I ordered the Pares with Bone Marrow because it’s calling my name. LOL. It has a tasty and beefy broth, and it’s not thickened with cornstarch like other street pares. The beef is tender and has retained some bite, but I wished it’s more tender. And I like the crispness that comes from the chopped cabbage and spring onions.
Pares with Bone Marrow (Set: PHP240)
But the winner is the bone marrow, which is creamy and decadent.
Look at that yummy bone marrow!
I also tried the Mami, which has generous beef and veggies. The broth is saltier than the pares or buto-buto, and the noodles are chewy but has an aftertaste (maybe it’s with the preparations). I think the noodles affected the flavor of the broth.
Mami
Pares spots usually has toasted chili garlic as a condiment. But at Jim’s, they give you a bowl of chopped siling labuyo (red chilies). They really want to give you heat!
This will take the pares to the next level!
The puto is bland and isn’t soft. Just skip this one.
Puto
Is the Pares of Jim’s Pares and Mami live up to the hype? Absolutely! In fact, the buto-buto pares is now my favorite version of the dish. Drafting this article is making me salivate! Anyway, I highly recommend Jim’s Pares and Mami to you!
Have you tried the pares usok of Jim’s Pares and Mami? What pares spot should I try next? Comment below!
Address: Maria Orosa St., Malate, City of Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, open 24 hours | Facebook | Instagram