Mangú Café - Pflugerville

Mangú Café - Pflugerville

Written by Jim Dawson Friday, 07 April 2006

Cafe colors classic dishes with Caribbean flair

When co-owners Alex Fernandez and Rafael Montes de Oca opened Café Mangu last year they brought to Pfllugerville a taste of their native Hispaniola; a part of the greater Antilles and the second largest island in the Caribbean.

Since Christopher Columbus set foot on the island in 1492, Hispaniola has been influenced by the Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French and African cultures. If you can envision mixing the best of all of these cuisines with the freshest seafood available, you have Mangú.

Mangú has become especially popular with the multi-national employees of Dell.

According to Fernandez, the after-work crowd enjoys sitting on the patio sipping exotic drinks while sharing appetizers such as the Camarones al Ajillo. This favorite is tasty shrimp sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, wine and parsley. ($9.50) Another popular appetizer is the Tostones & Longaniza, crispy giant plantain chips and homemade sausage served with lemon garlic sauce and Caribbean dipping sauce. ($5.75)

We recently tried the Paella Valenciana, the classic zaffron dish from Spain ($39.95 for 2). This rice dish is prepared with fresh herbs, zaffron stock with clams, mussels, lobster, pork and chicken. One of the house specialties, it is prepared to order and beautifully presented, so allow a little more time for this entree.

Beef lovers should try the Currasco Argentino ($11.95), a marinated skirt steak, flame-broiled and served with a delicious Chimichurri sauce and a choice of sides.

The fried Yuca ($3.50) is another wonderful dish. The waiter explains that this is not cactus, but the root of the Cassava plant, for which the natives have many uses, including pounding into flour to make bread. The fried Yuca (pronounced Ju-Kah) more closely resembles a very tasty french fry.

Mangu sandwiches are popular with the lunch crowd. The Cubano uses tender slices of roast pork, ham and swiss cheese, while the Pechuga de Pollo is a marinated breast of grilled chicken with lettuce, tomato slices and an almond ranch dressing. Both are served on a toasted hoagie. ($6.95)

All of Mangú desserts are prepared in their kitchen. The Tres Leches ($4.75) is a light, yellow cake drenched in a delicious three cream sauce topped with suspiro and drizzled with homemade caramel. We love to share this treat to complete our trip to the Caribbean.

Fernandez says that one of the most asked for items at Mangú is the “Doggy Bag.”

“Many customers tell us that we serve too much food,” Fernandez said, “but our heritage is one of sharing our dinner table with friends and family for long meals that could last hours, so there was always plenty.”

Worth Trying

• Mariquitas, plantain chips with a lemon garlic sauce, $3.75
• Camarones al Ajillo, shrimp sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, wine and parsley, $9.50
• Pollo Asado, half chicken marinated in chicken juices, garlic and spices and slow roasted $9.50
• Tres Leches, light, yellow cake drenched in three cream sauce topped with suspiro and drizzled with homemade caramel $4.75

Mangú Café, 15200 FM 1825, Pflugerville, TX 78660, 512-990-3121