Category: Lifestyle

It’s quite surprising that I haven’t blogged about Cafe Via Mare.  It’s a restaurant that I always love to have merienda in.  Their bibingka, especially their puto bumbong and palitaw are the best in the Metro.  I guess I felt that blogging about Cafe Via Mare’s snack menu wouldn’t be enough for a single blog post.

Luckily, this time around, me and my friends decided to have a full lunch at Cafe Via Mare at our favorite mall, Powerplant in Rockwell.  I said to myself, finally, I can blog about the restaurant!  I also vowed that in spite of being so full, we will still try out most of their yummy desserts.  Via Mare’s desserts are to die for!  In spite of having such delicious selections, they are reasonably priced.  That is why, I always crave for food in Cafe Via Mare.

The ambiance at Cafe Via Mare’s branch in Powerplant Mall is so nice.  Since it’s located beside the back entrance of the mall, it has nice natural lighting brightening up the inside.  The seats are pretty comfortable too as most are couches.

Cafe Via Mare has been operating for over 20 years.  They are known for their Filipino dishes.  As they continue on with their business, Via Mare elevates Filipino cooking to make it at par with the world’s best.

Me and my friends ordered Cafe Via Mare’s bestselling dishes.  We ordered a lot hahaha!  There were only 4 of us but I think we had enough food for 6 people! 😛  Oh well, in spite of that, we still finished every single dish.  Doesn’t that prove how good the food in Cafe Via Mare are?

Our Main Meal

• Tiyan ng Bangus Sinigang sa Miso (Php 265)

The best Filipino soup for me is Sinigang.  The only thing we thought about was to decide between pork or fish belly.  Since we wanted to be healthy, fish was our best bet.  The menu says that the dish is good for 2.  I’m just glad that the serving was so generous that it was enough for the 4 of us.  I love that the sinigang had the right sourness, the fish meat was tender and it didn’t have any bones so it was easy for me to enjoy the dish.

• Kare-Kare (Php 360)

A popular dish in Via Mare that has ox tripe and tail cooked in peanut sauce.  For me though, the dish isn’t complete without the bagoong alamang sauce.  Via Mare’s bagoong sauce I believe was cooked the traditional way.  I’ve always preferred processed bagoong sauce that is sweetened.  However, I guess the plain ol’ original bagoong taste suits Cafe Via Mare’s kare-kare much better.

• Sun-dried Crispy Tapa (Php 280)

I admit when I ordered this, I thought it was sun-dried crispy PATA.  Apparently, it was sun-dried crispy TAPA.  Blame it on me and my failing eyesight hahaha!  Oh well, when the dish came, I was surprised but still, I welcomed it as it was a new offering from Cafe Via Mare.  I’m all for trying out new dishes.

The dish is basically beef sirloin that is sun-dried.  I thought that the dish would come out crispy but apparently for me, I had a hard time eating it.  I guess it was too dry for my taste.  For beef sirloin, I still prefer it cooked with sauce.  My friend disagreed with me though, she liked this dish.

• Rellenong Talong (Php 120)

An old-time Filipino favorite is rellenong talong.  It’s broiled eggplant stuffed with ground pork and wrapped in scrambled eggs.  No matter how simple the dish is, the taste just lingers in my mouth.  The ever-reliable ketchup made the dish more delightful.

• Calcag Rice (Php 135)

Calcag rice is another addition to Cafe Via Mare’s menu.  I must say, among the main dishes that we tried out, this was the best.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  It was too damn tasty!  Calcag rice is made with sun-dried shrimps, bagoong and scrambled eggs.  The chef hit the jackpot with this recipe!  It was perfect for me!  I will definitely order this again when I get back to Cafe Via Mare.

Cafe Via Mare’s Popular Desserts

We were already full after finishing our main meal. However, we already agreed from the start that we would be ordering Cafe Via Mare’s desserts. I told my friends that we shouldn’t pass on them, especially the puto bumbong.  I think even if they didn’t agree, I will still order hahaha!  Cafe Via Mare has the best Filipino desserts and they are pretty affordable.  If only they have branches that are more accessible, I could be dining there every afternoon for their Filipino delicacies.  It’s that good and I’m not exaggerating.

• Palitaw (Php 45)

I super LOVE palitaw!  If only Cafe Via Mare offers eat all you can buffet of their desserts, I will definitely take loads of palitaw.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  They are poached rice patties covered in grated coconut, sugar and toasted sesame seeds.  Hayyy, it’s too damn good!  I really didn’t care that I’d be eating so much sugar.  Whenever I get the chance to eat Via Mare’s palitaw, I immediately forget my diet.

• Puto Maya (Php 138)

I love suman (sticky rice).  I don’t get the chance to eat them at all (the native ones).  I know that several Filipino & Thai restaurants serve them.  However, they all have the same style in presenting them which is accompanied by sliced mangoes.  The mangoes are a nice touch but it was always the sticky rice that I crave for.  I really love the consistency of the glutinous rice flavored with coconut cream, every spoonful had so much flavor and it didn’t feel sticky at all inside the mouth.  I love the presentation Cafe Via Mare did with this dessert too.  I don’t understand why they called it ‘Puto Maya’ though.

• Bibingka with Laguna Cheese and Salted Duck Egg (Php 115)

The most popular menu item in Cafe Via Mare has got to be their Bibingka.  Their bibingka are freshly cooked.  Looking at the bibingka served to us, it was surprising that we all wanted to dive in ASAP.  It certainly was mouth-watering, especially seeing the butter melting in front of our very eyes.  How heavenly!

We get to choose which ingredient aside from Laguna cheese to be included in the bread: salted duck egg (Php 115) or quezo de bola (Php 138).  I still preferred salted duck egg.  Hayyy, so yummy!

• Puto Bumbong (Php 70)

Puto Bumbong is a delicacy everyone loves to eat during Christmas time.  I, on the other hand, always crave for it even during summer time.  There’s no right time for us to eat appetizing food and that is certainly how I feel with puto bumbong.  I have eaten a lot of puto bumbong but I believe that Cafe Via Mare serves the best one!  It’s pretty obvious how tasty the dish is by looking at the picture right?  Puto bumbong is cooked in bamboo tubes and steamed.  Not the simplest way to cook but it’s definitely worth it after eating the dish.

We had a satisfying meal and you don’t have to guess that we were full!  hahaha!  I think I’ll go back to Via Mare very very soon.  This post is making me crave for their desserts again!

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Cafe Via Mare
G/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St. and J.P. Rizal Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 890-5930

When I go to Boracay, I usually try out as many restaurants as I can.  However, during my short weekend trip recently, I stayed at Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel all throughout.  Being sick was the main reason why I didn’t go around and another was, we were invited by Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel to try out their hotel and experience what it’s like to stay there.

Due to those reasons, all my meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) were held at Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel’s in-house restaurant, Don Vito Ristorante Italiano.

Don Vito Ristorante Italiano is famous for their freshly baked breads, seafoods, pasta, wood-fire brick-oven pizza and their gelato.  It’s an Italian restaurant that serves a fusion of Western, Asian and Filipino dishes.

We were able to try out almost all the specialties in the restaurant, sampling them during different times of the day.  I wouldn’t wanna miss the chance of sharing with you what those sumptuous dishes are.  Once you step foot in Boracay, do not forget to give Don Vito Ristorante Italiano a try.  Their dishes are just so good.

I must admit, I wasn’t able to eat much in spite of the mouth-watering dishes ready to be eaten by me.  Seeing my travel companions happily finishing the food and my longing to eat more after tasting the dishes, I knew I missed a whole bunch of culinary paradise.  I had to choose my health over my love of food that time.  I excused myself most of the time during meals to have a rest at my hotel room in Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel.

As I write this, I’m so dying with envy.  I was wishing I was well and I could bring back the time that I was there.  I’m taking this post as a reminder that once I go back to Boracay, I’ll give Don Vito Restaurant a visit and order my favorites so I can fully appreciate the yummy goodness of their dishes.

Appetizers

• Homemade Bread and Butter

Don Vito Ristorante Italiano’s ensaymadas are a must-try.  You’ll also get a surprise when you take a bite as they have a special ingredient inside those super yummingly fresh-to-goodness pastry.  While sampling the bread, we were actually suggesting to the owner that they must make more of those and offer it outside Don Vito too!

• Papaya Shrimp Boat (Php 350)

This was the first dish that I saw in Don Vito and boy, was I impressed!  Look at the presentation!  It was so nice!  We were all staring at the dish and were all shy to plunge in, haha!  Anyhow, we still had to try out the dish so we did!  Well, the presentation matched the taste!  It was a refreshing shrimp salad dish.  I had eaten a similar dish before but it was garnished with cream.  Don Vito gave it a twist by putting fresh papaya, how neat & healthy!

• Shrimp Cocktail (Php 250)

Love shrimps?  Then this appetizer is for you.  Don Vito’s shrimp cocktail has shrimps served cold and crisp with a crispy cocktail sauce and lemon.  Perfect to order at night time 😛

• Rock Oyster Supremo (Php 250)

12 pieces of baked fresh oyster topped with mozzarella cheese & herbs. baked to perfection.

This is one dish that I will keep raving over and over!  This has got to be the tastiest baked oyster I have tasted so far!  I will definitely go back to Don Vito for this.  Their Rock Oyster Supremo will be the first dish I will tell the server when I order in the future.  Supremo as the title says – yes, indeed!

• Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (Php 180)

This is the first time that I saw mozzarella cheese sticks being served on a bed of salad greens.  It looked healthy doesn’t it? hahaha!  Not sure?  However, it worked!  Imagine my surprise when I saw how much it was priced!  You’re getting more than what you paid for.  The dish was drizzled with pesto sauce for flavoring.  I really love the uniqueness of Don Vito Ristorante Italiano’s dishes.

Salad
All salads are served with Italian foccacia bread.

I wasn’t able to taste any of the salads but I was completely full just by taking pictures of them.  So here’s a photo essay of the 2 salad dishes that were served during our stay there.

• Chef Salad (Php 275)

Medley of select garden greens, topped with swiss cheese, ham and boiled eggs. choice of dressing.

• Exotic Mandarin Salad (Php 300)

Soup

• Boracay Island Harvest Chowder (Php 100)

This chowder was full of flavors.  It was too rich for my taste!  Wow!  I felt like I’d be full already just by finishing this one cup 🙂  Don Vito’s Boracay Island Harvest Chowder consists of mixed seafoods and sweet corn.

Main Dishes

As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t able to fully enjoy Don Vito Ristorante Italiano due to me being sick that time.  I took pictures and took a bite on some of Don Vito’s specialties.  Among all the main dishes listed below, I was only able to taste the Osso Bucco…  So please forgive me as I share with you another photo essay of Don Vito Ristorante Italiano’s main dishes.

• Grilled Island Herb Chicken (Php 295)

A juicy boneless half chicken, special marinated with a hint of thyme, basil and tarragon, served with mushroom gravy sauce, rice and vegetables.

•  Osso Bucco (Php 420)

Beef shanks braised in tomato, roasted garlic and red wine, meltingly tender, flavorful combination of beef and vegetables.

A must-order!!  I love beef shanks and sometimes, other restaurants overcook it.  I love that Don Vito has perfected this.  If I recall, I was the one who finished this dish on our side of the table 🙂  So tender, so tasty and oh so delicious!

• 1L Wahoo Lemon (Php 295)

Fresh grilled tanigue fish served with lemon butter sauce.

• Parmesan-Crusted Swordfish (Php 295)

Grilled fresh swordfish fillet topped with parmesan crusted.

• Pepper Steak (Php 1,400/12 oz)

New York steak grilled to perfection with peppercorn mushroom.

• Jumbo Prawns Neptune (Php 450)

Prawns meat sautéed in butter, shallot and young coconut shredded, and herb pernod wine.

 Pizza

Oh, yes!  Don Vito prides itself for having authentic, hand-tossed pizza baked in the traditional brick oven.  You even see a chef statue outside the restaurant ushering us to try out their popular pizza! 😀

Don Vito Ristorante Italiano’s pizza is available in 2 sizes: family (14″) and large (11″).  They have several kinds of pizza but you can also order additional toppings depending on your liking.

We tried three of their pizza bestsellers during our first meal at Don Vito.  They were so good!  That also adds to the fact that I prefer thin-crust pizza 😀  I’ll rank the three based on my liking… so wanna see my verdict?   Read below 🙂

• Giardinera Pizza (family-Php410, large-Php 330)

Roch’s # 3 choice.

Tomato sauce, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, asparagus, bell pepper, zucchini, onions, tomato and fresh basil.

• Islander’s Pizza (family-Php 435, large-Php 350)

Roch’s # 2 choice.

Hawaiian style pizza, topped with pineapples, ham, shrimp, tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, grated romano cheese, chopped basil leaves and sprinkled with oregano, red pepper flakes and olive oil.  served on thin crust.

• Don Vito’s Special (family-Php 430, large-Php 350)

Roch’s # 1 choice: Don Vito Restaurant called this their godfather of all pizza.  I mean hello?  It was the same for me.  Among the three pizzas we tried out, this was a clear winner 🙂

The godfather of all pizza, topped with tomato sauce, diced ham, sliced fresh tomatoes, pepperoni, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. served on Don Vito’s very own homemade thin crust.

Pasta
all pasta served with foccacia bread.

Here’s another photo essay but I must say, the linguine carbonara is still lingering in my hearty food mind 😛

• Fettucine Don Vito (Php 330)

Fettuccini noodles tossed with sun dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, topped with grilled breast chicken, finished with aromatic herbs and spices.

• Linguine Carbonara (Php 320)

Egg noodle pasta cooked to perfection, tossed in a creme of garlic and shallots, double smoked bacon and green onions, topped with parmesan cheese.

• Classic Spaghetti with Meatballs (Php 360)

Spaghetti in tomato sauce, served with meatballs made from ground beef meat, mixed with sautéed onions, parsley, garlic and egg.

Dessert

A meal will never ever be complete without dessert.  In Don Vito Ristorante Italiano, their Gelato is the one that people always come back for.  Even without having a meal, people drop by Don Vito to have their fix of authentic Italian Ice cream.  It’s something you can have anytime of the day, anytime you want…

But you know they also have other desserts and I was able to try them too!  Check it out.

• Tiramisu ala Don Vito (Php 150)

I love how Don Vito presented their Tiramisu.  The lady finger cookies were a nice touch, making the dessert more playful.  If I remember it right, I was eating it one by one while also spooning the rich mix of brandy, creme and mascarpone cheese, garnished with chocolate and coco powder.

• Don Vito Gelato (Php 100)

Don Vito’s very own authentic Italian ice cream.  Everyone’s favorite in Boracay! 🙂

• Spiced Pineapple

What a beautiful looking dessert.  I could see, based on the dish how creative the chef was.  Having one main ingredient into a dessert that looked like a million dollars.  The pineapple dessert was presented 2 ways: (1) sweet cinnamon, pineapple topped with creme brûlée and (2) a scoop of Don Vito gelato placed on a cookie.  Eating that dessert was pure blissfulness.

• Season’s Platter (Php 300)

Don Vito Ristorante Italiano didn’t just give us a generous serving of freshly sliced fruits but they presented it in style.  How lovely 🙂  If you love to eat fruits before or after your meal, then don’t miss out on Don Vito’s Season platter.

Wow!  That’s so much food in one post! hahaha!  I think I’ve been writing this for several hours now and my stomach isn’t happy!  My mind longed for Boracay and Don Vito Ristorante Italiano.  Their food is just one of the best in the beautiful paradise of Boracay.

In fact, Asia Tatler Dining gave Don Vito Ristorante Italiano a great recognition as one of Philippine’s Best Restaurants of 2011.  Isn’t that enough proof that they serve the yummiest food?

I’ll be back Don Vito, I promise 😉

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Don Vito Ristorante Italiano
Ground Floor, Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel, Beachfront, Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines
63 (36) 288-5999
http://www.boracaymandarin.com/dining.php

My Boracay trip last November 26-27 must be the shortest trip I’ve ever had there.  In spite of spending such a short time, we made good use of the time.  The itinerary was jam-packed but it was made with pure fun in mind.

The most important meal in anyone’s day is breakfast.  One thing that I really love when staying in a hotel is that it always includes free breakfast (buffet type for most establishments).  Since we were staying at one of the best hotels in Boracay, the Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel, I already knew that we would have great food to start the day.  Not to mention that the buffet would be served in Don Vito Ristorante Italiano (Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel‘s in-house restaurant), an award-winning restaurant in the country.

When I entered the place after a restful sleep, I was greeted with holiday decorations of Don Vito Ristorante Italiano.   You can really feel Christmas all over the restaurant.  They didn’t just add holiday decorations but they also changed some of the accessories on the table.  It really felt so much like Christmas, you really didn’t need to wait for the 25th anymore.  Eating your first meal at such a happy place is already equivalent to celebrating Christmas breakfast.

Breakfast buffet at Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel is served daily from 6AM to 10AM.  The meal is included in the published rates of the hotel.  However, if you’re already checked in at another hotel but would want to have your breakfast at Don Vito Ristorante Italiano, then the rate is at Php350++ per head.

Here’s what you can expect and I must say, it’s worth the price:

• Salad Bar

• Soup & Arroz Caldo (Pinoy congee)

• Cereal & Oatmeal

Servers are more than happy to prepare the oatmeal for us so you don’t have to worry if you don’t know how to make one (like me :P).

• Don Vito’s freshly made bread and pastries

Do not miss their ensaymada.  It’s made of pure yumminess!

• Different kinds of Cheeses

• Fruits in Season

• Fusion of Western, Filipino and Asian dishes

Pasta salad, pickled papaya, danggit, plain rice, morisqueta fried rice, pineapple pancake, pommes au gratin, sotanghon guisado, embotido, chicken teriyaki, bacon, ham, corned beef and more.  With those selections, it’s more than enough to fill our empty stomach.  As a bonus, they tasted delicious too!

• Drinks

Coffee & tea are also available by request.  As for me, after having experienced the facial at Mandarin Spa, I had to specially request for the salabat (ginger tea).  Everyone was already laughing at me as even early in the morning, it was still the salabat that I had in mind 😛

• Omelette

My favorite part of every hotel buffet is that we can have chefs cook fresh omelettes for us.  I was so happy to see that customers are treated with so much good service.  We can request for chefs to cook our oatmeal, our omelettes, eggs, etc.  We were pretty spoiled that morning.. 🙂

I feel that if you’re in Boracay, I highly suggest you take your breakfast at Don Vito Ristorante Italiano (Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel).  For just Php350++, you can have unlimited servings of numerous dishes PLUS you get to eat in a well-designed and award-winning restaurant.  Come to think of it, when we order ala carte in restaurants, it’ll also cost around Php200-300 per order.  Then why not just spend Php 350++ and eat tons of yummy food 😀

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Breakfast Buffet at Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel
Php 350++, 6-10 a.m. 
Don Vito Ristorante Italiano, G/F, Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel, Beachfront, Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines
63 (36) 288-5999
http://www.boracaymandarin.com/dining.php