Mr. C is not a fan of classic Filipino food because he has a strong belief that you can have it better at home through lutong bahay. Well, I would have to agree with him, because he and my mother-in-law make fantastic home-cooked food. However, since there was a send-off party with his team at work and Cafe Via Mare was the agreed meeting place, we were forced to give it a try.
Cafe Via Mare wasn't that hard to locate. It's near the entrance of Greenbelt 1. What I first noticed upon entering was most of its customers were senior citizens and employees having a team lunch. The interior is inspired by the Filipino architecture during the Spanish era wherein it is dominated by wooden materials.
Their menu specializes in the traditional Filipino food, consisting of tuyo, vigan longganisa, sinigang na hipon, inasal na manok, tilapya, palitaw, etc.
IT'S CHOWTIME!
These are the dishes that we tried:
CHICKEN AND PORK ADOBO (PHP 340)
The chicken and pork meat are delectably tender, attributing to its slow-cooked manner of preparation. The adobo sauce is adequately salty and has a unique hint of sourness in it. The onion chives are a great additive to its overall tastiness.
PANCIT LUGLOG (PHP 230)
The pancit luglog is undeniably sulit in terms of the ingredients and the amount of sauce. It is a winner in generosity and completeness because it has it all: egg, pork, chicharon, squid, and onion chives.
BIBINGKA (with laguna cheese and salted duck egg, PHP 130)
Their bibingka has a hint of cheesy saltiness. I always aimed for the slice that has the duck egg in it, thus receiving the most optimal part. I still like Bibingkinitan's version, though.
MAIS CON HIELO (PHP 82)
Just for the sake of testing if something will best the one I had in Gerry's, I ordered their mais con yelo. Via Mare's version didn't outshine it. The crushed ice is finely ground and has a milky burst. However, the amount of corn is inadequate so I didn't enjoy it as much.
WANNA-CHOW-AGAIN METER
Cafe Via Mare is recommended for those who are looking for a place that offers hearty meals or simply favor Filipino classic food. Overall, the food is satisfactory but traditional. We don't see ourselves wanting to eat here frequently. Rating this as "OK. Been Here".
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