One bruschetta afternoon at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

On my third trip to Cebu City this year, I was with friends and we mostly discovered the gastronomic delights of the Queen City of the South. From the famous lechon and other native dishes at CNT Lechon and the barbecue galore at Larsian (missing those grilled choriso) to the lure of Brian's Ribs at Casa Verde and the sophistication of the wines and croissants at La Vie Parisienne - it was a trip with food written all over it.

And of course, any of my trips to Cebu with be incomplete without visiting Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Be it an afternoon enjoying their Pizza Burger at El Viento, a morning treat of their signature (Christmas) Ensaimada, indulging with my (and everybody's) favorite - Malicious Cookies or simply eating my heart out at the buffet stations at Cafe Marco. A regular buffet or a themed one like the Swiss Alpine Festival Buffet - doesn't matter since its all delicious 'til the last bit and morsel.

Cafe Marco

Its was mid-afternoon when we arrived at Marco Polo and a quick tour gave a glimpse of the grand stairway...

and fresh flowers (orchids they were) at the lobby.

The poolside restaurant, El Viento,was the perfect place to cool off as it had an inviting pool to gaze upon and an al fresco ambiance.

And then there's the house-blend Mango Iced Tea which was the among the best I've tried so far. Made with freshly brewed tea embraced with real mango concentrate - it was a perfectly delicious drink to to perk up the afternoon. (Can I have another order please?)

As we just came from a heavy lunch and planning to feast again by dinner time, we opted for a light snack. The "Bruschetta" caught our attention given it was light and healthy too - seeing tomatoes, basil ,pesto and goat's cheese as toppings. So we got the simple Bruschetta Margarita and a more loaded - with artichoke and prosciutto.

But when our bruschettas (or bruschette - in plural form) came, we were surprised to see how big they were. We thought we were given the wrong order but then we saw and smelled tomatoes, basil pesto and goat's cheese - they were really ours.

My vision of bruschetta was a small piece of sliced bread with these toppings and was really surprised to see them almost as big as pizzas. But I didn't really since they were so appetizing to look at and they smelled fantastic. After, everything's big and grand at Marco Polo Plaza, so must be their bruschetta!

I can still vividly remember how this Bruschetta M taste even by looking at this food memory. The basil pesto tasted and blended really well with the chopped tomatoes and onions. The goat's cheese became like the seasoning as it gave hints of saltiness to the Italian specialty as well as creaminess.

The Bruschetta Art-Pro had a bigger taste, of course it had artichokes and prosciutto (Italian ham) on top of the already amazing burst of flavors. What more could we ask for but more slices of this bruschetta. We already have forgotten about our lunch or what our plans for dinner will be - all side tracked by the delicious (and humongous) bruschetta - Marco Polo Plaza Cebu version. Magnifico!

El Viento Restaurant and Pool Bar

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu

Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Apas

Cebu City, 6000, Philippines

Open Daily: 10:00AM–12:00MN

For inquiries and reservations:

Cebu: (63 32) 253 1111 | Manila: (63 2) 887 1263

Facebook: MarcoPolo Cebu

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the usu

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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