Ramen and more at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

Everytime I find myself in Cebu City, I make it a point to drop by Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. And as always there's something new waiting for my palate.

This time, I had gastronomic fun at the Asian Station concocting my own ramen. This bowl has noodles, cabbage, shallots, mushrooms, shrimps, century egg and laksa soup base. Now that's a ramen!

Also new was the mango-citrus cooler with bits of "everything", if I heard right. It had the right mix mango and orange (and other citrus) that gave refreshing drink complementing these "food-tasting" portions I got at during the lunch buffet Cafe Marco.

As it was one day before Valentine, Cafe Marco was garbed in the most romantic way - with an arch of fresh flowers at the entrance greeting the diners.

And then the buffet captured my attention - as always.

Here's the Salad and Appetizer station with lots of healthy options. One can choose from the already prepared...

... or you can mix your own concoction with the wide variety of fresh greens and dressings, maong others.

Breads, cheeses, jellies and cold cuts got a corner of their own that had me checking almost every nook.

The Japanese Station was nearby and I said hello and met their sushis and other offerings with gusto.

One of my favorite stations was the Chinese Corner as it offers almost all facets of Chinese cuisine.

Traditional food like braised, peppered,fried, hot and spicy, etc had its own side - with me getting some sampling portions from each.

The roasting station had the Peking Duck say "quack"...

The Dimsum corner never fails to get my gastronomic attention and this time I also got some Yang Chow rice.

One of my faves is the Hainanese chicken and was among the first that got into my table. I just love the simple yet delicious combination of the Hainanese rice (I added more broth) and the juicy chicken with the dips I made as toppings.

Filipino cuisine is always a mainstay at the buffet and of course there's Lechon Cebu among others.

Paying homage to one of Cebu's cooking claim to fame - SuTuKil (for sugba (grill), tuwa (stew) and kilaw ("cooked" in vinegar)). there's the Sugba station with an assortment of food to be grilled. Meat, seafood, vegetables and more line up waiting to be picked up and cooked on the grill!

I was only able to capture this Ratatouille on the Western station as most of the food were already gone when I got there. And I have to get some as it packs in some vegetables and also a way to remember the animated film of the same title.

DESSERTS! Now where to start? On display were lots of cakes, pastries, mousses and a wholote lot more.And there's more in every step you take as this station is among the most popular.

There's also a Chocolate fountain for those who want to have desserts injected with with more fun and lots of indulgence.

And here's what reached my table, well some of them anyway, as I had may trips back and forgot to take pictures. God thing I had this plate covered most on this plate were my favorites that day.

Speaking of favorites, it won't be a complete Cafe Marco experience without their delicious and indulgent Malicious cookies. This time made even more special with a cup of latte with a special hashtag to end the day.

It was another satisfying day of gastronomic fun - the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu way! 'Til we eat again, Marco!

Cafe Marco at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Apas, Cebu City 6000 Philippines

Tel. Nos.: (6332) 253 1111 Manila (632) 887 1263 Fax. (63 32) 234 8170

Toll Free | Philippines 1-800-111-00-995 | Thailand 1-800-852-0332 |

Singapore 1-800-101-2242 | China 4001-201-481

Website: www.marcopoloplazacebu.com www.marcopolohotels.com

Email: mpplaza@marcopolohotels.com

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

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

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.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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