Wines, croissants and more at La Vie Parisienne in Cebu

As if dining under cherry blossoms in France, La Vie Parisienne recreates the "Parisian Life" literally, figuratively and with lots of gastronomy.

I was in Cebu the first week of August to attend the inauguration of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. or RAFI's Kool Adventure Camp in Balamban, a town an hour and a half away from the metropolis. And staying a few more days after the event, it was another cool gastronomic adventure in the Philippines oldest city.

Marked by La Maison Rose or "The Pink House" Restaurant along Gorordo Avenue, La Vie Parisienne is a French bakery, deli and wine library in one. It gives French flavour, ambiance and sophistication to bustling Cebu nightlife and gastronomic scene.

As a bakery, there you'll find croissants, baguettes, rolls, twists, turn-overs and other pains (breads) plain or filled with chocolates, nuts, and fruit preserves. Baked in house daily, you'll have a hard time choosing which one would satisfy your cravings.

As a deli, your choices even becomes bigger as it carries a variety of cheeses...

... specialty meats like sausages, hams and other cold cuts.

They also served sandwiches, a lot of desserts and orders like pizza. Also served coffee, tea, imported & locals beers and specialty hot and cold drinks .

But wines are the main draw at La Vie Parisienne. You can choose from practically any kind of wine from their wine display in the store.

Or be almost mesmerized in their wine display which also doubles as a selfie spot. Good thing I went there in the morning and I practically got the whole "wine cellar" all to my self. But no selfies for me...

And it was all too early for me to wine (even it was past 10am) so I just contented my self with 5 assorted breads and a cup of tea. I had croissant, raisin pain, chocolate pain, one having some poppy seeds.

But the best part was having the place all to myself, again, early bird perks! So taking photos of the "cherry blossomed" scenery was a breeze and a pleasant experience on top of a practically good morning.

Yet the place can really become crowded, as in super crowded especially during weekends and at night - as I experienced three nights prior to this morning visit. Practically all these seats were taken , people were even standing around and the line inside the store was "a box office".

But who could blame the night owls if they want to converged in a night scene that's like a wonderland reflecting Paris' monicker as the City of Lights. Mind you what you see on the photo is a less crowded night scene since the one I experienced - you almost can't see the chairs and tables.

Shining bright like a diamond - La Vie Parisian at night!
Photo courtesy of KaithyChix Blog

So I guess that's why during peak days like Friday and Saturday, La Vie Parisienne is open 24 hours to accommodate everybody. They usually open from 6am to a little past midnight on regular days.

Having experiencing both the serene and quiet ambiance in morning and the "hustle and bustle" of the night scene, I can say that that both have their "own stories to tell" and experiences to remember.

And if asked what time will I go back there - I would answer both! For I really enjoyed La Vie Parisienne that one fateful night and that morning I planned. From the thrill of seeing what they offer in the store, to the fun under the "cherry blossoms" and of course all the wonderful food and drinks - it's pefect to end this post with C'est La Vie ... Parisienne!

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.

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?"

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.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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