It is hard not to be biased about the local food we grew up with but I personally believe that Filipino cuisine is really one of the best in the world. After all, we have a wide variety of dishes bursting with interesting and delicious flavors.
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| Via Mare celebrates 40 Years of good Filipino food |
Via Mare Seafood Specialty Restaurant, which opened in September 1975, gave global recognition to the sophistication and complex flavors of the Philippines thanks to Chef Glenda Barretto who believed in the Filipino cuisine's potential to be world class.
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| Ensaladang Suha at Labanos - P168 |
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| Ensaladang Bagnet - P195 |
While her contemporaries focused on intercontinental dishes, Barretto opted to highlight and present
well-loved Filipino dishes with modern touches that made it more appealing to foreigners. For instance, instead of serving
lumpia as a roll, Via Mare wrapped the filling in pouches held together by spring onions. The
tinola, on the other hand, was served in a carved papaya or as a flan, inspired by the
Chawanmushi, a savory egg custard recipe from
Japan.
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| Calcag Rice - P155 |
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| pan de sal with Laguna cheese |
According to Barretto, the past 40 years is not only the story of a restaurant but also a story of the Filipino people. "Via Mare is our pride as we helped a lot of Filipinos enjoy and be proud of the cuisine that we have here, of recipes that we have enjoyed throughout our childhood, and of what Filipino fine cuisine truly tastes like."
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| Crispy Pata - P735 |
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| Tiyan ng Bangus Sinigang sa Miso - P295 |
Speaking of childhood, I have a lot of favorite foods during the my growing up years in Laguna, which I don't often get to eat in Manila. Via Mare is my go-to place to satisfy some of my cravings for treats such as the pan de sal with kesong puti and the bibingka with red eggs on top!
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| Kare-Kare - P410 |
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| Inihaw na Liempo - P295 |
Last Thursday, my husband and I, together with some blogger friends, ate dinner at Cafe Via Mare located in St. Lukes Bonifacio Global City. It was a night of indulgence as we got to try several of our well-loved Pinoy appetizers and ulams. It's quite hard to choose which ones should be on top of the list because everything was genuinely good! We had a wonderful gastronomic journey from the pan de sal and salad, to the main courses, down to the desserts. I apologize if the food photos would suddenly make you crave for the dishes :)
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| Adobong Pusit - P295 |
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| Tiyan ng Bangus Asado - P325 |
True to its Filipino heritage, Via Mare serves Filipino cuisine that matches the eating pattern of Filipinos: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and merienda. Some of the breakfast favorites, like tapa, smoked bangus, tuyo flakes, and tocino are served under the Altanghap (short for almusal, tanghalian, and hapunan) section of the menu so they can be enjoyed any time of the day.
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| Salpicado - P420 |
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| Rellenong Talong - P135 |
Via Mare's lunch and dinner menu also come with an extensive array of salads with native greens as well as comfort food like arroz caldo and tokwa't baboy. For merienda, you can order palitaw, ginataan, and puto bumbong even if it's not the yet the Christmas season.
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| Pinalutong na Tilapia - P295 |
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| Pinais |
No wonder Via Mare is always the top-of-mind when it comes to hosting dinners for dignitaries, heads of state, international celebrities, and international events including the 1995 Miss Universe pageant in Manila, the papal visit of then Pope John Paul II, the 1996 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, and other milestones in Philippine history.
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| Bibingka |
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| Puto Maya |
"At 40 years, we have shown the world, and most especially our fellow Filipinos, what Filipino cuisine is all about -- the freshest ingredients cooked in influences of our ancestors and the rich heritage of the Filipino nation, sprinkled with the love and affection of a Filipino chef," described Barretto.
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| bloggers at Via Mare |
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