A Sumptuous Lunch Buffet at Marco Polo Cebu’s Café Marco

Once in a while, even the most budget-conscious individual needs to splurge, especially when it comes to delicious eat-all-you-can food. That’s why I and my wife found ourselves at the lunch buffet of Marco Polo Hotel Cebu’s Café Marco.

We’ve grown to love the Café Marco buffet. Fortunately for us, we’ve shelled out the full price of the buffet only once since the other dining occasions were office team building and family events.

Café Marco was at the tail end of its Sabores de España (Flavors of Spain) culinary journey. Aside from the usual cuisine, Japanese, Chinese, etc., assorted Spanish dishes were available. I was excited to try these dishes out.

For appetizers, I had the Japanese sushi and sashimi dishes. The salmon sashimi is the best I’ve ever tasted. It’s very soft and very fresh and it left me craving for more. The California maki, while tasty, doesn’t really stand out when compared to California maki’s from other Japanese restaurants.

The tuna maki and the fish fillet in bacon, on the other hand, left me very disappointed.

my appetizers - Japanese!

For the main course, I tried out the Spanish dishes. I had the paella valenciana (mixed rice), tortillas de patata (potato omelette) , pescados en salsa verde (fish in green sauce), and callos (tripe).

bland Spanish dishes

Unfortunately, the high expectations I had of these Spanish dishes were drastically brought down to earth. Except for the callos, the rest of the dishes were bland. They lacked that distinct mix of flavors I’ve come to expect from Spanish cuisine.

Feeling full but not quite satisfied, I decided to have some of the Chinese dishes. I had the mixed vegetables, chicken in honey sauce, and siomai.

tasty Chinese except for the siomai

I greatly enjoyed the chicken in honey sauce. It was very tender and the honey sauce was delicious. Meanwhile, the mixed vegetables tasted just ok.

The siomai caught me by surprise. The texture of the dish was very different from the siomai in other restaurants. I think the Café Marco chefs made sure their siomai was extender free. Unfortunately, they forgot to make it taste good.

To end the Café Marco buffet, I had dessert and coffee. From the Spanish desserts, I opted for the brazo de mercedes (cream filled log cake) and churros with chocolate dip. I also filled my plate with mango charlotte, chocolate tart and chocolate fondue.

yummy desserts

The chocolate desserts were the highlights. The churros was very delicious. Its center was soft and the rich chocolate dip made it extraordinary. I’m sad that this will not be part of the Café Marco buffet anymore after their Spanish flavored theme ends.

The chocolate tart was also very rich. But I had difficulty finishing it because of this richness. My advice is to get just a very small slice of this tart for your consumption. The chocolate fondue did not disappoint as well.

While I enjoyed the mango charlotte, I greatly disliked the brazo de mercedes. I expected the brazo to be soft and sweet. Instead, the texture was difficult to chew and the filling lacked the sweetness I was looking for.

It’s the first time I’ve given any Café Marco dish poor feedback, most on the Spanish dishes. It’s good that these dishes are just temporary. But I’ll miss the churros though.

Ultimately, I’m still recommending Café Marco’s lunch or dinner buffet. Despite my less than stellar feedback on some dishes, I enjoyed the buffet as a whole. Who wouldn’t enjoy the seemingly unlimited choice of cuisine? Many dishes still remain to be tasted and I’m looking forward to trying them when I visit next time. And who doesn’t want to relish in Café Marco’s luxurious ambiance while enjoying a hearty and tasty buffet?

Café Marco is in the Marco Polo Hotel Cebu. Marco Polo Cebu is located at the Veteran’s Drive in Nivel Hills, Cebu City. You can also visit their website at http://www.marcopoloplazacebu.com/. To inquire about the prices of the lunch or dinner buffets, you can call the Marco Polo trunkline in the website and request to be connected to Café Marco.

A Very Ordinary Cafe Laguna

People dine out in order to experience culinary dishes they cannot create or cannot duplicate at home. A restaurant should either offer something very unique – dishes that the customer does not usually have at home – or add something very special to already familiar dishes.

That’s why I was surprised when the dishes I had in Cebu’s Cafe Laguna Filipino Restaurant were very ordinary.

I’ve eaten in Cafe Laguna previously and I do not have any memory of eating a bad dish there. But strangely enough, except for one dish that I enjoyed – their Boulibase, I do not remember any dish that stood out.

I had the Baked Tahong (mussels), the Tangigue (mackerel) Steak, and the Lumpiang Sariwa (fresh lumpia) for dinner. Although I was definitely full after my meal, it felt just like I was just eating the usual pedestrian Filipino dishes at home.

I’ve tasted better Baked Tahong in other restaurants. It seemed like Cafe Laguna just mixed the cheese with the mussels without adding other ingredients to liven up the taste.

baked mussels

The Tangigue Steak was passable. I liked how the sauce had an abundance of garlic sprinkled on it. But it still lacked that distinctive taste that should differentiate it from what can be concocted at home.

tangigue steak

I’ve heard accolades on Cafe Laguna’s Lumpiang Sariwa. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything special about it.

fresh lumpia

To its credit, the Cafe Laguna ambiance was very warm and comfortable. I felt very welcome and at ease dining in the restaurant. If only the food can match these interiors.

Cafe Laguna food prices range from P100 to P300.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for excellent and affordable Filipino dishes in Cebu, I suggest you try other Filipino restaurants.

Cafe Laguna restaurants are located at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu and at the SM City Cebu.

Ribs and Redemption at Casa Verde in Ayala Center’s The Terraces

I’ve always been a fan of baby back ribs. Whenever there’s an opportunity, I’ll make sure to order one….but at the right price. Usually, you can’t have it both ways with ribs. You’ll either pay a premium to enjoy the truly delectable ones or be wary of the ones that come cheap.

Fortunately for Cebuanos and Cebu visitors, there is one restaurant that has been serving affordable and delicious ribs for a while already. Casa Verde started out in a house converted to a restaurant near Ramos Street. Now, more people are enjoying their ribs and other dishes with the opening of branches at The Walk in the Asiatown I.T. Park and at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.

I tried out Casa Verde at the Asiatown I.T. Park when it opened at the latter part of 2008. Since I've already tasted their ribs, my wife and I tried out their other dishes. My wife had pasta while I had a steak. The result was one of the worse dining experiences I had in my life.

I can’t even recall the names of our orders. There were more onions and bell pepper than pasta in my wife’s order. My steak was so small and the rice serving was equally miniscule. Food quality and quantity was not worth the price. Right there and then, my wife and I swore never to eat at Casa Verde again.

But fate would bring us back to Casa Verde when my wife’s officemates came to visit from Manila recently. They heard about Casa Verde's famous ribs and wanted to try it out.

It was packed when we arrived at Casa Verde in The Terraces. Even though they were still in soft opening, the service was quite excellent. The waiters got my cell phone number so they can contact me when tables become available. The waiters were very accommodating when they were unable to place us in one table. They promised to transfer us to one long table as soon as other patrons finished dining.

My wife and I settled at the bar and ordered Brian’s Ribs (baby back ribs) and Shrimps On The Barbie (skewered shrimps). We crossed our fingers while waiting for our orders.

We were caught by surprise when our orders arrived quickly. Ribs and shrimps under 10 minutes is fast. I was confident the ribs would be delicious. I was more apprehensive with the shrimps. Thankfully, the shrimp dish did not disappoint.

In my opinion, aside from its affordability, the sauce makes the ribs Casa Verde’s bestseller. The sauce is not the typical baby back ribs barbecue sauce. It’s more on the sweet side. It reminds me of tocino sauce. The only drawback with the ribs was its consistency. Some portions were not as soft and juicy as other portions.

shouldn't miss ribs

I tasted a familiar tinge of sweetness when I tried the shrimps. I was sure the marinade for the shrimps contained similar ingredients as the ribs sauce. The combination of onions and bell pepper with the shrimps plus the marinade has catapulted this dish to number two in my Casa Verde favorites list. For a seafood dish, this was quite cheap at P168.

yummy skewered shrimps

Additionally, the plain and harvest rice plus the side dishes of corn and carrots and buttered vegetables were perfect complements to the ribs and the shrimps.

Casa Verde at the Terraces impressed me with its efficient, excellent service and their delicious food. I also noticed that the steak entree I ordered previously was not on the menu anymore. When someone sitting beside us at the bar coincidentally ordered the pasta my wife had at their I.T. Park branch, I noticed that the dish was served as it should be, with lesser bell peppers and onions than pasta. Casa Verde completely redeemed itself.

Now, if only Casa Verde could continue to keep its prices affordable. I remember when Casa Verde ribs cost around P100. Now, it costs P188 for an order. If they keep increasing prices, I may have to look for other restaurants to have my ribs. That is if I ever find one.

I also need to point out some downsides which do not concern the food. First is the menu. It is not presentable at all with masking tape placed all over to mark changes in entrée prices and note unavailable menu items. Why can’t they just print new menus? Second is the overall theme of the restaurant. I noticed they are cloning T.G.I. Friday’s, from the interiors to the way the waiters dress. The dominant color may be different but the similarities are unmistakable. They need to be more original.

Overall, my "new" experience with Casa Verde has placed it back in my radar for restaurants to visit again. Despite my other concerns, food quality and restaurant service are top notch. Ultimately, their ribs should be enough reason for me and for everyone else to visit and then keep coming back.

An Afternoon with the Business Icons

June is Cebu Business Month. With the theme “Get Inspired!”, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has lined up various events to develop and promote Cebu’s businesses particularly in Tourism, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Entrepreneurship.

I was able to attend one of the events for the Entrepreneurship track of the Cebu Business Month called “Meet the Business Icons”. This was held at the Marco Polo Lobby Lounge last Thursday, July 18 from 2 pm to 6 pm. For a minimal fee, with snacks already included, I had the opportunity to be sitting with other individuals, from students to other businessmen, as three prominent business icons shared their experiences and wisdom in business.

The icons who graced us with their presence were George Yang of Golden Arches Development Corporation (master franchise owner of McDonald’s Philippines), Justin Uy of Profood International Corporation (largest producer of dried mangos in the Philippines) and Dr. Alfonso Uy of La Filipina Uy Gonco Corporation (with businesses from agro-industrial to real estate).

With the masterful Bunny Pages facilitating the discussion, each business icon responded to different questions thrown by the audience. They were able to tackle topics ranging from the tame – typical day for a business icon – to the challenging – how they cope with the current finanical crisis.

Although I thought that most of what they shared were very generic, things that can be gleaned from any entrepreneurship textbook, these were still words of gold coming out of from the mouths of these very successful businessmen.

Out of the three icons, I grew to admire Justin Uy of Profood International after hearing his story. A true blue Cebuano, he was able to overcome his financial background and a very difficult start to his business and grow it to the size and profitability it is today. Every aspiring entrepreneur, Cebu based or not, should make him one of their role models.

Unfortunately, there were two downsides to this event. First, the venue was not enclosed. Noise from other parts of the hotel especially from the participants of another event in a separate function room was very distracting. Second, the event started late (around 2:30 pm) and ended early (4:30 pm). Event organizers should strictly follow the time stated in the brochure and the invites. I felt that ending the session early (plus its late start) shortchanged the participants who came and paid to be there.

As a plus, Marco Polo as usual, served excellent dishes for snacks. Listening to the icons while having a hearty snack of various pastries and cocktails was very pleasant.

So what did I take home from this session? Two things: persistence and diligence. George Yang, Justin Uy, and Alfonso Uy were unanimous on these qualities of a successful entrepreneur. And as George Yang added, a little luck also helps.

Kudos to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) for holding this event. I’m sure every participant came out of this truly inspired.

The Cebu Business Month events continue until the end of the month. You can visit the CCCI website at http://cebubusinesswebportal.com for the list and schedule of events or you can call them at 2321421 to 24.