Whenever my family wants delicious home-cooked style Filipino food, we head on over to Cafe Via Mare. My grandma was the most pleased when a branch close to home finally opened so we frequent Via Mare a lot.
Most ideal for family lunches or dinner, the food here is large enough for sharing. Even the atmosphere fosters this kind of dining experience - interiors are kept light and airy for a pleasant dining experience.
The food's theme is dishes with some hints of Western here and there, but is predominantly, Filipino food. For starters, they have homegrown salads and veggies, with one of these being the Ensaladang Pako. The dish uses crispy and fresh fern leaves topped with tomatoes, salted egg, shrimps and a tasty vinaigrette that ties in all the elements of the dish. As any Filipino meal is incomplete without rice, Via Mare offers three kinds - Calcag Rice, Tuyo Fried Rice, and Fiesta Rice (adobo based). My favorite would have to be the Calcag Rice - it has crunchy sun-dried shrimps, bagoong and scrambled egg, and the blend of salty really plays well in the rice without having to be extremely salty.
One of the things I love about Via Mare's menu is its selection of oyster dishes. I really love their Oysters Rockefeller which is served on a bed of salt and the fresh oyster topped with spinach, cheese and bacon. The oyster itself is very juicy and fresh and they are quite large. Honestly, I find it hard to share - but as they say, sharing is caring.
As for the main dishes, I really love their Krispy Pata - a deep fried pork dish that's really tasty and goes well with the Calcag Rice. The serving is pretty large and good for sharing. One order is enough for four people. I like that it comes with its own sauce as crispy pata can be pretty dry on its own. Another dish I would recommend is their kare-kare.
For dessert, I love their refreshing take on Halo-Halo in the form of Halo-Halo Shooters. The shooters come in three little glasses and is more like a deconstructed halo halo but each is topped with the shaved ice and fresh milk. read more