Cafe Marco

Restaurant: Cafe Marco

Address: Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Lahug Cebu City 6000

Telephone Number: (63 32) 253-1111

Mode of Payment: Cash/Card

WiFi: Yes

Food: International

Type of Dining: Casual

We can’t deny that we Filipinos love to eat! Every time there is an occasion, we always have to make a point that it’s a feast, shared with family and friends. In Cebu, one of the most colorful and celebrated festivals in the country is about to transpire – Sinulog which will happen this Sunday, January 15, 2012. Every year it brings in tourists from around the country and globe to celebrate the feast of the blessed Cebuano representation of Jesus – Senyor Santo Nino. Unique as the Sinulog Celebration, the Cebuano dishes are as well unique and a must expreience when in Cebu. And in time for the Sinulog celebration, Cafe Marco brings us Suroy Suroy sa Marco Polo – featuring dishes from the south of Cebu. Suroy suroy sa Marco Polo will be until January 15, 2012 so be sure not to miss it! The buffet consists of authentic Cebuano dishes on top of the international buffet Cafe Marco is serving.

So let me just give you a bit of a tease here guys and show you some of the dishes that I loved when we dined at Cafe Marco a little earlier with  iLuvCebu.com team mates Edd Buenaviaje and Chai Rico together with the lovely ladies of Marco Polo Kyra, Yumny and Monica.

There’s a line of Cebuano appetizers and one of my favorites is Nukos bulad or dried squid. This is very common breakfast among Cebuanos and is so good when dipped in vinegar with crashed garlic. Yum! For foreign tourists, this appetizer might be a bit salty for you to handle, so better try a bite first before hoarding it on your plate. ^_^ I personally would recommend this with a bottle of local beer.

Marco Polo Sugbusug 2012 Dried Nukos

Another favorite appetizer is Ampalaya Salad or bitter melon salad. Almost every province in the Philippines have their own version of Ampalaya Salad. In Cebu, we added slices of tomato and onions then drizzled with vinegar.

I have never met a Cebuano who doesn’t love Humba, of course not counting the vegetarian Cebuanos. Different versions of Humba is prepared in different regions of the Philippines. Cebuano humba version I grew up with is prepared with chunks of meat with fat and skin, tendered by boiling, then fried over oil and soy sauce with black peppers.

One of my favorite Spanish influences to the Cebuanos is Paella Valeciana. Paella Valenciano ala Cebuano uses alternate meat (chicken strips, shrimp and pork strips)  from the authentic Paella Valenciana which uses rabbit and chicken meat.

Paella Valenciana

And we Cebuanos just love our seafood. Have your seafood grilled fresh!

Seafood

Torta (Cebuano spongecake) , Budbod (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves), nilusak (mashed banana with coconut shavings) and biko bisaya (sticky rice with sweetened coconut strips in sugar syrup) are among Cebuano favorite desserts.

Cebuano Desserts

Be in a festive mood and head up to Cafe Marco and taste a true Cebuano feast to complete your Sinulog celebration!