La Gondola Cebu
La Gondola
Address: Gourmet Walk of Waterfront Lahug Cebu City Hotel and Casino
Operating Hours: 11:00AM – 10:30PM Daily
Contact Number:32- 232-6888
Mode of Payment: Cash/ Card
Parking: Hotel Parking (have your ticket validated when paying bill)
WiFi: Yes (Hotel WiFi)
Treat yourself to a Mediterranean fling with La Gondola’s expanded menu selection showcasing Mediterranean flavors. La Gondola has been known for serving great Southern European – Mediterranean cuisine like delectable brick-oven baked pizzas and appetizing pastas. Serving mainly Italian, now La Gondola broaden the restaurant’s  Mediterranean zing with North African gusto from the region of Morocco and more southern European zest from Spain and France.
La Gondola Cebu
The Mediterranean feast started with a salad and some appetizers. Shaved Vegetable Salad with Herbs and Vinaigrette is refreshingly light with vertical shaves of cucumber with caballero, clitoria, passionfruit and bouganvilla flowers and baby rockets. If youhave been to Bohol Bee Farm, it would resemble more like the BBF’s Flower Salad. 🙂
La Gondola Cebu
I then moved to the next starter. Hummus, Babaganouj and Tahina with warm Moroccan Bread. We are all familiar with hummus ( mashed chickpeas blended with olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic) But what is a Tahina? Â Tahina is sesame seeds combined with chickpeas. So hummus is zesty tangy while Tahina is nutty in flavor. Babaganouj is a levantine dish made from eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and seasoning.
La Gondola Cebu
Calamares is believed to have originated in Spain, but some say it’s from Italy. This Southern European comfort food is widely famous around the world and very much loved by Filipinos.  Calamare  (Spain) or Calamari (Italian), however you say it, it’s no argument that this is one of the world’s favorite appetizers.Below is a photo of  La Gondola’s Fried baby Calamari with fresh tomato salsa.
La Gondola Cebu
Creamy mushroom soup with Parmesan Foam and Truffle Oil. An American classic infused with a Mediterranean favorite, truffle oil.
La Gondola Cebu
La Gondola’s Mushroom Risotto with fresh thyme. The hearty Northern Italian dish made with Italian rice cooked with broth into a creamy consistency would take away the gloom in any stormy day.
La Gondola Cebu
La Gondola’s Black Paella with Garlic Lemon Sauce. A Valencian dish made with white rice, Â mussels, shrimps, baby squid rings made black with cuttlefish/squid ink. And to subtle the “fishy” taste and to avoid the ink to overpower the other seafood components of the dish, garlic and lemon are added.
La Gondola Cebu
Grilled Angus Beef Tenderloin Steaks with rockets, aged balsamic and roasted potatoes. Yum!
La Gondola Cebu
And for dessert, Chocolate Coulant ala mode! A popular dessert in France, with a toasted outer layer, then soft cake on the inner layer and oozing gooey chocolate on the inside. Choco Lava as we locally call it. 🙂
La Gondola Cebu
Herbs are used mostly on Southern European Cuisine while spices intricately flavor North African food. But whichever culinary region Mediterranean food belongs too, vegetables is constitutional ingredient in Mediterranean dishes.
Taking advantage of Cebu’s land and sea’s bounty, La Gondola can recreate limitless  healthy and flavorful Mediterranean dishes. With the dishes I have sampled so far, I would say my fondness for Mediterranean food grew even more. Can’t wait to try La Gondola’s other  Mediterranean offerings!
