August Rush Last of 3 parts

Seafood Curry

CEBU, Philippines - Going through The Villa Pilipino Restaurant’s (located along General Maxilom Avenue, across Security Bank, Ramos) extensive menu of more than 100 Filipino, Thai and Chinese offerings, will make one wonder what dish to order. Tip: For those who are leaning towards Thai, the  Hor Mok (Goong, Talay)  must be included in the feast. The Villa offers the seafood variation, containing crabs, shrimp, squid and fish, flavored with red curry paste, select spices, herbs and aromatics in thick coconut cream, steamed in an aluminum foil (in lieu of the traditional banana leaf wrapper). Rich and flavorful with a bit of a kick! The Villa is open daily from 9am to 2am. More on this in our future issue.

At Michel’s

Formerly The Gustavian,  Michel’s Deli & Cafe  at Paseo Saturnino in Banilad is a new grocery and dining destination that offers an array of imported grocery items, beverage (beers, wines – yes they have a wine cellar! – from France, Italy, Spain, Chile, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, etc.), sausages and cold cuts, breads, kitchen appliance and home ware, among other products exclusive to MDC. Top products include fresh milk from Germany, the finest cheese from France, Australia, Holland, Switzerland, whipped cream from Ireland and French fries from Belgium. For the hungry shopper, the cafe is the place to grab a bite. Private rooms are also open for functions or casual dining. MDC is open from 9am to 11pm

Quadrotto

While the dessert fans from the capital are going nuts for Cronuts (croissant-doughnut pastry), Cebu’s  Quadrotto  — baked (oftentimes, fried), square-shaped puff pastry with glossy, luscious chocolate or lemon glaze — is slowly gaining popularity.    This tasty pastry is from the kitchen of La Panetteria di Luigi  by couple Sergio and Donna Michelotti who bakes Italian artisanal breads and pastries for their patrons at the Cebu Food Market, Banilad Town Centre, every Saturday from 10am to 8pm. The Quadrotto is among the saleable items aside from the perfect coffee-match amaretto biscuits, schiacciata, la ciabata, among others. The couple is set to open their first kiosk in BTC to serve their growing clientele.

Flavored Puso

With the extensive kitchen experience of Quest Hotel & Conference Center Cebu’s newest executive chef Francis “Kiko” Tugnao, he was able to give a new spin to  the much-loved barbeque pair, the PUSO, by adding interesting flavor variations to it. There’s curry flavored puso,  nasi goreng,  paella, and the adobo  (a personal favorite)! The flavored puso is aptly available at the Puso Bistro & Bar, Quest’s flagship resto, to go with their delectable buffet spread.

Halohalo

Perhaps only a few will dare to have a halo-halo in this bbbrrr weather. But the guys from Golden Prince Hotel & Suites insist on offering their  Five Seasons Halohalo, an all-weather halohalo that only has five key ingredients (hence, the name): jackfruit,  minatamis na saging,  mango, coconut shavings and ube jam topped with leche flan and ice cream using only fine ice shavings; no sugar added.  Feels like summer! (FREEMAN)