palomponwhatshappening: Spanish-Filipino Fusion Cuisine Just Outside Manila

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Spanish-Filipino Fusion Cuisine Just Outside Manila

Written By
Isabel Rodriguez

Great places and food finds are not only to be found, When In Manila.

Cavite’s Paradiso Terrestre, “the biggest and finest events venue in the South”, is home to Spanish-Filipino restaurant Via Romana.

A 15-20 minute drive from Alabang through Daang Hari will get you to Paradiso Terrestre. Just outside of the city, this is perfect venue for any event, gathering, or, in our case, a quick escape from the city.

Parradiso Terrestre has 6 available event venues, and their own pools. Guest rooms and suites are also available for those who seek longer retreats. Aside from all these amenities, Paradiso Terrestre also has their own mini plantation in the compound. These same organic greens are then harvested and served by their restaurants.

Also under Paradiso Terrestre‘s friendly staff and excellent management is Via Romana. A restaurant which offers a dining experience different from those usually found in the area,Via Romana gives diners that fine dining experience in a more relaxed setting.

Established in 2007 with the rest of the Paradiso Terrestre estate, Via Romana has just been renovated and reopened to give their patrons an even better experience.

Via Romana’s new menu combines old favorites with new Spanish-Filipino fushion dishes.

One such favorite is the Paradiso House Salad. Freshly grown organic lettuce topped with cheese, mangoes, cucumbers, and bacon, served with the choice between their Thousand Island Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette.

The Feta Cheese and Aubergine in Filo Salad is one of the new additions. Inside the filo bread wrap, the most glorious mix of eggplant and feta awaits. The tomato and pesto sauce perfectly compliment the dish, a definite favorite from my Via Romana experience.

One of the definite bestsellers is the Pancit de Paradiso. Take out orders for this pancit in bilao’s fill the restaurant’s order queue and I understood why when I finally tried it. Definitely better that a lot of pancit dishes I’ve had in the past.

The Oyster Trio Sauces are oysters baked and topped with ingredients. There are 3 different types– the the ones with spinach and green bell pepper, a group with parsley and parmesan, and a batch with white wine and tomato sauce. Although I usually prefer my oysters raw with just a little bit of lemon, I found the ones with parmesan delightful. The oysters were baked just right.

Another one of my favorites would be the Crispy Kare Kare. The marriage of two most ordered dishes in the restaurant has resulted into this wonderful dish. The combination has brought out the best in both worlds, the undeniable crispness and texture of the Crispy Pata and the flavor of the Kare Kare.

The Barbeque Short Ribs is another new addition. The sauce is a little sweet, great even for kids.

What is Spanish food without Paella? Via Romana’s Paella ala Paradiso.

The Legua Con Setas is divine. The tender meat topped with shiitake mushrooms gave this lengua dish an extra kick to it.

For desert, Turon de Paradiso was served. An amazing turon concoction with lanka and ube served with ube ice cream and strawberry syrup. And though ube and ube ice cream was something I never enjoyed, this well prepared desert taught me that there’s always a first time for everything.

Yes, I ate half of this desert. I would’ve finished it too, if I didn’t have those other 6 dishes.

The group that ate all that food, with Shyanethe Maarat of Paradiso Terrestre.

A meal that was most certainly one for the books, Via Romana serves good Filipino-Spanish fusion cuisine. And then after that wonderful meal, wouldn’t it be most convenient to take time and relax in Paradiso Terrestre? Yes, perhaps I make this my game plan for the next time I visit.

Make sure that you don’t explore food and places only When In Manila. Expand your world and you just might find hidden gems such as this. Visit Paradiso Terrestre’s Via Romana.