A taste for travel
by Iya P. Joson
Your senses are awakened by a serenade of acoustic guitars and picturesque islands extending a beautiful and lush invitation. As if on cue, an attendant approaches you and asks you to select from a menu of exotic, exquisite and exciting dishes.
No, you are not at a fancy hotel or an exclusive resort. This is a dining experience like no other, where the ambiance of top Philippine destinations is meticulously mimicked and the food seeks to pleasure every fickle Pinoy craving.
Welcome to the Travel Café Philippines. With branches at 2nd floor of Greenbelt 5 and the SMX Convention Center, the Travel Café is an innovative promotional project of the Philippines Department of Tourism.
You will find that it isn’t only your mouth enjoying the classic Pinoy dishes on your table, for colorful brochures about Philippine attractions have also been propped up for your eyes’ indulgence. A lobby for the travel concierge is also conveniently set up at a corner, should you decide to pay a visit to an alluring Philippine city over your meal.
The light being cast on the beauty of the Philippines is a difficult spot to steal, but the food at the Travel Café does a clever job of being equally tricky to ignore. Start off with the Crispy Baked Kangkong (P220) for an appetizer, and the gastronomical voyage begins from there. Baked and not fried, this dish gives the traditional fried kangkong a modern bite by serving it with melt-in-your-mouth cheese and a kick of red pepper.
A chef’s recommendation, the Travel Café’s adobo (P350) is a must for your main course. The flavorful adobo stays true to the original recipe of saucy, tender brown chicken with rice and cloves of garlic. Travel Café, however, keeps it spicy by stuffing the adobo with savory liver.
The Saranggani Smoked Fish Linguini (P290) is an infusion of fish, flat noodles, juicy tomatoes and spring onions. The fish, shredded and seasoned, strikes a delightful balance with the tomatoes. This salty dish leaves a tingling sensation on your lips, urging you to immediately smack them in satisfaction.
The Fruit Suman Sushi
Dessert at the Travel Café is a difficult decision, with Filipino favorites such as leche flan, turon, banana cake and halo-halo. The restaurant’s answer to this is by providing the Filipino Triolet (P225), a sample dessert dish containing much-loved pieces of suman, turon and leche flan.
The Fruit Suman Sushi (P210) is also a must-try, with native mangoes and sweet strawberries topping sticky suman, creatively garnished with brown sugar and a pair of chocolate chopsticks.
If you’re up for a lighter meal, there are also sandwiches (P195 to P225) in the form of pan de sal with varying fillings to choose from, such as adobo and longanissa.
Fortunately or unfortunately, not too many people know about Travel Café—which guarantees that it’s never overcrowded. But with its perfect ambiance, accommodating staff, efficient service and sinfully delicious food, the café deserves to be packed with customers any time of the day.
Dining here would not only mean enjoying your lunch, merienda or dinner, it also entails maximizing our young and bursting tourism industry. Itching to pack your bags to go see places and enjoy exquisite food? Begin your journey with the Travel Café Philippines.
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