we stepped inside latte cafe,
famished and drained from the one-and-a-half hour trip from
caticlan. the kids tossed their cookies in the van (thank goodness, my instinct
always tells me to carry a barf bag for each kid), and the husband and i became
nauseous from the winding roads. i’d take the plane or the boat or an eagle or a pterodactyl to kalibo any
day, but you and i know no sane company would ever fly or float you with only a
49-kilometer stretch in between.
the family that gets car sick together feasts
together.
latte, being one of the very few a la carte restaurants in kalibo, has garnered the best reviews and recommendations from frequenters and passing-by guests heading to and from boracay island. nothing could be more pleasant than discovering a nicely laid out restaurant in a small, sleepy town like kalibo. latte has a modern-classic feel to it especially with the polished, heavy, dark wood tables and the right accent lighting. dining al fresco style looked tempting that day, especially after being stuck inside the van for a while, but it was drizzling out so we stayed inside.
latte, being one of the very few a la carte restaurants in kalibo, has garnered the best reviews and recommendations from frequenters and passing-by guests heading to and from boracay island. nothing could be more pleasant than discovering a nicely laid out restaurant in a small, sleepy town like kalibo. latte has a modern-classic feel to it especially with the polished, heavy, dark wood tables and the right accent lighting. dining al fresco style looked tempting that day, especially after being stuck inside the van for a while, but it was drizzling out so we stayed inside.
if there was a piece of the puzzle that did not fit the
entire tony latte piece, i would say it was the display wall for havianas that
was right next to the cake display. it was a bit odd, but i wouldn’t really let
it rock my boat.
new love for the palate
i wanted to try something that i’ve never tried before but
as soon as i looked at the menu i knew it wasn’t the place for it. latte is
famous for their breakfast and we had originally planned on leaving boracay
early to get to kalibo on time for breakfast. but yeah, right. “early” is not
an operative word for this family.
we arrived at the restaurant starved and could not wait for the 20 minutes that our waiter promised, so we went on to have the desserts first. i’ve lived my life crazy about sansrival so i knew exactly what i was going to have after a short glance at the cakes on display. i have tried more than 10 versions of sansrival but latte’s is by far the best that i’ve ever had. not one of those that i’ve tried in manila could top the sansrival at latte where the butter had no after-taste and the meringue was light, right and crisp just as it should be. it was not crazy sweet so the butter and the meringue were a perfect couple that i’ll always fondly think about.
we arrived at the restaurant starved and could not wait for the 20 minutes that our waiter promised, so we went on to have the desserts first. i’ve lived my life crazy about sansrival so i knew exactly what i was going to have after a short glance at the cakes on display. i have tried more than 10 versions of sansrival but latte’s is by far the best that i’ve ever had. not one of those that i’ve tried in manila could top the sansrival at latte where the butter had no after-taste and the meringue was light, right and crisp just as it should be. it was not crazy sweet so the butter and the meringue were a perfect couple that i’ll always fondly think about.
our choices for lunch also turned out divine. we had
sizzling bulalo steak (beef shank), lechon kawali (pan-roasted pork) and
stir-fried mixed vegetables. each serving was good for two people, as promised
by our very courteous waiter. you see, it’s worth mentioning that you had a
professional and kind person waiting on you because you don’t always get
that in all restaurants, especially not in the very busy ones.
the bulalo steak was very tender and the gravy was smooth
and flavorful. i’ve had steaks with gravy and sauces that were either too
thick or bland and sometimes too watered down. if i sense strong flavors in an unfriendly competition against each other, that right
away sets me off to unhappylandia.
the lechon kawali reminded me so much of my paternal
grandmother’s version that was crispy on the outside and was delightfully
tender on the inside. i sank my teeth into the most tasteful lechon kawali ever
and it couldn’t get any better than that. condiments are usually offered with
pork dishes, but latte’s was perfect
without anything else added to it. the entire process—from biting it to chewing
it to savoring the juices that came out of the meat—was a heavenly experience,
no less.
the vegetables came in a huge platter and you could tell
that they were fresh when they reached the kitchen and were definitely far from
being overcooked when they reached our table. that left us with wide smiles as
well.
our total investment (most people call it "damage") for the latte experience? php 1,055.00 for bulalo steak, lechon kawali,
a platter of stir-fried vegetables, sansrival, a plate of puto, mango shake,
orange juice and a gigantic glass of iced tea. can you believe how reasonably
priced our lunch was? so yes, you should really go if you’re anywhere nearby.
latte cafe at marzon hotel
national highway
kalibo, aklan
(036) 268 6000
