Whenever I go on out-of-town trips, I always make it a point to seek out a homegrown restaurant in the area that I can try. It was on my 7th trip to Cebu that I "discovered" this classy but relaxed Cafe Laguna in Ayala Center Cebu. The well-lit restaurant interiors has a garden theme that makes you feel like you are dining al fresco.
Browsing through the menu, I noticed that they offered traditional Filipino food that were created from the recipes of the Urbina family that Lita Urbina wanted to share to everyone. My friends and I went to Cafe Laguna for merienda and so we ordered light fares to gives us energy for the afternoon's sightseeing activities.
My favorite noodles dish is Sotanghon Guisado and this is what I ordered, along with a refreshing glass of very Pinoy cooler, Sago at Gulaman. The Sotanghon did not fail my expectations as it is so delicious and had plenty of chicken strips and vegetables for toppings. The noodles are well cooked and seasoned just right that I did not find the need to add patis (fish sauce) to the squeezed calamansi.
Emy ordered Adobo Manok sa Pandesal that was light yet tasty. Not the usual sandwich, it has shredded pork cooked Adobo style (with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black corn peppers and laurel leaf)..
Gesel tried the mouth watering Manggang Hilaw with Bagoong -- thin strips of green mango, tomatoes and onions, with yummy alamang bagoong (shrimp paste) on the side. Just typing this sentence made me crave for it.
For dessert, Halo-Halo won hands down. The colorful concoction made of red beans, boiled saba bananas, kamote, sago and gulaman, pinipig, topped with shaved ice, ube (sweetened purple yum) and leche flan, was a pure delight by sight and by taste.
Cafe Laguna also serves local food at reasonable prices such as lumpia, a variety of pancit, bibingka, puto bum-bong, palitaw, kare-kare, lechon kawali, and bulalo steak, among others. View the full menu here.
As described in their website, Cafe Laguna, formerly known as Mother's Best, began as a labor of love in 1979 in a rented apartment with just ten tables. Because business went well, they eventually bought the place, renovated and expanded the carinderia to become a "place of dining" in 1991. In just three years, Cafe Laguna opened in Ayala Center Cebu and five years more, opened another one as Laguna Garden Cafe.
Today, the hard work and culinary genius of Lita Urbina paved the way for Cafe Laguna to achieve its dream of becoming a "showcase of Filipino cuisine." Because Cafe Laguna was a labor of love, their customers loved them back enough to help them grow branches in Cebu, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, Ilo-ilo, and Davao. Cafe Laguna, when are you opening in Manila?
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