Modern Yet Traditional Filipino And Spanish Cuisine

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $16 / PHP $550 per person.





Founded by famed Filipino restaurateur Lorenzo 'Larry' J. Cruz as part of his LJC Restaurant Group, Abe / Cafe Adriatico was first set up in Manila. Although they share the same floor space, kitchen, and dining area, Abe / Cafe Adriatico are actually 2 separate concept restaurants. Abe serves traditional Philippines cuisine, with a strong emphasis on dishes from Campangan, while the flagship Cafe Adriatico focuses on traditional Spanish and Mediterranean dishes. You can however, order dishes from either menu no matter where you sit in the restaurant.

Abe Cafe Adriatico has a homely and comfortable ambience, and is more suitable for communal / family dining than couple dining. Furniture is functional, and layout is semi spacious. Abe Cafe Adriatico offers both indoor seating, and outdoor seating with a view of Manila Bay. Main decor is traditional artifacts from the Philippines, as well as photographs of the founder's family.

Service at Abe Cafe Adriatico is good, but not overly outstanding. Staff are well trained in product knowledge and menu options, and will also assist to portion out servings of your food. However, I can't say that service was particulary memorable for this Manila outlet.

Food options at Abe Cafe Adriatico is quite extensive, as you have a choice of 2 different menus. For a mid-range cafe, prices are reasonably affordable, and portions are large enough for sharing between 2 - 4 people. Dishes at Abe Cafe Adriatico are generally tasty, though the typical salt level in Filipino cuisine is higher than other cuisines.





Despite the dual entrances, the interior is linked, and you can order food from either of the 2 menus.

Cafe Adriatico Signage

Abe Signage

Abe Cafe Adriatico Drinks Counter

Abe Cafe Adriatico Outdoor Seating

Abe Cafe Adriatico Indoor Seating

I suppose that the difference between Chocolate Eh! and Chocolate Ah! lies in the thickness of the chocolate... But which is thicker?

Chocolate Eh! / Chocolate Ah!

The generous portion of ingredients in the Cocido makes it almost a one dish meal in itself. The soup / broth, while thin, was intensely flavoured, fragrant and mildly spicy.

Cocido

The huge portion of Halo-Halo is surprisingly not as sweet as I expected, and also lighter on the palate than most desserts. But it's still tasty and very satisfying, combining the best of local Filipino ingredients into 1 amazing dessert.

Halo-Halo 01

Halo-Halo 02

I liked the creamy softness of the Liang With Tinapa, and the ganish of smoked fish gave it just a hint of savouriness.

Liang With Tinapa

The Sinuteng Baby Squid was a good appetizer to start off the meal, and most importantly, had fresh baby squid that was cooked just right.

Sinuteng Baby Squid

The Tuna Fish Panga Sa Bawang was so crispy that I couldn't tell if the bones was meant to be consumed as part of the dish or not!

Tuna Fish Panga Sa Bawang