I have yet to have a fine-dining experience in a star cruise ship. For now I am happy to have found an alternative… on land. Somewhere in Intramuros is this marine-themed restaurant called Bistro Marinero. My friends and I checked it out after we attended the NCCA Gallery Artis’s Talk last month.
Before you enter the place, you would see an old helm on the porch; that’s the first marine-related piece. Inside there’s an old big map on the right wall and glass cases on some corners of the room where life vests, ropes, compass, and other marine paraphernalia are on display.
After we picked a table we immediately placed our order. As we waited for our food, we were served a complimentary plate of chips and nuts.
Since we were famished we agreed to have two kinds of viands. First is the chicken-pork adobo a.k.a. CPA (PHP 195). It was served on a porcelain bowl, underneath is another bowl that holds a candle to keep the food warm.
I noticed that it has more pork than chicken (not that I’m complaining). I found it quite tasty down to the core. The meat of the pork and chicken were soft and juicy. It is salty with a little hint of sweetness and spiciness. It was quite oily but then again that’s a given when we talk about adobo. In summary…. it is good, which my friend Tin could attest. She loved it so much she hardly touched the seafood dish that we ordered.
That seafood dish is Sinigang na Hipon sa Kamias (PHP 250). When I suggested this I caught uncertainty in Ana’s eyes. It wasn’t until the food was served that I remembered why Ana hesitated; she is allergic to shrimps! It totally slipped my mind haha…
Shrimp is one of my favorite seafood so even if I wanted to feel sorry for ordering it, I couldn’t, especially when I finally tasted it. It was so divine! It had a generous amount of vegetables and shrimps. This is so great because you see, most restaurants, at least the ones I’d been to, are not exactly liberal with shrimps (shrimps are not exactly cheap).
For drinks, Tin and I had Iced Tea, regular price is PHP 40, it’s 60 if you want it refillable. Actually Tin was trying to order lemonade but the waiter gave her something that looked like well… iced tea. Tin got a little confused and even quipped, “Don’t I know how a lemonade looks like?” I told her to just let it go, thankfully, she did.
Ana had the sweet and creamy, Mango Shake (PHP 75).
We still had room for desserts so we had blueberry cheesecake and chocolate moist cake. There was nothing special about the Blueberry Cheesecake (PHP 75). I even found the cheesecake too sour, which was intensified by the already sour blueberry syrup on top.
If you are ordering cake at Bistro Marinero then I suggest you take the Chocolate Moist Cake (PHP 75). It’s a fondant cake that looked plain on the surface but quite heavenly in taste. I swear to you it is one the best if not the most delicious chocolate cake I have ever tasted in my life. The slice is also pretty big for 75 bucks. In fact, I am willing to return to Bistro Marinero just to have another taste of this cake, that’s how crazy I am about this. It is soft, moist, and I like it that the chocolate flavor is not too strong. This is coming from a person who is not really a fan of chocolate cakes, so I guess it should mean something.
Bistro Marinero is a great place for casual dining. The place looks decent and neat, the staff members are courteous and polite, and the foods are good. They also offer catering services and you can also hold events and parties in their restaurant.
So if you happen to find yourself in Intramuros one of these days I recommend that you check out Bistro Marinero. It sits right across San Agustin Church. It would be a great addition to a memorable Intramuros experience.
Bistro Marinero
General Luna St. cor. Sta. Potenciana St.
Intramuros, Manila
Telephone nos.: (632) 527-2261/(632) 908-4827-73
Business Hours: Monday – Friday 7AM – 6PM
Comments (17)
sophisticated lace
Congratulations! I've nominated you for a Sunshine Award!!
Check it out here:
http://www.sophisticatedlace.com/2012/09/sunshine-award.html
Keep up the awesome blogging! 🙂
xx
Kamilla
anney
kahapon ko pa gusto ng cheesecake! Ayan bigla na namn ako nag crave!
cassie cadiz
thanks for following back on GFC. bilis ah. Take care always!
Marge G
Thanks! Glad you found my blog 🙂
cassie cadiz
Hello! I found u on IFB.. I'm happy to follow you on GFC,bloglovin' etc… Sinigang na hipon is my favorite..by the way, nkkagutom ang post mo dear.!
♥'s
cassie
cassiecadiz.blogspot.com
Marge G
Oo nga allergic siya, buti tayo hindi hahaha….
zaizai
I love how you describe the food, naka nganga talaga ako while reading. Kulang na lang may tumulong laway haha 🙂 Too bad your friend is allergic to shrimp, it's one of my fave seafood too!
Marge G
Mabilis ako mabusog, yun ang sikreto hahaha… Promise, di ako makakain ng sobra dahil daig ko pa yung nagpabawas ng intestines.
Marge G
Sure 🙂
XxxLoveIsBeautyxxX
yum! followed you in gfc, hope you can follow back!
http://xxxloveisbeautyxxx.blogspot.ie/
glentot
You love eating out, pero di ka tumataba. What's your secret?
Marge G
Actually I want to have that chocolate moist cake again!
nana
bistro again? u want? =)
Marge G
Thanks 🙂
evi
mmmm yummy!
nice photos!
🙂
Marge G
Well I can promise you the CPA is far from disgusting.
Girbaud
Meow. The cakes look appetizing, esp. the blueberry cheesecake—though you said you didn't like it compared with that moist cake. The sinigang na hipon sa kamias looks delicious too. The chicken and pork adobo, however, seems a little disgusting, though you said you like it.