Beef Cocido
FOR the last 25 years, Café Laguna has been serving traditional Filipino food prepared from scratch, slow cooked the way our grandmothers did. It continues to do so and conserve a comforting food culture, notwithstanding the highly competitive food scene.
The classic dishes are truly timeless and every bite is filled with nostalgia. These are dishes I grew up with in Manila and remain all time favorites. To name a few: Kare-Kare with Ginisang Bagoong, Lugaw with Tokwa at Baboy, Fresh Ubod Lumpia with Paalat (brown sauce), Embotido, Rellenong Manok and Sinigang.
Embotido
Cocido or Pochero is an adopted Spanish stew of beef shank in rich tomato sauce with chickpeas, boiled bananas, vegetables served with berenjena or a uniquely Tagalog sauce made of mashed eggplant seasoned with vinegar and garlic. And only Café Laguna offers the glutinous desserts like Puto Bumbong and Bibingka that for a long time were only available during the Christmas season sold in stalls in the churchyards.
Unique to Café Laguna are the Espasol, rice flour cooked in coconut milk with sweetened coconut strips, rolled and dusted with toasted rice flour and Guinomis, a delightful coconut milk concoction with thick panocha syrup, gulaman, sago, crushed ice and topped with toasted pinipig. Over the years the Urbina mother and son tandem have introduced several Filipino dishes but I never get tired of the traditional ones.
Kare-kare with bagoong
How Julita “Lita” Urbina, the grand dame of Southern Tagalog cuisine in Cebu and Chairman of the Laguna Group of Companies established a growing food corporation from a carinderia with a measly capital of P300 is a story that has been retold many times over. Natives of Laguna Province, the late Dr. Ricardo Urbina relocated his family in Cebu in the service of the military in 1979. To augment the family income, Lita started “Mother’s Best”, a “truo-turo” style carinderia in their rented apartment along Wilson Street, just outside the military camp.
With a passion for cooking she inherited from her mother, treasured traditional recipes, good old-fashioned values and supportive children led by Chef Raki, the Urbina’s successful food business is making Cebu a culinary destination.
Puto Bumbong
To date the Laguna Group of Companies include seven Café Laguna branches in Visayas and Mindanao, Laguna Garden Café, U Kitchen, Parilya, Ulli’s, Lemon Grass and Laguna Catering.
The 25th anniversary celebration is all about gratitude and sharing. The Urbina children led by Chef Raki, Grace, Jill, Jet, and John together with their respective growing families, paid tribute to their mother, Lita, and to the deserving long time employees who continue to serve Café Laguna.
Bibingka
A very poignant occasion, each employee has stories to share. There were tears and laughter in the “Bida ng Bentesingko” themed milestone. They also displayed their talents for dancing and singing.
The company’s chosen charities, namely: Soup kitchen for the Visayas, Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines and Cebu Caritas were also a part of the celebration. Part of the proceeds from the Grand Buffet on the anniversary date was donated to the said chosen charities.