F. Cafe’s popular dish is the Salmon Fillet.
Cebu is known to have the best lechon.
Other versions have come out and also became popular, like the liempo and the boneless lechon belly.
But this time, F Cafe and Bar is putting yet a new twist on this all-time favorite Cebuano food. The smoked pork belly is a dish with strips of thinly-sliced pork belly.
“This is new on our menu and the first in Cebu. Our smoked pork belly is not like the usual lechon. It has a distinct smoked flavor to it,” said chef Jay Jonson during the launch of the new menu last June 18.
The 33-year old chef is originally from Baguio City and first came to Cebu in June 2013 to become one of the culinary instructors at the Academy for International Culinary Arts (AICA). He hasn’t left and now considers Cebu as his third home.
He studied at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) in Manila and graduated with 3rd honors last 2008. He has worked for and been affiliated with a number of prestigious establishments like The Baguio Country Club, Hyatt Hotel, and the Shangri-La Hotel in Abu Dhabi where he was based for two years, among others.
F Cafe and Bar, with Jonson at the helm in the kitchen, offers international cuisine including, Asian, Western and Mexican.
Their bestseller is the soy-glazed salmon fillet, a dish with 185 grams of seared salmon fillet with a side of creamy truffle spinach and slices of pan-fried Lyonnaise potatoes.
Other dishes include their sizzling chops and gravy and the grilled piri-piri chicken, their take on the popular Portuguese dish.
F Cafe and Bar, located in The Gallery in barangay Mabolo, has only a floor area of 50 square meters but consists of three floors with both al fresco and indoor seating for 80 to 150 persons. It’s a cafe during the day and a bar at night. It also offers lunch.
It is owned by Singaporean Francis Lee, who also owns the Bridges Salon located just beside F Cafe and Bar. The two establishments are also connected at the third floor.
“When I had Bridges Salon, this place was empty. I wanted to start a coffee shop because it’s a lifestyle (trend). Later on, I decided to also turn it into a bar at night,” Lee said.
He originally wanted F Cafe and Bar to be an area where his salon patrons can stay while waiting for their turn or for their friends.
F Cafe and Bar’s resident DJ, Neil Pepito, mixes F’s signature sound which is a combination of hits from the 80s, 90s, and the 2000 era.
Both Bridges and F Cafe and Bar are closed on Tuesdays.