Cebuanos prefer mixed cuisine, says restaurant owner

CEBUANOS prefer fusion dishes in restaurants, according to an experienced local restaurant owner.

“Mixed cuisine from different parts of the world would allow Cebuanos to have various choices in a restaurant, just like what we have here in Viennabistro,” said Charina Po, manager of Viennabistro.

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Po, who was born to a family of cooks, has managed her family’s restaurants like the FHM Grill in Lapu-lapu City and the ATF Resto in Banilad.

She credits her cooking skills to her mom, an avid cook.

Experiment

“Whenever we go out to eat, by the time we get home, we experiment on cooking the same dish we just ate. We try to copy the taste or even improve on it,” said Po. She said her brother also likes to cook, especially steaks.

Po completed a six-month basic cooking course at the International Culinary Arts Academy of Cebu (ICAAC) before venturing into the family-owned Viennabistro.

Viennabistro, which can accommodate 15 persons, is an “intimate restaurant” offering various menu items like American, Austrian and Italian dishes.

The 90-square-meter restaurant is located at the former Vienna Kaffeehaus in Carlos Perez Building, AC Cortes Ave. in Mandaue City.

According to Po, their foreign customers are former patrons of Vienna Kaffeehaus who have now become their regulars.

The coffee shop was a franchise for 10 years and as soon as the contract expired this year, the owners did not renew it.

Instead, they chose to open a restaurant but retained the name Vienna because of their regulars who already got used to the name.

“From the old coffee shop, we innovated on everything, from the ambience to the menu,” added Po.

Ideal location

Po said their location is ideal, far from the congestion in Cebu City.

She said the place is the only fine dining restaurant in the area, making it popular with employees of nearby companies who bring in their guests or even couples who go on dates.

Vienna was initially opened last May 10 and is set to have its grand opening this month.

“With the opening this month, we plan to expand our menu and offer value meals in the future to be able to cater more to our customers,” Po said.