The waiters possess Via Mare service skills. The ambience was busy and bustling; I could not find a seat. Turnover, though, was fast. It was a perfect environment for lunch. You feel that you can rush back to the office without sacrificing the quality of your meal.

All-time favorites are the Crispy Binagoongan, Adobo Flakes, and Guinomis for dessert, so I sampled all three. Luckily, I was not on a diet, as they were the ultimate comfort food, perfect for de-stressing! The prices were steeper than those of the office cafeteria but it was well worth it.

The Crispy Binagoongan looked, and was, very filling. It had a vegetable mix of sigarilyas, tomatoes, sitaw sautéed in onion, and garlic as a small side. The main feature was, of course, the crispy liempo slices. The liempo was obviously expensive, with less of the dreaded yet delicious fat portions. The bagoong was separated into a small saucer so you could freely add it to your taste.

The vegetables were sautéed perfectly to bring out their crispy freshness. I suggest, though, that they cook the sigarilyas first, as some of the slices tasted raw and uncooked. But the overall taste of the side dish was good since the purpose was to take away the "umay" from the pork. The pork liempo was as crispy as promised. The skin was edible, and the fat portions were non-existent (or maybe they shrank from the cooking). For the price of P235, I’m sure that they give you the more expensive portions. The bagoong was perfect for my taste, with the consistency neither too dry nor too mushy. The taste was not too salty nor too sweet; it was just right. Maybe they should start selling it in bottles.

I quickly ordered Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus sa Miso (P190+) because I felt that I needed soup to wash down the crispy and delicious pork skin and some fat. I did not realize that their Sinigang was good for 2-3 people. Anyway, they scrimped on the miso; they should add some more. But the bangus bellies were 5-6 slices in all, very worth it. I also would have loved it more if there were more kangkong. There were some kangkong leaves, sitaw, tomatoes, onions, and radish.

Since I was past my guilt over the Crispy Liempo, I could try the Adobo Flakes. I initially thought that the portions for the Adobo Flakes were too small for P 190, but I was so full that I had to have the rest bagged to go; the two eggs scrambled with tomatoes were too much after I had already eaten two main courses. And I remembered that I should also make room for my Guinomis!

The Adobo Flakes were really good; looks like they have great adobo in this place too! The Garlic Fried Rice that went with it was also good; wish I could have it and the Adobo Flakes for breakfast everyday. Mmmm! I also saw that, at another table, the Tuyo Flakes looked good. They weren’t tiny flakes at all; they were big flakes lavished with olive oil. I made a mental note to try it next time.

Since I saved some tummy space for the Guinomis, I was expecting a lot from it. When it arrived, it paled in comparison to my three main courses. It was not that sweet and I like Guinomis sweet. It was like a drink with some ice, coconut gata, and rice crispies. But this may be because I didn’t add sugar as I was already in a rush. I wish I’d had Gulaman and Sago instead, or maybe the Bibingka. Yeah, I’ll go for that next time.

So, on your next payday, try Café Via Mare at Rockwell. Except for the Guinomis, you can have a perfect office lunch break. Please note that I said "payday," because the prices are much more than your usual office cafeteria prices. But the satisfaction is guaranteed; what can go wrong at Via Mare?