Puto Bumbong at Via Mare

Puto Bumbong from Via Mare

This is the almost perfect puto bumbong you can ever eat in an urban center. And you can order two pieces at 67 pesos at any Via Mare Restaurant. After a stressful shopping spree at Landmark Makati, I chose to rest at the Via Mare on the second floor right beside the ladies bag section. I was thrilled that they offered Puto Bumbong. I forgot how puto bumbong tasted like after my horrifying experience with the Puto bumbong vendor at the church grounds. Before I talk about Puto bumbong of Via Mare, allow me to share how some commercial puto bumbong vendors “cheat” us out of the real puto bumbong experience. Here is the puto bumbong which I bought for 20 pesos from the vendor after the misa de gallo.

Puto Bumbong from the commercial vendor

Not only does it show artificial purple color, the appearance looks like it wasn’t baked in bamboo. Instead cooked in an oven then sliced to make it appear that it was rolled. The texture was rubbery with no muscovado as topping with the grated coconut. What a cheat. You get what you pay for. It’s only 20 pesos.

Now if I were in the province, perhaps I would not be cheated out of my puto bumbong. The ones I will eat is actually made of pirurutong (the purple rice) which gives off the natural purple color. It will be light and chewy, not rubbery and dense. This is exactly what I experienced upon eating puto bumbong in Via Mare. The price is not cheap but it’s at least closest to the real puto bumbong.

Via Mare Branches

ALABANG (CLOSED FOR RENOVATION)
2nd Floor, Alabang Town Center
Tel. No. 842-9042
Telefax 842-9038

ROCKWELL – OYSTER BAR
Ground Floor, Rockwell Center, Makati
Tel. No. 898-0961
Telefax 898-0962

ROCKWELL – COFFEESHOP
Ground Floor, Rockwell Center, Makati
Tel. No. 898-1305
Telefax 898-1306

TOTAL GAS STATION
South Luzon Expressway
(Northbound) near ABI Brewery exit

PROMENADE THEATRE MALL
Greenhills Promenade, Phase 2
Tel. No. 726-8931

EDSA SHANGRILA
Ground Floor, Edsa Shangrila, Pasig City
Tel. No. 631-1506; 632-0350

GREENBELT 3
Shop 138 Greenbelt 3 Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No. 757-4020; 757-4023
Telefax 757-4021

SM – MALL OF ASIA
MOA – 2nd Floor Entertainment Bldg. Bay Blvd, Pasay City
Tel. No. 556-0770; 556-0812

SM NORTH – THE BLOCK
The Block – SM Annex -3 North EDSA, Quezon City
Tel. No. 442-0075