Joie de Vivre: the art of eating well

Artisan feels and the smell of good food greets you once you stepped into Joie De Vivre Cafe (zwa de viv). It is not hard to pronounce especially if you love to learn French words, but one will be surprised when you discover that this is not a French restaurant but a mishmash of Mexican and Pinoy inspired one at that.

No, it is not your typical Tex-Mex type of Mexican, Joie De Vivre Cafe is a homey artisan cafe located just a little bit on the outskirts of Baguio City (Marcos Highway to be exact). The place is a delight to the senses, owned and managed by Lars. it is a perfect spot, where one can enjoy glorious Baguio sunsets and the regular rolling Baguio fog that comes and goes during the afternoon even on hot sunny days, and if you enjoy art, this place is hosting exhibits for local artists.

But really, the best thing about this restaurant is that the food here is really something you should experience, and we all praise Miss Lars’ attention to detail especially with her food, and yes, presentation and taste wise, it was a fabulous gastronomical adventure, and we are sure you will agree with us when you dine here.

SISIG

First, we cannot help but rave about their sizzling Sisig, it might not be considered a “starter” of the bunch due it being a common dish, but one cannot forget how meaty and delicious their version is, let us put it this way…..it was the first plate emptied, really, gone in mere minutes, that’s how delicious it was, you can tell that it had no extenders, just pure meaty goodness.

PULLED PORK FRIES

Real potato fries (not the store bought ones) with bits of fried pork oozing in cheese, fresh greens and Lars’ special sauce makes this a filling beer mate or something to munch on if you want something not too heavy or too light of a meal.

 

MR. BEEFY BURGER

One of the best burgers in town, we all want pure unadulterated beef in our burger, no extenders, just pure beef goodness! it is something you should really have if you want something deliciously heavy, or you just want to fulfill burger cravings.

NACHOS

This regular snack/beer mate is different, for one thing the Nachos themselves are not your typical store-bought ones, and the sauce is not like anyone’s, because it’s recipe (along with their other sauces) have been passed down to Lars from her family, we’d say that this is the best nachos we had so far, it is on the spicy side, has the perfect ratio in terms of cheese, meat and that special sauce.

ENCHILADA

Maybe we haven’t covered the cityscape enough to know if others serve this heaven of a dish for basis of comparison, but this is really delicious, authentic Mexican enchilada, another filling meal punched up with a lot of actual meat, fresh greens and that special sauce we talk about so much, it is protein supremo!

PULLED PORK PIZZA

You maybe thinking that this pizza will just fill you up and not enjoy its flavor and thin crust, but surprisingly this pizza is just light! There are also other pizza flavors you can choose from their menu.

Joie de Vivre Cafe is located at 4th Floor MM Gara Building, Marcos Highway, Baguio City. They’re open from 9:00 AM to 12:00 MN.

Check out these amazing colors from their veranda 🙂