Food Journey Part III - Dumaguete and Davao

Mocha Torte - Php 500

Sugar Munch Desserts

Door 2, Seng Building (beside DENR)
Lanang, Davao City
Contact #: (082) 241 4334 / 0917 5487934

http://sugarmunch.multiply.com/

Homemade Arroz Caldo

Grilled Pork Belly

Grilled Tuna Belly

Grilled Sweet Corn

Night cap - sparkling grape juice

Breakfast in Dahilayan - Batotay from Cabanatuan

Breakfast in Dahilayan

Breakfast in Dahilayan

Lechon!!

Budbud from Dumaguete

Biscocho de Caña from Dumaguete

Cyma Greek Taverna in Ayala Cebu

Before heading to my lovely hometown, we spent a few hours in Cebu. We decided to go to Ayala since we never got a chance to visit any restaurant located there. It was the perfect chance to indulge in good food. :)

We chose Cyma because we felt that all the other restaurants were, in the husband's own words - generic.  It's not actually our first time to dine at Cyma but it has been a while and since we both missed greek dishes, so off we went! :)

Cyma's Interiors

Menu

The staff convinced me to get the pink lemonade. It was a mistake that I didn't ask if it was bottomless. Sheesh. I'm a bottomless iced tea/lemonade fan, you know. :D I felt bad that I didn't get to have another glass of this refreshing drink.

Pink Lemonade - Php 120

The husband chose to have the Cyma Chopped Salad. I don't know what it's made of but according to their website, it has mixed greens, arugula, toasted walnuts, sliced pears, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese and grated parmesan, served with Traditional Greek Vinaigrette. The husband loved it because of the sun-dried tomatoes. Sorry, I couldn't share much because I didn't bother to try it. Hihi

The husband's salad

Cyma Chopped Salad - Php 250

I ordered the soup for the tot, thinking she would like it. But unfortunately she was not in the mood to be in adventurous. It's made of simmered mung beans and served with garlic bread that you can dip in olive oil and red wine vinegar. The husband finished the soup since the tot wanted to play instead of eating this dish.

Mung Bean Fakes - Php 120

I chose Chicken Souvlaki since I was in the mood for this grilled greek dish.  All souvlakis are normally served with grilled warm pita bread, parsley salad and our yogurt garlic sauce but I had mine with rice. It reminds me of the fish souvlaki the husband had in a restaurant in Tagaytay that was really wonderful. I was really happy with this dish, it's very tasty even without the sauce.

Chicken Souvlaki - Php 340

Cyma Greek Taverna
Ground Floor The Terraces
Ayala Center,Cebu City, Philippines

Price per person - Php 300 - 400
Contact: +63 (32) 417 1351
Website: http://www.cymarestaurants.com

L'Fisher's Ripples Graduation Buffet

We spent our last night in Bacolod by enjoying the Graduation Buffet at L'Fisher Hotel. For those who aren't familiar with L'Fisher, this hotel is the best hotel in Bacolod.  Not at the level of international chains, but close enough.

To warm up our tummies, we had cream of onion soup paired with soft rolls. I love their soup! Even my tot who's picky with food liked it. :)

Cream of Onion with warm bread

The Asian Braised Beef was just ok.  It didn't stand out from the spread but it wasn't a disappointment either.

Asian Braised Beef

I'd like to believe the highlight of the buffet was the hainanese chicken.  Maybe if I didn't live in Singapore I would have enjoyed the dish more.  But since I see this everyday, it did not impress me. :D

Hainanese Chicken

This was my first plate.  I only had 2 rounds.  I guess I wasn't in the mood for some Asian cuisine that night.

My plate - Hainanese chicken, Frutti di Mare, Buttered veggies, Asian Braised Beef 

The spread

Dessert

Chiffon layered with ube cake

We ordered a la carte items for the children and our companions.  I wasn't able to try it but they said it was really good.  The kids enjoyed the chicken too.

A la carte fried chicken

I was sad that I wasn't able to try all the desserts.  The staff replaced the dessert spread in the middle of the meal with a big cake.  Luckily, my SIL was able to get some before they took them all away.  

Sans Rival, Strawberry Mousse, Blueberry Cheesecake, 

One of their best sellers for their summer coolers - the Mango Melon.  It was wonderful!  I liked the combination of the two fruits.

Mango Melon

Sadly, the buffet spread was not impressive, considering the price of Php 350.  The husband expected more, since it was advertised as a 'Graduation' buffet.  It could be that I was not in the mood for Asian that night.  The last time we ate here, I was also not impressed.  Maybe next time we'll stick to FIL's favorites, Kai Sei or Inaka.

L'Fisher Hotel
14th Street Bacolod City, Philippines
Contact #: (034) 433 3731
Website: http://www.lfisherhotelbacolod.com
Email: lfisherhotel@yahoo.com / sales@lfisherhotelbacolod.com

Lab-as Seafood Restaurant in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Lab-as Seafood Restaurant is located in front of the seaside.  You can eat al fresco with a good view of the Tanon Strait and the smell of the fresh sea air while enjoying your food.  

My FIL highly recommended the place, this was a favorite stopover for them whenever they are in Dumaguete.  (The other one was the 'fastfood' at Bethel, which is a different story) 

The restaurant has a display for live/fresh seafood and you can pick what you want to eat and how it will be cooked.  We saw live talaba(oysters) and live crabs.  Freshly caught fish is also displayed and some meat/chicken cuts for grilling.  

Live crabs

Live Talaba

The fresh fish was a bit expensive.  Prices ranged from 250-500 for whole fish, and for cuts, depending on weight.  

Choose your fish

I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a local version of the famous Bicol Express.  Its called Dumaguete Express.  Its a combination of lechon kawali and seafood like squid, fish fillet, and shells.  

Dumaguete Express

We picked some fresh mamsa (a local fish normally used for sinigang or tula).  The fresh fish was good, but not mindblowing.

Tinolang Mamsa

The lechon kawali was not too oily.  It tasted ok, good enough for me.

Lechon Kawali

Husband ordered fresh buko juice. The meat was soft and ideal for scooping with the spoon. He prefers  it cold though.  It was served warm.  

Fresh buko juice

I had banana shake.  It wasn't too sweet, which is why I liked it.  

Banana Shake

Overall, the food was great.  A bit on the pricey side if you consider that you are in Dumaguete, but overall I was happy with our dinner.   

Lab-as Seafood Restaurant

201 Flores Ave., Dumaguete City
Contact Number: 2263677

Price per person - Php 200

Jay-j's Inasal in Bacolod

We had lunch at Jay-j's Chicken Inasal last Thursday. It was not a busy day since it's the middle of the week. Lucky us, there were only a few tables occupied.  When we came to the restaurant, I realized this was the same Jay-j's in Manila.  A similar hang out place of those who crave for Filipino food with moderate prices and for those who want to spend their time drinking the night away. :)

For me, the inasal mastery should be left to the Bacolodians/Bacoleños. I believe are the experts when it comes to grilling prowess. :D 

Menu - Starters, Inasal, Chicken and Pork

Menu - Breakfast, Merienda, Dessert, Fiesta meals

Menu - drinks

Menu - Beef, Seafoods, Gulay, Sabaw, Rice & Noodles

We ordered this chicken curry but we weren't able to eat it. We had it packed as a doggy bag.

Chicken Curry - Php135

Beef salpicao was really tasty. I didn't like how the beef was cooked though, it was still a bit tough.

Angus Beef Salpicao - Php175

Laing was really good. It had bits of pork and chillies with the wonderful blend of the gata.

Laing - Php 115

For those who love dinuguan, this is a must try! The crispy pork slices add twist to this conventional Filipino dish.

Crispy Dinuguan - Php 145

It was my first time to try Gising-gising. At first, I thought it was Kising-kising. hehe The husband says it's the best he has tried. I guess it's a must try at Jay-j's, too.

Gising-gising - Php 120

The pancit canton was a disappointment. We actually ordered it for the kids but it was really salty. We had to return it because my tot was not eating it. Good thing they gave us another full bowl, a good tasting one. :)

Pancit Canton - Php 135

This was my ordered drink, Sago't Gulaman. I miss having this on a sunny day. I love the softness of the gulaman and just enough sweetness of the arnibal.

Sago't Gulaman - Php 75

The banana shake was ordered by my SIL.  It didn't look fancy or anything but I guess it was good because I didn't hear her say she didn't like it. :)

Banana shake - Php 95

Jay-j's can be found at the back of Lopue's Mandalagan.  It's in a cluster of stores called Art District. The place is a new hang out of the young and young once. hihi

Jay-j's Chicken Inasal
Art District, Lopue’s Mandalagan
Bacolod City

Price per person - Php 200