Places to eat in Dumaguete City

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I have to say that VT is very much to blame, or more correctly take the credit for, this tip. At tme of writing, I have been staying n Dumaguete for quite a while and whilst I have several favourite restaurants, I do tend to try new places, in the main just to provide me with more VT tips. Sad I know, but there you are.

I had seen this place a few times, hidden away at the back of a filling (gas) station and though it might be worth a try although really wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. This gives the clue to the title of this tip. OK, it is not the most illustrious surroundings I have ever eaten in, situated in a small row of fast food outlets, but I sat down and was attended to promptly by a friendly young man who spoke decent English and presented me with a menu in the same language. I opted for a regular sized Filipiniana at 190 pesos which, the menu assured me, featured Cebu chorizo amongst other things. I am a fan of chorizo here and it looked an ideal choice.

So what to drink then. Normally San Miguel Light is my beer of choice but, as the image shows if you know about such things, the only beer available was San Miguel. I have dealt with this in other tips but essentially San Mig is a 6.9 abv beer that Philippinos drink to get drunk quickly and cheaply and it is pretty lethal but it was the only option. OK, a few sips and wait for the pizza to arrive which took a few minutes but at least it shows it was fresshly made.

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't expecting much. My previous experience of pizza in the Philippines in nearby Valencia at Dexter's had been a singularly uninspiring event but what a difference here. Piping hot with a beautifully crispy crust (just as I lke it), plenty of very tasty toppings, it was really delightful.

The quite loud rock accompaniment from the next door franchise, Red Hot Chilli Peppers as I recall, was a pleasant soundtrack to what was a very good pizza.

Update 5th April 2012.

Another visit last night and the Succulenta pizza (pictured) featuring black olive, anchovy, mushroom, roast garlic, which was not at all overpowering made for an excellent pizza at 200 pesos. I also saw served a party sized pizza which is undoubtedly the largest pizza I have ever seen, it must have been three feet across and looked like a car wheel. I am sure it would have fed 20 people easily whch looked to be about the size of the party ordering it.

Still highly recommended.

Favorite Dish: The Filipiniana as described.

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I apologise for this tip in advance as I have only eaten a quick snack here and I cannot even tell you if there is a full restaurant service or menu here. Garahe is basically a bolt hole of mine when I want to escape the expat centre of the nearby Boulevard. I have been in here a few times and have never seen another Westerner about the place. I don't know why but it seems slightly "edgy" although I have never had the slightest problem here. It is pretty dark even during the day and I absolutely love it which probably says something fairly uncomplimentary about my lifestyle.

Garahe is basically a locals pool (billiard) hall usually with some pretty loud music playing that just happens to serve what we in the UK would call kebab but I believe is more commonly known internationally as shawarma. It is basically the meat on a rotating vertical skewer which is thinly sliced and served in some sort of flat bread.

As I said, I have never seen anyone eating anything else here and if this is the sole menu item it is very well done and very inexpensive at, I think 40 pesos a piece. A little grated cheese and garlic sauce makes for an extremely tasty beer / bar snack. If you are on a very tight budget, a couple of pieces here would certainly keep you going for a while.

The presence of the drumkit on the riser and certain internet research leads me to believe this place has live music every night except Sunday, and I suspect this is the main function of the place and that the food is something of a side issue.

OK, it is cheap, certainly not a full meal but it fills a hole until you get out and eat later. Not a bad bet for somewhere a little different.

Favorite Dish: I've only ever seen the shawarma served here and it is good, so that will be my favourite then.

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I wrote in a seperate tip about Captain Ribbers ribshack in Dumaguete and how good the ribs were there. I had often ridden past it and wondered why it was not better patronised, as I had enjoyed my meal there. I foujd out why one night when, on the recommendation of a friend I visited Moon Cafe with instructions that I should try the ribs there which he raved about. To cut a long story short, Captain Ribbers simply suffers by comparison as it is about three doors along from the Moon Cafe. Let me tell you about this excellent restaurant.

I had noticed a very pleasant al fresco eating area with a lovely water feature outside although it was busy there. To be honest, it is usually busy here in the early evening. I was admitted by a polite security guard and greeted immediately by a young lady dressed in a sort of Hollywood version of Mexican national costume with a skirt in the Mexican national coulours and that sort of thing. Her name tag named her as Roxy and on a few subsequent visits I have got to know her a little. She speaks perfect English, smiles constantly and is extremely efficient. She is not alone in this as all her compatriots seem to be similarly top class. The service here is certainly amongst the best I have encountered thus far in the Philippines.

I enquired about eating outside and was informed politely that it was not possible just then but that if I cared to take a seat inside and peruse the menu she would transfer me as soon as a table became available. I armed myself with a bottle of San Miguel Light and started through a fairly extensive menu which, as you can imagine was very heavily slanted towards Mexican cuisine with a few other bits and pieces thrown in. This was effectively an exercise in curiosity as I already knew what I was there for and duly ordered the baby back ribs at 199 pesos.

During the ordering process I had a conversation with Roxy that I had had with numerous servers all over Southeast Asia and that I havce recounted in other tips. Basically, chefs in this region are reluctant to serve Westerners with extremely hot food. I appreciate the logic behind this but if you like hot food you often have to make a specific point to get it. I informed the lovely Roxy that chef could get as creative as he liked and sat back to wait. True to her word, Roxy transferred me to a table outside and I spent the short wait people watching in a very pleasant environment with a slight breeze from the nearby ocean cooling things a little.

When the food arrived, I was presented with the rack of ribs you can see in the image, the obligatory rice and a somewhat extraneous portion of diced vegetables which had had the life boiled out of them. That is a minor quibble however. Roxy literally stood over me until I had taken the first mouthful of possibly the most delicious ribs I have ever eaten and enquired as to the sauce. It was pretty warm and may well have satisfied most palates. I, however, have a pretty asbestos mouth and told Roxy that it was very pleasant but not really that hot, at which point she disappeared as I tucked in. I thought she was merely being polite but about two minutes later she reappeared with another dish of sauce which looked identical but was about three notches up on the heat scale. Absolutely ideal. Again she stood over me until I had pronounced it to my satisfaction. I dread to think what might have happened had I said that wasn't hot enough, they may well have had to serve the next offering in a nuclear resistant vessel.

I have eaten here several times since that first time and sampled some excellent Mexican food but the ribs really do remain the standout dish here. I cannot comment on the authenticity of the Mexican food, never having visited that country (again on the to do list) but it all tasted pretty good to me. The corn soup makes a very pleasant starter.

Moon Cafe is not significantly more expensive than other places in the area and considerably cheaper than some. The toilets are spotless and for mobility impaired travellers is that the restaurant is all on one level which would make it easily accessible.

There is some debate about the opening hours. Some internet sites say 1000 - midnight, this is definitely not true. Roxy tld me last orders were at 2200 but I waqs declined service shortly after 2100 although admittedly it was a Sunday night. Check ahead first or go early.

Very highly recommended.

Favorite Dish: The ribs undoubtedly. Arguably the best I have ever eaten.

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Update 23rd March, 2012.

Regular readers will know that I like to keep my tips up to date as they tend to get stale after a while and this is the case here. I can say from personal knowledge that the place, for whatever reason, has become totally deserted of late. I ride past it nearly every day and would stop for a beer but it seems pointless to sit by myself. I know it has taken to closing very early in the evening. I also have it on good authority, although not from personal knowledge, that five of the wonderful members of staff have left since I wrote the original tip. I have also heard that the quality of the food has gone down but again I cannot comment personally as I have not eaten there for a while. As always, I will present the facts and leave it to the reader as to whether or not they want to visit.

Original tip.

As usual in the Philippines, I am finding it hard to categorise the Roadhouse. It could reasonably fit into a things to do, nightlife or restaurant tip but I have decided on the latter as I have eaten here several times with excellent results. Hopefully the images will give you some idea.

Before I deal with the food, let me tell you a little about the place. Road House is unashamedly a bikers bar. I know this may potentially put off the reader but please bear with me. The concept of bikers here is somewhat different than you may be used to in, say, Europe or America. I know a lot of the bikers in Dumaguete from various clubs and they are universally nice blokes. Road House is home to the Roadrunners M.C. but you are equally likely to find Outsiders, Peace Riders, Lone Wolves or anyone else in here. There is no animosity between the clubs. You are not going to encounter a drunken knife fight here or anything of the sort. Most nights the bikers are not even there, they tend to come out at the weekend, during the week it can be quiet enough.

Road House is run by an American biker called Chuck, who is a nice bloke and the staff (seen posing for a laugh in one image here) are delightful and efficient. The chef is a young Philippino guy who doeas a really good job. The menu is unashamedly American with one exception which I will deal with shortly. Burgers of various sizes and toppings, chilli dogs and the excellent chilli cheese and fries which is probably my favourite.

The exception I referred to is the Tuesday night special which is British style fish and chips. Actually, it is fish and French fries because nobody could agree on the proper way of making British chips peoperly so they reverted to the American version. Whatever recipe it is, it is a very tasty meal and very close to the original.

Occasionally, there will be a Philippino daily special but this is not really what the Road House is about. Forget your preconceptions about bikers, get there and enjoy some excellent American style food if that is what you fancy.

Favorite Dish: A difficult choice as the chilli dogs and burgers are excellent but I would have to go for the chilli cheese with fries. Ask for the jalapenos, they are not standard and add a little of one of the various hot sauces on offer for an extra kick.

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In my quest to try as many restaurants as possible in Dumaguete (quite a task) I popped into the Mandarin Tea Garden on evening for a bite. This is part of a chain specialising in Dim Sum and other Chinese dishes.which originated in Mindanao and has now expanded to Negros. There are two outlets in Dumaguete now, one here and one in the al fresco eating area of the Robinson's Mall.

My first impressionh of the place was that it was spotless, a sort of fast food place as you can see. Order at the counter and the meal is brought to you.

I was greeted in perfect English by not one but two well turned out young staff. There is a good selection of dim sum, noodles, rice toppings and desserts. I chose the sweet and sour spare ribs, served off the bone, from the short order menu as I am a complete sucker for it, I love the stuff. It arived promptly, served with a smile and was piping hot. It was slightly sweet for my palate but I have come to appreciate that this is to the local taste and it was certainly delicious. At 150 pesos it was a good value meal and I have no hesitation in recommending this place.

Favorite Dish: Sweet and sour spareribs with rice.

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I do love to eat food from all corners of the globe but I must confess that my knowledge of Japanese cuisine is effectively limited to a little sushi here and there. I was not, therfore, terribly well equipped to tackle a Japanese restaurant in the Philippines. I need not have worried. The friendliness of service in this country is excellent if the actual service itself sometimes is a little lacking but I was greeted by possibly the most charming servers I have yet encountered, they were superb.

I should say, in the interest of fair reporting, that the owner of the premises, somewhat spookily, has just walked into the place where I am writing this although he cannot see what I am writing and I shall attempt to be objective as always.

Unsure of what to order, I decided that tuna would be a safe bet as I love it, and I ordered the tuna teppanyaki. I had a vague idea what teppanyaki was about and when it arrived I certainly was not disappointed. In the interim period, I busied myself taking a few photos of the spotless and very pleasant interior which was, naturally, Japanese themed. The fans were lovely. The concept of photgraphing anything and eveything appeared to provoke some amusement but it was very good-natured.

This is, however, a restaurant tip so back to the food. The tuna was simply superb. It was very firm and more like eating some sort of meat than fish. I am still unclear as to wht constitutes teppanyaki sauce but I can state categorically that it was delicious. It is only a shame that I was not more hungry and could have done justice to some more food.

I know that there is a buffet on a Friday and Saturday night between 1800 - 2100 which is well patronised. Local chat has it that if you don't get a table by starting time you are unlikely to get one. If you cannot get a table at the buffet, you have naother option. If you have a minimum party of four diners, you can opt for the Teppan Reserve at 399 pesos per person which is basically a large hotplate surrounded by chairs, where chef will cook in front of you a huge selection of food including steak, squid, chicken vegetables etc. etc. as well as some nigiri dishes and a dessert. Looks like good value to me.

I really enjoyed this restaurant and sampled some excellent Japanese food at a price which is a fraction of what I would have paid at home. I must try some more now!

Favorite Dish: The tuna teppanyaki was delicious.

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I think the title of this tip says it all really. Having been in Dumaguete City for some time, I tried to sample as many restaurants as I could, not least to write VT tips about them. What has my life become?

Canto Fresco suffers by comparison. In a city, indeed a street with so many excellent restaurants (see seperate tips on Jo's Inato, Captain Ribbers, Moon Cafe), it is perfectly adequate but far from exceptional. It seems to be an offshoot of anther place in Tacloban City judging by the internet.

The restaurant is situated upstairs in a semi-open setting and was fairly empty when I visited. The four diners pictured were the only other diners in the early evening which is the prime dining time. It is clean and peasant and the waiter greeted me promptly and in a friendly manner. I perused the menu and unfortunately my first choice of dish was not available (not a good sign) so I opted for the beef and mushroom pasta with pesto bread. I had looked at the pizzas but again I was confronted with the age old Asian dining problem that I have mentioned in many other tips. Southeast Asians regard dining alone as being strange, eating is a social event and to be shared. The solo traveller should be aware of this. The result is that all the pizzas here were far too much for me to eat myself.

The meal arrived after a while, a little longer than I would have expected in a nearly empty establishment, and it was very good althought a little on the small side for a main. Again I think it might have been meant as a shared starter and would have been excellent for two as such. At 115 pesos it was not expensive by local standards although I can eat very good food for that money elsewhere.

I so not wish to seem ovelry negative about Canto Fresco, there is nothing wrong with it and a group eating would undoubtedly be wel catered for but, shall we say, it is not high on my list of places to revisit in Dumaguete.

Favorite Dish: The beef and mushroom pasta with pesto bread as described.

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Hayahay on Piapi beach just outside Dumaguete city ia very much all things to all men. It is a bar, although I find it a little lacking in atmosphere, it is arguably 9with Zanzibar) the most popular nightspot at the weekends and it is a very good fish restaurant.

I had been out with my Filipina friend Buena who is from Negros and knows Dumaguete well where we should eat that evening and she suggested this place. Although I perused the menu, which was fairly extensive and predominantly seafood, I went with my usual practice and asked Buena for her local knowledge. She ordered silligaw and some battered prawns. Silligaw is a fish soup flavoured with tamarind I believe, which gives it a sour taste and I love it. This was a good example of the dish. Buena said that the prawns were not done as she was expecting but were very tasty nonetheless.

The service was efficient and friendly and as we waited for the meal to arrive, we amused ourselves taking photos of the oil candles on the table, as you can see in one of the images. I am willing to wager Buena's came out better than mine!

Photography over, the meal arrived and it was very good. As we ate there was an impromptu cabaret consising of a man terrifyng some small children with one of the live crabs which form the selling point of the restaurant. They have tanks of live crustaceans and even live oysters.

Do not be confused by the fact that the seafood restaurant and the adjacent Hayahay bar appear to be different premises, they are not. The place seems equally popular with Philippinos and foreigners and is recommended.

Favorite Dish: The siligaw fish soup as described