French Baker

The last time I ate here was I think 8 years ago. Fast forward to the present, after reading their new menu, I ordered the Hickory Spareribs dish.

After 3 minutes, they served me a complimentary bowl of soup which was thick and delicious.

After another 4 minutes, my spareribs arrived. It was huge and had sides of vegetables. The spareribs was tasty and had only a few fat in it. I like the sauce as well as how the pork was grilled. Very yummy.

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French Baker
SM City Cebu
(032)2321637
French Baker Website

Coffeebreak

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Coffeebreak
Branches at: Atrium, Plaza Libertad, Nelly Garden, Plazuela, SM Delgado
(033)3350935; (033)3373051
Coffeebreak Website
Coffeebreak on Facebook

Amalfi

I have always reserved eating here for special occasions because I thought their prices are through-the-roof considering that they belong to Philippine Tatler's Best Restaurants. One night was no special occasion but I found myself there anyway. I was proven wrong about their prices when I scanned their menu for the first time.

My friends and I had Pizza Margarita, Pesto Genovese and Tuna Al Lemone.

They served complimentary pieces of bread with a balsamic vinegar+olive oil+parmesan mixture they poured themselves.

The pizza arrived after 20 minutes. And I got to confirm what my friend said - that the pizzas there are good. It had a thick layer of mozzarella cheese, which isn't sum-od except when the pizza got cold. The tomato used was local, I reckon but it still tasted good anyway. The crust is perfect - thin yet not too chewy or crunchy.

As for the pesto, I don't really like Pesto. In fact, the only time I ordered it was way back in high school. It looked overcooked though, and when I tasted it, it was good so much so that I didn't mind the overcooked noodles. However, it gets a little bland after a while. It seems to lack something. But that feeling only happened in the last few mouthfuls we had.

The tuna pasta was great. I like the mixture of flavors brought about by the mushrooms, lemon, herbs and more.

My first visit will see a next time. Steps of Rome is out, Amalfi is in. It is that good.

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Amalfi
The Avenue, Smallville Complex
BS Aquino Ave., Iloilo City
(033)3295289

Dapog

Two years ago, Dapog just opened and I found myself there with a bunch of HS friends eating fatty food. I wouldn't have returned had I not seen their new items on their menu via facebook.

Food there now is cheaper and better. But flies were all over the place and waiters and waitresses go missing giving you a hard time to tell them what you want. They also do not speak a lot like they just placed my order on the table and moved on. And they just gave my bill and change without a word. And worse, they didn't reply to my "Thank You!"

Still I like the food there.

The Grilled Pork is unique tasting and tender. There was only a few fat so it didn't make for a lu-od/sum-od meal.

The Lechon Chips were thin slices of lechon coated with batter and fried.

Servings were large and food is cheap. Really worth it.

This is a place to eat when you feel like eating a lot, want to gain, miss pork, celebrate, destress or eat tasty food. The place feels like Cebu so it is a place to eat if you miss Cebu. Lechon is available from Wednesday-Sunday.

I will come back to try their Balbacua and Humba.

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Dapog
BS Aquino Ave., Iloilo City

Summerhouse

I missed Patatim so I dragged my friends to Summerhouse where we had Patatim as well as Camaron, Chopsuey and Crabmeat Fried Rice.

The Patatim was tender, tasty and large - err, very large. There were 4 of us and we ate a lot yet a considerable amount/chunk still remained. I really like that it is tender.

All the other dishes were delicious but I focused on the Patatim. :) The Camaron deserves special mention, however.

Cheap good food. No wonder Summerhouse is a landmark. I can't wait to come back.

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Summerhouse
Iznart St., Iloilo City
(033)3374251

Hungry Ninja

Yum yum. I had Beef Pho and Pork Gung-Ho. When I ordered, the waitress warned me that the Pork dish is spicy. I just nodded my head because I can tolerate hot spicy food. However, when I added Beef Pho, she didn't warn me that it was spicy. Even way spicier than the Pork Gung-Ho.

The Pho was hot and - yes, I already mentioned it - spicy but it easily cooled down. It came in a large bowl to think I ordered the snack size Pho. There were noodles, bean sprouts and three thin measly slices of beef. I particularly like the basil and lemon which added a twist to it.

The Pork Gung-Ho is sweet and spicy and amazing. I like that the rice is mixed with the sauce unlike all other rice toppins wherein they just put it on top of plain rice. This was a welcome change. I like that there were plenty of meat and less fat. It was really delicious!

The downside is that the place is small and it can get really cramped especially during rush hours. They also do not serve service water.

But, I still can't wait to return n times to taste the rest of the menu! :)

Hungry Ninja
General Luna Street, Iloilo City
(033)5090100

Mansion Garden

I was feeling a little bored so I headed downtown and ate at Mansion Garden. I had chicken, shanghai rice and Pancit Guisado.

The Fried Chicken was very small. :( And it tasted so-so.

The Shanghai Rice was huge, delicious and had lots of bits in it.

The Pancit Guisado tasted weird at first but after a douse of calamansi, it tasted very well. I like that it had a lot of things in it. They say Mansion Garden's noodles are the best but I'm not really into noodles and I have'nt tasted one that will blow my minds off.

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Mansion Garden
2P Rizal-Gomez Streets, Iloilo City
(033)3371211
Open everyday from 8AM-8PM