Ranel's

I don't know why I am wasting energy blogging about this...

The palabok was not tasty. I even ate the pieces of onion so as to add a kick to it. It wasn't even hot. I mean I don't like steaming hot food but if it isn't delicious, it should have been hot so as to be enjoyable.

The bread is the worst. The tuna flakes were just toppings to a boring bread which tasted like it was fresh days ago.

I will never return here. 

Ranel's
Iznart, Iloilo City

Steps of Rome

I wouldn't have wanted to eat here because I promised my friend that I would treat her here if they won first place in the Chorale Competition at school. Even if they didn't win, I still want to treat her because she deserved it anyway. Another friend wanted to eat here for a HS classmate's despedida. So I found myself at Steps of Rome. :)

My friends had pastas while I had Chicken Parmigiana. I wanted to try the Steak Florentine, Chicken with Garlic and Olive Oil, Italian Baby Back Ribs and Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet. I also want to try their buffet. :)

Anyway, the Chicken Parmigiana was disappointing. Even if it came on a huge plate of buttered pasta, the chicken batter was thick. I also didn't like the chicken skin in between the chicken meat and the batter. The ham was small and the cheese was minute that I couldn't even taste it.

My classmate's Marinara had squid which felt like bubble gum.

Another classmate treated us with the chicken barbecue pizza. It was fine though.

I will return here for their weekly weekend buffet.

Menu. Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Steps of Rome
Plazuela, Diversion Road, Iloilo City
(033)3333509

Lai Garden

I had Beef Brisket Rice and an assortment of Dumplings.

I like that the Rice Toppings was steaming hot... but the serving is small.

And the dumplings were cold.

Food is generally so-so. I think Dimsum Break is better.

I also don't like the service because waiters kept ignoring me and it took a while for my dumplings to arrive. I thought they didn't take my order or they forgot.

Wake up, Lai Garden!

Menu. Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Lai Garden
North Wing, SM City Cebu

Dexter's Pizza

Even if we were still full from Foodnet (what with the cheap prices!!!), we just had to try the pizza place a little across it.

We ordered a bacon cheeseburger pizza at only PhP190. The pizza, which arrived 18 minutes after they took our order, was regular in size and packed with meat and only PhP190 (I just can't get over it, can I?)! Yes, it was delicious and the owner (I assume) was pleasing and accommodating. I certainly recommend this!

Menu. Click to enlarge. Open in a new tab to superenlarge.

Dexter's Pizza
Sta Catalina, Dumaguete City
(035)4222029
Open from 10 AM - 10 PM everyday
Dexter's Pizza on Facebook

Foodnet

After a whole day of touring Valencia and just eating canned goods, we were famished. Since we were to leave the following day, we had have to try Foodnet, which is ubiquituous in Dumaguete.

It was like a carenderia (or maybe it IS a carenderia!) wherein you have to line, point at what you want, pay for your order and bring your tray to your table.

Honestly, I was having a hard time choosing what to eat. It all looked so good and I wanted to try all of them! In the end, I chose a fried pork dish. My friends had curry and maja blanca.

The fried pork dish was spicy. And crunchy and meaty. It was a little less than heaven, but nevertheless heaven, for me.

I asked some curry from my friends but I forgot how it tasted.

The maja blanca was cheap at (as far as I can remember) PhP10.

Dishes are at PhP35 per serving. Mind you, their dishes are huge!!! :) And, what is most amazing is that rice is at PhP5 only! :)

This is my favorite eatery in Dumaguete and I will really return here. So worth it! 

Foodnet
Everywhere in Dumaguete

Tsokolate and Bread

While in Siquijor, it was a daily morning ritual to buy bread at their market. Their bread is soft and delicious. I could consume packs of it.

My friend who strolled around the market, found a stall which sells tsokolate. She bought one and dipped bread in it. She made me try some to my delight!

The tsokolate was very thick and it paired with the bread is just heaven. But then again, the bread alone is heaven. I'm not just much of a tsokolate fanatic. But, yeah, it was thick, very thick. :)

Siquijor Public Market

Gabby's

Because we were tired from roaming around the city and because we had to try all recommended restaurants, we just had to go to Gabby's even if we were still full from a late lunch at Hayahay.

There are a lot of good things at Gabby's. We had a hard time choosing what to order. Finally, my friend had fruit salad which was fresh unlike those in other restaurants which came "fresh"... from the can.

We also had their Oreo Bananza which was so huge that our group of 5 all had our fill of it. I particularly love the oreo cookies that came along with it as well as the chocolate and vanilla combination.

We also had their pizza with everything on it. I love the softness of the crust and the flavors of all ingredients teeming up to blow you out of your mind! :) The menu particularly says "onions, bellpepper, garlic, black olives, ground gabby patties, bbq sauce, button mushrooms, pepperoni, bacon, ham, pineapple, grilled chicken strips, hungarian sausage, salami, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese." Now, isn't that a mouthful? 

 
Menu. Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

Gabby's Bistro
Rovira Road, Bantayan, Dumaguete City (tell the tricycle driver "Florentina")
(035)4220827
Gabby's Website
Gabby's on Facebook

Scooby's

I had to make the most out of my Dumaguete trip so even after a late evening stroll, I had to eat at Scooby's.

I had their tsokolate and budbud. The tsokolate was so rich...

...and the budbud so cheap and delicious that if it weren't night time, I would have eaten more of it!

Scooby'sAll Around Dumaguete

Coco Amigos

Because we had a rough ride from Siquijor, we rewarded ourselves with a meal at the famed Coco Amigos.

We had Burritos de Pollo, Picadillo, Carbonara and Pizza Amigos. Our food arrived in 20  minutes.

The Pizza Amigos was meaty and cheesy. I didn't even notice that there were tomatoes.

The Picadillo is beef tenderloin with spicy hot sauce. The beef was tender but the sauce wasn't that spicy.

The carbonara was fine while the Burritos is the winner.

There were two burritos with all sorts of dips - salsa, guacamole and hot sauce. It was a far cry from that in Lava's. It was delicious and had plenty of chicken cuts. The salsa was the best while the guacamole wasn't that tasty. I didn't try the hot sauce because my male friend couldn't even take it.

There were a lot of foreigners and the atmosphere was laid back. Certainly the best!

Menu. Click to enlarge. Open in new tabs to superenlarge.

 

Coco Amigos
Boulevard, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
(035)2261207
Coco Amigos Website
Coco Amigos on Facebook