Things to do in Dumaguete City

If I only had a day or two in Dumaguete City, Philippines, I would probably do the following again:

 1. Hangout at Hayahay Treehouse and View Deck Restaurant or Lab-a Seafood Restaurant (same area) and eat Baked Fresh Oysters or Talaba!

Baked Fresh Oysters (Talaba!)

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Cafe Breton's Mozzarella Burger

Cafe Breton
French Crepes and Fine Coffee

"Britain" is short for Great Britain, and a "Briton" is a native of Great Britain.  "Brittany" is a region of France, and a "Breton" is a native of Brittany.

When craving for dessert crepes, everyone in Manila rushes to Cafe Breton to get their fix.  Unknown to most people, this cafe also serves one of the best burgers in town!  

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Hong Kong Smorgasbord

Went to a 3 day Shopping and Food trip Adventure in Hong Kong courtesy of The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank!  (Used the credit card to avail of a free round trip ticket to Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific!).  While everyone came ready to shop, not much research and preparation was done for the food tripping part.  Here's a not so comprehensive guide to Hong Kong's food scene.

From our hotel at Tin Hau station, we wanted to go to Times Square in search for Lei Garden Restaurant which was highly recommended by a friend.  Upon asking a local, he pointed us to LEE GARDENS TOWER!  So we had no choice but to make a quick stop at the West Villa Restaurant (西苑酒家) located inside Lee Gardens Tower 2.  

West Villa Restaurant Hong Kong

While it wasn't our intended destination, everyone came out full and satisfied with the dishes served at this restaurant.  Voted favorites were the Pork Xiao Mai, Chicken Feet, Hakao, and the crunchy vegetable.  The Chinese are really great vegetable farmers.  Whether you're in Beijing or Hong Kong, the vegetables are always so plump, green, fresh, and crunchy!  We aslo ordered the Spicy Beef Stew with Enoki mushrooms.  While the flavors were good, the broth was too spicy for our Filipino tastes buds.  Lesson learned: never order anything with Spicy on the label!  

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Steamed Shrimps in Ginger Chili Shallot Sauce

In another Masterchef Australia Masterclass episode, Celebrity Chef Peter Kuruvita, owner of the renowned Seafood restaurant -Flying Fish-  in Australia, was invited to teach the Masterchef contestants a few tips on how to cook shellfish.  In that particular episode, he prepared Marrons with Ginger Chili Shallot Sauce.  He specifically said that the sauce he's using has been used in his restaurant for years!  It's a time tested recipe that his patrons just come back for every time.  It's one of his trade secrets!  Knowing this, I couldn't wait to try the sauce and see how it tastes.  I jotted down notes and came up with this recipe for all of us to enjoy!  It's a majestic universal sauce that can be used for any shellfish.  Peter even said that it can be used for chicken.  Go ahead and give it a try!

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Triple Decker Cheesecake - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Triple Decker Cheesecake at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

The Triple Decker Cheesecake: Layer on layer of Coffee Bean's Coffee, Oreo, and Chicago Cheesecakes with an almond cookie crust.  According to the their site, it is best paired with the Southern Blended Iced Tea.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is opening soon at Abreeza Mall in Davao City.  While I wasn't totally sold out with this cake, it's a great way to sample the different cheesecake flavors that The Coffee Bean has to offer.  I liked the Coffee Cheesecake best.  Didn't care much for the Oreo flavored Cheesecake.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Store Directory

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Pomelo Salad Thai-Style (Yam Som-O)

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Yam Som-O is how people in Thailand call Pomelo Salad.  I first got introduced to this salad a couple of years back when my sister took me to eat at People's Palace - a modern Thai cuisine restaurant in Greenbelt 3 ran by Chef Colin Mackay.  The salad was so good I was blown away by the mix of fresh flavors with just the right amounts of acidity and seasoning.  I remember listing the ingredients after we ate the salad but I never got to try and make the dish myself.  That is until recently, when sacks of Pink Pomelo from Davao, landed on our doorsteps.  I do not claim this to be anything like the Pomelo Salad at People's Palace because only emotional remnants of that experience remain.  I have to back there and eat that salad again.  And then maybe I can come up with a new version of this refreshing and healthy dish.  Regardless, this version of the Pomelo Salad by A Billion Chefs is as good and memorable as well.  

Thai Pomelo Salad (Yam Som-o)

Thai Pomelo Salad (Yam Som-O)

By: Chef $B

(2-3 individual servings)

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Baby Back Ribs!

One very intriguing dish is the very succulent and juicy Barbecued Baby Back Ribs!  First and foremost, the size of the meat is quite intimidating.  And since you don't normally see this cut of meat cooked at home,  one is led to believe that it's hard and complicated to prepare.  You'd be surprised that it actually is quite easy to prepare!  While it takes a lot of time to make the meat really tender, the process is very simple.  You can just leave the mixture behind and let the heat and the braising liquid do their job.

While watching season 2 of MasterChef Australia, chefs and hosts Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris held a Master Class teaching the contestants how to make American-style Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs!  All the contestants were dying to try the dish and it left my mouth watering after the said episode.  And so now that I know how easy it is to make, I tried cooking a batch last night.  I adopted this Baby Back Ribs recipe from Gary's version.  It's an absolute winner! Enjoy!  

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Alor's A Home Kitchen Davao - New Menu

In the company of friends, I got to try out a few new addition to Alor's A Home Kitchen's Menu.  With these additions, Alor's is definitely transitioning from home-cooking goodness to heavenly gourmet. If you haven't been to this restaurant in Davao, check out my recommendations for Alor's A Home Kitchen here.  

Warning: These pictures could possibly be detrimental to your health.  View with caution.

ROAST BEEF - USDA CHOICE GRADE

Roast Beef (USDA Choice Grade): Melt-in-your-mouth tenderness paired with an intoxicatingly good Pepper Gravy.  Gather a group of 6 and your group would be better off eating this rather than eating the steaks at Sarung Banggi. 

More pictures after the jump!

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