Dumaguete Is Quiet Tonight

[Dave Hounddriver]

After a long rainy day it was finally dry enough to go for an evening walk along the boulevard and go get something to eat.

 

Although the rain has stopped, the waves crashing on the boulevard made for a bit of a wet walk and that may be why the there were not too many people out.

 

After an hour of that I went to Lee Plaza to get some freshly ground coffee for my morning cuppa.  Again, not many people.  Only one ahead of me in line and this close to Christmas that is very unusual.

 

There are getting to be dozens of places to eat near the boulevard and I had my mind set on Captain Ribbers so we wandered over there.  Closed.  Not permanently closed but the sign said closed for a party.  I guess they picked a good night as none of the other restaurants were particularly busy either so we went to an old favorite:  Flaming Grill.  The usual half full place served the usual 'not half bad' grub at a really great price and with bellies filled we headed over to:

 

Christmas House.  This is a yearly thing in Dumaguete.  A house that is full of lights and decorations and open to the public to wander around and browse, buy some popcorn and take some pictures.  But it was also closed.  Strange.  They were open on Sunday Dec 6 and again Thursday Dec 17.  Every other night they have been closed.  Very unusual.  If anyone wants to check it out they usually open at 8pm so we shall keep trying on other evenings.

 

And that was our very quiet evening in Dumaguete.

[sonjack2847]

After a long rainy day it was finally dry enough to go for an evening walk along the boulevard and go get something to eat.

 

Although the rain has stopped, the waves crashing on the boulevard made for a bit of a wet walk and that may be why the there were not too many people out.

 

After an hour of that I went to Lee Plaza to get some freshly ground coffee for my morning cuppa.  Again, not many people.  Only one ahead of me in line and this close to Christmas that is very unusual.

 

There are getting to be dozens of places to eat near the boulevard and I had my mind set on Captain Ribbers so we wandered over there.  Closed.  Not permanently closed but the sign said closed for a party.  I guess they picked a good night as none of the other restaurants were particularly busy either so we went to an old favorite:  Flaming Grill.  The usual half full place served the usual 'not half bad' grub at a really great price and with bellies filled we headed over to:

 

Christmas House.  This is a yearly thing in Dumaguete.  A house that is full of lights and decorations and open to the public to wander around and browse, buy some popcorn and take some pictures.  But it was also closed.  Strange.  They were open on Sunday Dec 6 and again Thursday Dec 17.  Every other night they have been closed.  Very unusual.  If anyone wants to check it out they usually open at 8pm so we shall keep trying on other evenings.

 

And that was our very quiet evening in Dumaguete.

Flaming has a very good reputation even here on Cebu

[Eddie1]

Hi Dave,

 

I didn't really get to try many restaurants in Dumaguete other than the main one's along the boulevard, I kept getting drawn back to Coco Amigos and sometimes Casablanca and Hayahay (probably misspelt, lol)  just didn't have enough local knowledge to be honest.  

How do they compare with the restaurants that you visit as a local, do you visit these or are they just a catch for the tourists? 

[Dave Hounddriver]

Coco Amigos and sometimes Casablanca and Hayahay

 

These are all fine restaurants and good deals can be found at each of them.  I find it easy to go over budget at each of those places and I am spoiled enough that I prefer air conditioning which is not available at Coco Amigos and Hayahay.  The 3 best budget places where I can get decent food in air conditioned comfort for somewhat less than 400 pesos for dinner for 2 would be Sans Rival, on the boulevard, Flaming Grill, where we ate tonight, and Nevas Pizza.  2 honorable mention places for those on a tight budget would be Sta Teresa's, (alas no aircon but good local food at low cost) and Captain Ribbers.  Each of these has decent food at under 200 pesos a head but there really are scads of nice places for not much more money.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Dave Hounddriver

[RBM]

Gentlemen if your looking for excellent food at an extremely affordable price I found the spot.

We tried last trip and will be there again tomorrow night. The owner is a friendly Jamacian serving same foods. He invited my partner to check out the kitchen, she said cleaner than a surgery, spotless. He inspects it with a flash lite after every cleaning.

The complimentary dish, served soon as you sit is a meal in itself. And lovely. There Is air con and terrace dining, the terrace is a little close to the streets but suits us just fine. Menu is simple, food of high quality with many curries available. No MSG used and emphasis on healthy foods. Best of all no wine charge.

OK Rave over its TRUE LOVE from memory just about 1 km after Robinsons, same side.

Oh please do not expect a high class resto, simple cosy and friendly is what to expect.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Gentlemen if your looking for excellent food at an extremely affordable price I found the spot.

We tried last trip and will be there again tomorrow night. The owner is a friendly Jamacian serving same foods. He invited my partner to check out the kitchen, she said cleaner than a surgery, spotless. He inspects it with a flash lite after every cleaning.

The complimentary dish, served soon as you sit is a meal in itself. And lovely. There Is air con and terrace dining, the terrace is a little close to the streets but suits us just fine. Menu is simple, food of high quality with many curries available. No MSG used and emphasis on healthy foods. Best of all no wine charge.

OK Rave over its TRUE LOVE from memory just about 1 km after Robinsons, same side.

Oh please do not expect a high class resto, simple cosy and friendly is what to expect.

 

Does the place have a name? 

[Dave Hounddriver]

Does the place have a name? 

 

 

its TRUE LOVE

 

I believe its actually One Love.  Some love it and others do not.  I found it WAY too spicy for me but surely others will want to try it.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Dave Hounddriver

[RBM]

Does the place have a name?

 

 

its TRUE LOVE

 

I believe its actually One Love.  Some love it and others do not.  I found it WAY too spicy for me but surely others will want to try it.

True Love Dave, formally one love.

Strange as we found the spice very mild, how ever fond of Indian food which may explain this.

Try it again some time you may well be pleasantly surprised.

[mogo51]

I read a very good report on this restaurant on another forum a few days ago.  The guy also does a lot of charity work apparently.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, mogo51 said:

I read a very good report on this restaurant on another forum a few days ago.

You refer to True Love?  I'd be careful with the good reports on other forums.  Some forums do no allow negative publicity to their paid advertisers and others actually pay people to write reviews.  Yes, I've been paid to write a few.  It does not pay much.

As to True Love. Some like it, I don't.  Here's a story:

One of my friends passed away a couple years ago and another friend organized the eats at the funeral.  He provided food from True Love because he thought it was sooooooo great.  He and his wife were the only ones to eat more than a few bites of it.  At least, that is what I saw.  If he ever reads this he will surely disagree  because those who really love something have a hard time seeing others who do not love it equally.