Lured by the prospect of having an all-you-can-eat steak and sushi dinner, I had the front desk of the hotel reserve a table for my siblings and myself one afternoon of December. It took us hours of preparation for this mighty event; and we had to fast for at least a day to make room for the countless dishes that are to be offered to us.

My first impression of this buffet dining space is that the place is too crowded for its own good. The dull throbbing music was a pain to listen to, particularly when there's too many background noise from the function room. The ambiance of this place is so-so, as if I would definitely get stomach pains during my dinner.

After acquainting ourselves with our new surroundings, I stood up and made a bee line curve towards the buffet table for an inspection. The food was not that extravagant, contrary to what many people think. Many dishes were either frozen solid (sushi) or overcooked. The steak of this place was too heavy and dry too. The only redeeming factors of this restaurant would be the leche flan and other such rewards.



Hotel Elizabeth Cebu
Archbishop Reyes Avenue
Camputhaw, Cebu City
Philippines

Verdict:

2/5

Not worth the price. There are better restaurants out there. Stay away from this place unless absolutely necessary. Price is outrageous. Definitely not a repeater.

One lazy evening after a hectic day at school, my sister and I decided to chill out and unwind at IT park for the latest happenings and gigs in town. From there on, we took a quick stroll along the bazaar stalls situated in right at the middle of the open area and from there we breezed through our way towards this newly opened restaurant few steps away from Yellow Cab.

Hungry with anticipation to taste new food from this new strange place, we took our seat by the couch and immersed ourselves with easy rhythms played in the background. Our server promptly waited for us to get settled before handing us two tall plastic encased menus before scurrying off to the kitchen to get the next table's already waiting meals.

The place was clean and well kept, bright and pleasant to look at too. The music playing in the background, soft blues and revivals of old favorites from the 80's, just helped us settle in and enjoy the atmosphere. My sister decided to get a Wagyu burger while I got myself a medium well New York Striploin cut. Price-wise, it's extravagantly high for a burger and one piece of steak. In all honesty, I could get better tasting burgers at the right price somewhere else and a good kilogram of aussie striploin from the grocery for a little more. But beside the point, my order was cooked just right withn a hint of spice and its still delicious juices oozing from the meat fibers.



David's Kitchen
E-bloc 2, IT Park Lahug



Verdict: 3/5

The place is expensive, and the service was so-so. I'll give them credit for the aesthetic arrangement of the interiors and the innovative menus, but most of them are stuff even the common householder can do at a much cheaper price. It's not as satisfying as we thought it was (save for the steak. The steak was REAL good.)

The menu had a complete upgrade, increasing the number of items you could order in addition to their staple of chicken wings and drumsticks and kimchi coleslaw. Years from our first visit, they now had jap chae, fish taco, galbi jjim and a number of other chicken cuts available for sale. We had galbi jjim, combo meal with 6 wing parts and 3 drumsticks and drinks.

The taste was still the same from when I remember it, although this time, the soy garlic flavor wins thanks to its more complex taste as opposed to the mild spice the other flavor offered. The galbi's meat was a little too sweet for my taste too. The kimchi coleslaw was too watery and had a more dominant mayo over the kimchi feel.

Advertised as one of the earliest smokeless grills in town, Yugo is a fairly new restaurant that boast its assortment of dishes from three neighboring cuisines, namely Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisines. The assortment is astounding, and the choice combinations are almost near infinite..The place is spacious and there seemed to be enough legroom for everybody!
The secret to their process of eliminating smoke from the grill is to have a ready made suction device that absorbs all unpleasant fumes. t'was a very fun evening with my siblings and my sister's workforce..

Yugo
IT Park Lahug


Verdict:: 3/5
With so many grill restaurants soon, you really do have to innovate to survive thje market and the competition. Good work on thinking all three cuisines in one.

One evening as we were off to the mall to eat dinner late at night, we decided to try Gerry's grill for a change. My experience there wasn't the best of experiences, simply because of the lackluster service the waiters offered. One in  particular a certain one called Degie, who had the gall to put us on hold when in fact that we asked for service at a much earlier time than the koreans who just came into the restaurant and sat right at the next table. And when he was taking our orders, it did feel like he had his attention divided by something, answering no to everything when upon being asked again, he answered yes.

We had a plate of Spicy Shellfish,. a sizzling plate of baby squid skewers, and a generous amount of binagoongang baboy (sauteed shrimp paste with pork bits). The spicy shellfish was... flat out gross (maybe it was the shellfish, maybe it was the sauce that was too spicy and watery to hide the seafood taste). As a saving grace of this restaurant, thankfully the baby squid skewers were superb while the binagoongang baboy was above average.






Gerry's Grill
Ayala terraces


Verdict: 1.5/5

The service for this visit is crap. This restaurant is definitely not one of those sit down and talk type of appointments, seeing that there's a lot of people drinking alcohol and getting drunk. Even the menu looks as if its meals are for pulutan/pica pica.

Having heard several good reviews about this Japanese restaurant, my sister and I decided to visit the place for a quick dinner amidst the spirited atmosphere of SM's activity area. And we did, after we did some light shopping for items that we needed at home. The ambiance is pleasant and semi private, shielded from most of the noise just outside the premises. In the background, they play quaint Japanese music that goes really well with our dining experience.

I've noticed that only a few people visit the place, mostly foreigners and Koreans, which are probably the intended target customers. The menu is fairly priced, affordable compared to other Japanese restaurants that charge exorbitant amounts for very little food. For starters, we ordered a mix okonomiyaki, a Japanese version of a pancake-omelet. For the main course, I had for myself a medium sized bowl with several scrap slices of sashimi on top of rice (bara chirashi sushi) and my sister got herself a sushi-sashimi-tempura set meal. We even had a steaming pot of green tea on the house to complement the heavy meal that we had. To my surprise, my order, the bara chirashi sushi had sea urchin in it! Yum!

Little Nonki
SM Cebu


Verdict: 4.5/5
I'm really pleased with my visit here. I'm definitely coming back if I have the chance.

Neighboring Army Navy in IT Park Lahug is a newly opened restaurant that is supposedly to be a rival of Chicken BonChon. As Chicken Charlie puts it, their secret to their addicting chicken meal is to fry it twice, first with a flavor of your choice followed by another deep broil to lock in the flavor. You also have the option to savor your meal with a serving of iced tea and soda by the glass. If you prefer something fancier and a little bit pricier, one can opt for bottled ginger ale and sarsaparilla.

Interestingly, the chicken is indeed crispy by far, perhaps just as good as Chowking's Chinese style fried chicken. Their drumsticks and wings are sprayed with a delicate hint of a flavor of your choice: soy garlic or sweet spicy. As an added feature, they have this tiny warning device given to you so you can know whether your order is ready for pickup. Pretty nifty, huh?

 As opposed to BonChon, the meal is close to a disappointment. We realized it one minute too late the moment we sank our teeth into the soft tender flesh of the freshly seared poultry. The flavor was only skin deep!





Chicken Charlie
eBloc 2, Asiatown IT Park

Verdict:
2.5/5


The meal itself is average, a bit pricy if you ask me, 4 pieces of wings and 4 pieces of drumsticks with a pair of refreshments cost us around 400. 

 Part of our Cebu tour for our 98 year old grandmother is treating her around Ayala premises so she can sample different cuisines during her vacation. As agreed upon this week, we took her to Banana Leaf, an Asian fusion restaurant. The servers were prompt and polite, genuinely interested in giving her the best service they could provide even though the place was packed during lunch time.

 For starters, we had Thai Style pomelo salad, a fruity and nutty blend of grated coconut, pomelo and greens, a serving of Roti Canai, an Indian influenced flat bread that goes well as is. Once we were done, we ordered granny dearest a set meal of Hainanese Chicken, complete with chicken soup stock, slow broiled pieces of soft meat, Pad Thai, two hearty slabs of baby back ribs and a serving of black curry lamb.

Most of the orders here were somewhat of a disappointment, given the fact that many had coconut as an extender. The Black Curry Lamb didn't even have a hint of curry but just had tons of blackened coconut gratings cleverly hidden as "curry", and the pomelo salad, something we were sure that didn't have coconut cream now tasted awful because of it. The served ribs were so-so, assuming you were into over cooked meat with too much sauce in it. On the good side, the pad thai, the roti and the hainanese chicken were good orders, thankfully.

Banana Leaf, Ayala Center Cebu

Apparently, McDonald's released a new type of burger in their arsenal of food as a response to the newly opened burger house at IT Park, Lahug. They aptly named it the "Big and Meaty Burger", which is composed of a big burger patty topped with a generous amount of sauce, a big slice of melted cheese, slivers of sweet pickles and finally chilled fresh lettuce. The burger meal comes with the typical regular fries and soda that can be upsized to your liking.

Definitely, this burger can compare to the big league of specialized burger stations like "Flame It!" and "Burger King", to name a few. The patty is tasty enough without the that nasty preservative and extender taste you can clearly tell in that one local fast food shop here in the Philippines. Not only that, but the sauce in it complements the meal as a whole. The only drawback of this burger is that I'm pretty certain that it has extra salt sprinkled on top of it, which may affect the taste and quality of the meat. Maybe they should ask the customer if they wanted that on their burger?

McDonald's
IT Park Lahug



Verdict: 3.5/5
The fries were soggy and pathetic, otherwise, the burger tastes great. A good meal for anyone on a budget and doesn't feel like eating chicken. Still a long way to go from being the best burger in town though.

We visited Lemon Grass Restaurant yesterday on the way to an office mate's house party for a quick bite of food while they were still out of their apartment. This restaurant offers a curious twist of vietnamese and thai cuisine that's definitely a fresh way to view things when you're tired of the repetitive japanese, chinese or korean meals you'd get if you're hungry and craving for something Asian.

Level 1, The Terraces
Ayala Center Cebu
Cebu Business Park
Cebu City, Philippines
(+63 32) 233.8601




Verdict:

4.5/5

This is a good place to eat, contrary to popular belief.

This is the first time we brought our 97 year old grandmum out to a decent restaurant in ayala center Cebu. What bothered me was that Cafe Laguna had average PWD facilities, making it almost impossible to use wheel chairs.

Upon entering the facility, the servers were too busy with what they were doing despite the fact that the place was vacant. I never really understood why that was the case, but it continued for 20 minutes tops.


We had their Pinoy High Tea which is composed of mini treats like small buns with tuna flakes, some bibingka (rice cakes), espasol (rice treat with ground rice powder and caramelized sugar), and turon (caramelized sugar placed on top of fried banana). We also ordered an additional serving of Puto (rice cake from manila), puto bumbong (again, another rice delicacy with melted butter, graded coconut and sugar) and bibingka. It seemed like they forgot the serve us the tea once, and when it was served, it was warm.when it should have been HOT, and oh, did I mention that no one wanted to attend to us when we were requesting a few glasses of water?



The food is exceptional I'll grant that. But it seems like we just caught them at a wrong time and date.




Café Laguna
Ayala Center Cebu Branch
Level 1, The Terraces
Ayala Center Cebu,
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
(+63 32) 231.0922


Verdict:

3.5/5

I'll be fair and give it a passing 3.5 when it should have been a 4.5. Maybe The service will improve eventually.

Army Navy

Rumors do spread like wildfire indeed, as word on the streets reached our ears that a new branch of Army Navy has arrived here in Cebu. After buying my (newish) second hand Experia active, my sister and I were eager to try and compare the newly built Army Navy with the branch back in Glorietta.

The place still smelled of wet cement and paint, but had the same old feel and ambiance of Army Navy. The same old menu we loved back then was still there, something that felt new and refreshing in contrast to the normal fast food joint. I mean, where can you find a burger joint that sells three-patty burgers, some really good milkshakes, and awesome burritos?

Anyway, I mentioned that three-patty burger right? We had that (it's called Bully Boy burger) and a Starving Sailor sandwich, which had thin slices of Rib Eye steak in it. The Bully Boy burger had three delicious juicy beef patties and vegetables in two lightly toasted burger buns in contrast to the Starving Sailor sandwich that had moist medium well strips of meat and veggies. We had these sandwiches paired with a serve of onion rings, fries, Libertea (their special brewed iced tea) and a can of soda.


Army Navy
Eblock2, IT Park, Cebu City


Verdict: 4/5
The food is scrumptiously delicious! The drawback to this is that they have very expensive meals (had to pay around 700+ for two sandwiches.) Not for the faint of wallets!

We came upon this korean-themed restaurant in IT park one fine evening after gym and decided to try why many people opt for this restaurant. The interiors looked cozy enough and even the atmosphere was pleasant enough.

Oh boy, how wrong we were...

As I've said, the place from the outside looked pleasing to the eyes. As we were seated, we were attended to by this young lady in her late 20s. From the name of the restaurant itself, we were ready to acknowledge that the house specializes in, drum roll please, no other than chicken.

And of course, local and imported beer. The food wasn't much, definitely not a place you should go to if you're looking for a quiet place to unwind and enjoy the evening's meal with fellow friends and workers. The food here is over priced, not to mention the poor service where the servers stood there idly in a corner, talking to each other. The Crispy Pork Leg took forever to arrive, and the kimchi was too sour. The sisig was ok, but that's that.


Chicken And Beer 
Asiatown IT Park, Lahug (Padriga St.)

Verdict:
2.5/5

Not very satisfactory. Perhaps if I were out to get a drink, sure. But otherwise, no.

Located a few steps away from the main entrance of the JP Morgan building, this casual dining restaurant offers the relaxing ambiance of Filipino dining while maintaining its traditional Chinese feel. We arrived here a few minutes past 5:30 and were seated comfortably to one of the establishment's couches. The restaurant was as empty as it could be, perhaps because of a bad choice of location or simply the budget. But it was one of the things I liked about this place, the absence of chit chattering individuals who can't seem to stop yapping about who did what in their workspace.

I was surprised by the service of this place; within five minutes after finalizing our order and myself coming back from the public washroom, several plates of food were laid out in front of me and my sister for our consumption. We had crispy noodles, macao roast pig, radish cake and kung pao chicken.

The crispy noodles were somewhat of a disappointment, having been immersed in too much sauce for one to enjoy. Although to make up for it, the noodles absorbed as much juice that complements what's left of the crispiness it's supposed to have. The roast pig is good, soft but dry and the sour spicy sauce is very good. The radish cake is an excellent order, if I say so myself. The Kung Pao Chicken is okay, as I don't have a basis to compare it with something else as of now.

Chopsticks
Unit 101, E-bloc Tower 1
Asiatown I.T. Park Lahug

Verdict: Perhaps an update in the menu would be a good thing seeing how there's very little to choose from. Promos to attract customers too would help. The place lacks... a certain appeal that would make their customers regulars.