Bang Bang Coffee

Eddie brought Korina to Manila for her school enrollment; she'll be a dormer for her college years.  For a fast dinner, Vicky and I took them to Bang Bang Coffee along Tomas Morato.  I usually associate "Bang Bang" with the movies--"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (You Only Live Twice)," and this was a cool twist to the name.

Korina had carbonara, Vicky asked for a steak (which wasn't bad at all), while Eddie and I took a burger each.  I was attracted to the burger because of the large tarpaulin advertisements that this establishment posted at its doorstep, the "Bang Bang Burger" had a nice ring to it--and I wasn't mistaken.  The patty was large, juicy and tasty!

With our drinks we spent something like P300 per head, which was pretty reasonable for the amount of food that we had!  The place also has some refreshing juice shakes, and while we didn't take coffee that night, the aroma of fresh brew was something we enjoyed throughout the evening.

Balkan

Anthon Berg

We opened the two bars of Anthon Berg chocolates that I purchased in Singapore.  Yummy yummy... Smooth and not too sweet.  These Danish chocolate bars are addictive; I want more!

On the Boulevard

While everyone was having breakfast at Chico's I took a fast stroll around the Dumaguete boulevard--memories of running around here when we were kids came flooding back.  Kong Kong used to tell me stories about there being a diving platform located several meters off the shoreline, and that when they were kids, the siblings would swim all the way up to the platform.  The boulevard is different now, more ships to see, more pubs blaring loud music, more tourists, more hotels--progress is evident.  Thinking out loud, I kept on humming to myself that Manhattan Transfer song "On the Boulevard," and I just had a big smile on my face, reminiscing about the good old days!

Marker commemorating the arrival of the sisters of St. Paul

Ang Tay Golf Course

Another 9 hole golf course in Dumaguete City that we found was the Ang Tay golf course, which is located just within city limits, very near the airport.  We weren't able to go all the way in, but we had a brief stop at the driving range.  I understand the for 18 holes (2 rounds of 9 holes each), the green fee is only P1,700 which, the golfers say, is very reasonable.  Don't know much about the difficulty level though, but seems like a pretty easy flat course for my friends who are probably single-digit handicappers.  Naks naman!

Swiss Deli

Lola Dee, Tita Tootsie and Tito Jorge arrived home from their brief trip to Davao with lots of Swiss Deli sausages, practically a boxful at that.  We're going to have many nights of easy-cook dinners in Ermita, just open the packs and boil away!  This deli has the whole gamut of sausages--Cervelats, spicy Hungarians, franks, Schubligs, Italian garlic, and Vienna sausages to name a few.  I understand the pricing is also reasonable, going at the range of P400-P500 per kilo.

Chico's

Eddie took us for a fast brekky at Chico's, along the seafront boulevard.  This place is a haven for continental deli items, and we found ourselves indulging in various meats.  Pricing is very reasonable, around P250 per head on the average.

They also have a good selection of wines and liqueurs, canned produce, meats and veggies, and I realized that the city had a good number of Europeans and Americans, as the door seemed to open up to expats every 5 minutes or so.  Talk about cultural diversity in this small university town!

Howyang

My cousin Mae Mae invited us to have dinner at Howyang Chinese restaurant along Alfonso XIII, the main road in the heart of Dumaguete.  The place was reserved for the whole clan, and we virtually had a feast!  Prawns, steamed fish, squid rings, oyster egg, lechon, dinuguan,  and various veggies--wow!  We were stuffed!

The restaurant is more like a casual dining place on regular days, and food is prepared like short orders.  While the place specializes in Chinese food, they are flexible and can cook a wide range of dishes--they even have burgers for kids!

Bravo Golf Course

Since my friends are golfers, I also had to look for courses for them to play in.  We wound up at Bravo Golf course, and took time out for merienda!  Kong Kong loves golf, and we've spent lots of chow time at golf lounges like this--ah, the nice fresh air, and the beautiful scenery!

 I can say that the food rivals the best in Manila!  We all shared some seafood and cream pasta, pizza and squid rings, and the kids had halo-halo to boot!

The course is one of the oldest in the country, was founded during the pre-war era.  While this course only has 9 holes, the natural rolling terrain makes a pleasurable play; besides, it's perfectly acceptable to play the course twice!  The owners are building a hotel adjacent to the clubhouse, and once operational in 2014, this would be a good candidate for our group to check in.

Cyma Greek Taverna

I was informed of a last minute change for a lunch meeting just 20 minutes prior to start--apparently the staff had told me that the lunch to be held at the EDSA Shangri-la hotel, when the actual location was the Shangri-la Mall.  It was a good thing that the mall was just a few steps away.  We had lunch at Cyma Greek Taverna, which is located on restaurant row at level 6.

Salad and soup came in large portions (salad was shared), and my lamb souvlaki was smokin' right off the grill.  It wasn't as tender as I would have wanted it to be though (for P500 a plate, I expected better lamb cuts).  We wound up with some desserts (I had lava cake), and I'd estimate that my host spent something like P900 to P1,000 per head (we were 4).  One thing to note is that the waiters come out the kitchen with a booming "Oopah" which is like a big "Yehey!" or "Hurray!" so don't get startled.

Private Residences

We went around Dumaguete searching for new places to stay in.  I have been planning to invite some of my old high school buddies to visit my dad's hometown and we would probably need some 20 to 25 rooms.  Eddie took me to see Private Residences in Dauin, some 15 kilometers away from the city proper.  I liked the cozy feeling of home--the rooms were quite spacious, and the lounge areas were much like ancestral houses of yore.  I would say, however, that the property is starting to show signs of age, and could a facelift would be recommended.

I understand that the resort staff can arrange for packaged tours of Apo Island and the possibility of some good scuba diving was something that was appealing.  Another great thing going for the resort is that the beach is right on your doorstep, and this would be perfect for lazy mornings.  Prices are reasonable, although not cheap--some P3,500 per room night.