Everything Random

I was in Cagayan de Oro, in southern Philippines for a few things to do (never mind what they were) and I promised myself I will try one restaurant a day to sample the city’s culinary offering. I did manage to dine out for the the three nights I was there, and I am writing below the wonderful experience in each.

1. First Night: Cuchara Verde

I wanted to see my nephew, who is studying in the city, for dinner on my first night. I looked for a place near his dormitory, and Cuchara Verde figured prominently on people’s recommended lists. I reserved a table for two, and we got a corner table with a view of the crossing below. The restaurant sits on the second floor of an old house (or looks like it), with each part of the house beautifully transformed into a dining place.

The menu was extensive. We tried the beef quesadilla for starters (which was really good). My nephew got the classic fried chicken while I ordered the grilled tuna belly for mains. Beef quesadilla is 5/5. My grilled tuna belly is a disappointing 3/5. It was just very hard and chewy at the same time. Needless to say, I have high expectations as regards seafood in this part of the archipelago. So it was such a shame. Service was good at 5/5 so it compensates for the lack of excitement in my main couse.

The place is decorated by somebody not able to make up his/her mind. So while it is homey, everything just looks dijointed and organised – blame it to the interior design.

Overall. 4/5. Worth another visit? Probably not.

2. Sentro 1850 for Day 2

Sentro has a good reputation for its really good food. The reviewers were a mix of old and young people and so I was looking forward to a good experience.

The city seems to be fond of Mexican food as nachos is on the bestseller’s list for Sentro and the also say the same for Cuchara Verde’s quesadilla. So we ordered nacho’s chidano and cobb salad for starters (you can now imagine this is a bigger group than last night). For main course, we had Ima’s Kawali, and House-Grilled Steak.

The food was delicious but not necessarily phenomenal. It’s like your comfort food – one that you’d like to go back to every time you had a bad day. But as a place to go to for a special celebration, probably not. It’s an everyday fare, and the one downside of the place is the bad exhaust system in the kitchen. You will smell of food even minutes after you get out of the place. The smell just sticks on your hair and your clothes – so don’t go somewhere else after and get yourself a shower right away.

3. Day 3: Resto Freeno

The last day was chosen by a friend, a local, as I was meeting her there. It was a good choice, and probably the best one I had among the three in this list. The menu was extensive and true to its name of being an Italian fusion restaurant.

We had salad for starters – Sicilian Chicken – grilled chicken strips with peach slices, grapes, tomatoes and mixed greens in vinaigrette – refreshing, tasty, and filling. I ordered a Honey Ginger Chilli Salmon for my main course, while my friend had Chicken Carbonara. We paired it with their inventive drinks – Beetroot Madness for me, and Honey Ginger Watermelon for my friend. All 4/5.

The salad was really good. And I will order it again. The salmon was okay but uneventful. It is a nice place for good conversations, so I would probably bring friends and family here when I come back.

There is still so much to try in CDO. I will come back to write more. In my next post, I will write about their coffee.