Tim Ho Wan

Finally tried the most talked about michelin star dim sum. Unlike others who have waited for 2 hours just to be seated, we were lucky to be in the first 20 customers coz we arrived 30 minutes before opening time on a weekday.


The baked pork bun was indeed delicious. It's crisp and soft and the filling wasnt overpowering with anise flavor.

We also tried their siomai Php150, prawn dumpling Php160, spinach dumpling Php120 , spring roll with egg white Php120, and glutinous rice with lotus leaf Php190. They are all yummy.

For dessert, we got the tonic medlar & osmanthus cake (Php90) which i did not have an idea what it was. It turned out to be a jelly cake with some seeds and flowerettes and it was delicious. According to wikipedia,  sweet osmanthus (gin-mokusei) is a favorite garden shrub in Japan. Its small white flowers appear in short-stalked clusters in late autumn. It has an intense sweet fragrance. A variant with deep golden flowers

Food items were reasonably priced . It's a light but filling lunch and you will leave the place with a happy tummy. Will definitely go back

 go check it out at SM Megamall. another branch will soon open in Glorietta

Small Talk Cafe

Small Talk Cafe has been featured in a TV show  Top 10 pinaka must visit restaurant when in Legazpi City.

It is located about 11kms from Legazpi City center. It is a quaint and homey restaurant serving pizza and pasta with a local twist and other popular dishes. It has a Tripadvisor winner badge of excellence and  DOTC sticker for accreditation. It has a tranquil ambiance complete with memorabilia and pre-war photos on display.

The popular items on the menu are fusion of local and italian cuisine.

There's the Pasta Mayon

Pizza Bicolandia

Pili Pie @Php50

Bicol Express @Php50

Food is delicious and reasonably priced. We spent Php540 for 2. Service is fast and staff are friendly and courteous. We were satisfied during our visit and we highly recommend to visit this restaurant when in Legazpi City.

How to get there:
From Legazpi City Center, take a jeepney bound for Daraga. Fare is Php8.00. Get down after STI College but before Robinsons Supermarket. Cross the street and walk to Dona Aurora street which is beside an evangelical church painted in green.

Food Trip - 1st Colonial Grill, Legazpi City

Inspired by a TV program which featured the top 10 most popular restaurant in Legazpi City, we went to a food trip as part of our vacation.

Our first day lunch was at 1st Colonial Grill located at the ground floor of Pacific Mall.

 We ordered Pinangat - taro (gabi) leaves cooked in coconut milk @Php89. It was spicy, the coconut cream was thick and creamy and the taro leaves was not mushy. It became our favorite veggie dish.

We also got  lechon kawali meal @Php110, fish fillet & kare kare which came with tinapa (smoked fish) rice @Php119.

For dessert, we ordered Pili Ice cream @Php35. It was good and had bits and pieces of pili nuts.

When we returned on our last day in Legazpi, we ordered just the Pinangat and tinapa fried rice. We also tried the ice cream - 3 different scoops - sili , malunggay and pili for Php80

The sili flavor was unique as the spiciness stayed in your tongue and can be felt in your throat as well; the malunggay flavor tasted some kind of raw leaves. The pili flavor was good and creamy with lots of pili nuts in it.
Overall , we spent Php407 (for 2 persons). Prices are reasonable and food is delicious.



Next on our list was Small Talk Cafe.

Kainan sa Dalampasigan 01.31.2014

A restaurant serving good filipino dishes was featured in a TV program. The restaurant is named Kainan sa Dalampasigan and it is located in Nasugbu, Batangas. We had an opportunity to visit this place during the Chinese New Year which was declared a special public holiday. The holiday fell on a Friday making it a long weekend. So off we go to Nasugbu and had a lunch at Kainan sa Dalampasigan on our way to Bernabeach Resort which was 3 minute drive from the restaurant.

Kainan sa Dalampasigan has a garden setting both in and out.

We were greeted by the female owner who was helping in serving food to a large group of guests. The place was roomy and had big windows. The cool air was blowing and coming in from the windows and it added a provincial touch. The tables and chairs/bench were made of heavy wood.

The menu was your typical Filipino dishes and we asked the owner what her recommendation was because we were just two. She suggested getting the daing na bangus. So we did and we also ordered Binalot. My husband had soda and I , sago and gulaman.

Binalot consisted of pork-chicken cooked adobo style with some shrimps and rice wrapped altogether in banana leaf. It came with a dipping of bagoong isda and tomato. It cost Php260, if I remember it right.

The boneless daing na bangus was huge and good for four persons. It lacked the sour-y taste of daing and tasted like your ordinary fried bangus. Cost us Php350.

We took away the left over bangus and we also ordered grilled pork for our dinner at the resort.

The restaurant has ample parking space although the entrance was quite narrow. One car has to give way for the other car to get out.

The comfort rooms were clean and had filipino motiff. There is a mini waterfall separating the male and female toilet.

I am not sure why it is called Kainan sa Dalampasigan when there is no dalampasigan (waterway) in sight. Maybe it should have been called Kainan sa Hardin.

Overall, the ambience is very good , service needs a little improvement (bill out was kinda slow),  food experience is regular. Maybe we have to go back and try the other dishes for us to fully rate the food offering.

To get to Kainan by private car, we drove via Tagaytay -Nasugbu route, upon reaching the T road ,turn right to Nasugbu. (The left road leads to Matabungkay. ) We turned left to Martinez street. One can ask where Batangas State University is. Kainan is on the left side before reaching the University.  It is easier if you have GPS.