Tazza Cafe & Patisserie

This upscale small restaurant cafe imbibes a sophisticated look and hip modern vibe serving light meals, refreshments and pastries that are inexpensive. 

Literally the cafe is adorned with upside down "tazzas" or cups & saucers hence the name. 

This is a great place to talk to your friends and have your usual dessert fix to go with the chitchats. Though it wouldn't hurt too if you order a cup of tea or coffee. 

The Cheese Steak sandwich for me was really flavorful. The steak slices were succulent with a hint of sweetness to it and the melted cheese was mildly tangy and gooey. It was served on a crunchy bun with lettuce and fried onions.

The Beef Stroganoff Pasta was a creamy pasta dish. It was saucy and the pasta noodle was just cooked right plus the meat chunks were soft and tender. 

And to satisfy our sweet tooth cravings, we ordered one of the best sellers in the house which is the warm brownie ala mode. We tried the mint brownie as well. Both are really delish I must say. 

I do have one regret here though, I should have gotten the large cucumber mint iced tea instead of the regular size. 

Contact Details:

Tazza Cafe & Patisserie

G/F Tsai Hotel, Wilson St.

Lahug Cebu City

Tel. No.: (032) 2620859

Schedule: Tuesday - Sunday 11:00am to 10:30pm (except Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00MN)

Camia St. Cafe & Resto

This cafe is a pleasant place to stay with no loud music and reasonable noise level.  It has an average menu except for the Ostrich meals that I find really interesting.  

They have almost all the pastries that I like from cakes to cookies down to cupcakes. There are available power outlets as well for laptops to use for more than a short period of time which is for me a must for students, professionals and writers like me who are among the list of people who frequent cafes.

I sampled their Ostrich Salpicao with garlic. The meat was cooked well, tender and delicious because it was bathed in generous amount of gravy topped with crunchy garlic.

The baked macaroni which for me is a comfort food was hearty. It's great for sharing though it would have been better if it was paired with garlic bread instead of ordinary bread toasted. 

Their red velvet cake is by far one of the best I've ever eaten. It was rich with decadent frosting, appeared to be moist and quite tasty.

They are open 24 hrs.

Contact Details:

Camia St. Cafe & Resto

Don Jose Avila St., Capitol Site Cebu City

Tel. No.: (032)5125229

Email Add: camia.st.cafe@gmail.com

Lady Jane Bakeshop

I deal with my problems through the sweetest way possible - cakes! 

Bursting with happiness, a slice of cake is enough to make my taste buds go in frenzy with delight. 

Needless to say, when I learned about this new dessert place I asked some of my friends who share my love for cakes to sample their treats. 

Lady Jane had a distinctly hip vibe written all over the place. A dessert haven to gather friends for a midday treat or after meal sugar indulgence.

Rare Cheesecake or Lemon Cheesecake had that sweet and sour blend in every bite. It was luscious, creamy and definitely refreshing. 

The smooth and velvety Berry Berry Cheesecake melts in your mouth and has a tangy flavor. It is topped with a sweet slice of strawberry fruit.  

Choux cake is like a chewy but soft pastry ball filled with custard cream. It was indeed a delightful and satisfying treat. 

Contact Details:

Lady Jane Bakeshop

Paseo Saturnino, Ma. Luisa Road

Banilad, Cebu City

La Busa Italian Restaurant and Bar

I am a frustrated food critic, one who expresses my criticisms straight from my experiences and based on my taste buds. 

This newly opened restaurant is one of those finds while checking new restaurants in a mobile application. 

Mother and son tandem fueled this restaurant's progress even on their early stage. 

Being owners, they want to oversee the operation from the meticulous preparation of the food to the appetizing dishes being served. This is the very reason why the mother cooks the dishes personally. 

The place may be small but it's not overcrowded. The atmosphere is also very nice, good wine list and delightful food not to mention outstanding customer service. 

                                              Complimentary bread with eggplant spread

We sampled their Roasted Pork Belly with Potato and gravy. The roasted pork was succulent and the flavorful gravy goes well with the baby potatoes. 

Their best seller Braciola Di Maiale Pan Seared Pork Chop with Sauté Beans is really a must try. The premium pork was tender and juicy plus the baby potatoes are perfect accompaniment to this dish making it a delicious meal. 

A glass of red wine made the evening enjoyable throughout the dishes. 

And the perfect way to end a sumptuous meal is a glass of cheesecake treat. This creamy dessert topped with bits of cookies and blueberries is sinful and drool-worthy.

Contact Details:

La Busa Italian Restaurant & Bar

Unit 2 Wilson Street, Tsai Hotel

Lahug Cebu City

Mobile No.: 09158790550

Treat Street Cafe

Being a staple of a mall environment, product offerings generate more awareness if you are a mall kiosk. This is what happened to me for Treat Street Café. I was doing my usual stroll with a cousin inside Ayala mall when I chanced upon this café.

Curiosity got the better of me so I decided to check their menus.  What really grabbed my attention was their Spicy Lechon Pie.  This crusty homemade pie is served hot so you better be careful in taking that bite. But what I loved about it is that it was tasty and spicy of course as the name implies. The crust is somewhat crunchy but retains that tender flakiness.

Treat Street Pie, their signature dessert is a melt-in-your-mouth piece of goodness that has a chocolate crusts, gooey filling and topped with puffy whipped cream frosting.

Green Tea Black Sesame Cake was subtly sweet and flavored with green tea powder in equal proportions with a hint of black sesame taste.

Mango Cheesecake for me was more like a custard pie than a cheesecake though it still had that zesty mango flavor.

This is definitely a dessert place worthy to visit.

Contact Details:

Treat Street Café

2/F Ayala Center Cebu

New Expansion Wing (near Delsey)

Chop Chop Food Center

It takes a great restaurant concept by connecting the food and beverage offering to entice paying customers and ultimately regular patrons.

The atmosphere factor greatly influences how people choose to dine but mostly the quality of food is what draws the customers to come back along with great service of course.

This seemingly new restaurant envisions a Singaporean hawker type of dining and preparing as well Singaporean and Asian fusion dishes.

Upon entering the restaurant’s premises, you will be welcomed by an ambrosial smell of herbs and spices in the air apart from the overly friendly staffs.

The menu speaks for the restaurant and their name “Chop Chop” literally describes their quick service. 

The Chicken Satay skewers were flavorful. The chicken had a soft, delicate texture and the spicy peanut sauce allowed a hint of sweetness throughout the dish.

But the Sambal Stingray was the bomb. It was grilled and wrapped with banana leaves garnished with onions and chili plus it comes with Sambal sauce that brings out the flavor of the fish.

Did it get my vote? I have no reason not to give it.

Contact Details:

The Gallery, Juan Luna Street Corner Golam Drive Mabolo, Cebu City

Tel. No.: (032) 236 8910