Kaon-Suroy (Eat - Stroll) in Dumaguete City
Dumaguete City is one of the major cities in the Visayas and Siliman University is instrumental in its development into a bustling city by the sea that it is at present. Students from neighboring provinces and even from overseas enrol here thus turning Dumaguete into a melting pot of different cultures. At present, it is one of the favorite destinations of tourists especially Apo Island, which is a marine sanctuary. There seem to be a constant fresh breeze around probably because of the unpolluted seawater. If you stroll down Rizal Boulevard, you will not find any plastic or trash floating in the sea. Manila folks should get a trick or two from the folks in Dumaguete as far as keeping the coast clean and unpolluted. One of the landmarks of the city is the belfry which was used as a watchtower at a time when the city was vulnerable to attacks from marauders. The townsfolk were warned easily because of this structure.
One of the first things I tried in my kaon-suroy trip in Dumaguete is the Tempura. It looks similar to the kikiam, which is a common street food in Manila, only softer and contain less flour. I liked it better than kikiam because it is not tough to the bite. There is a Tempura Lane located in Rizal Boulevard across some restaurants and bars. Go easy on the spicy dip as you might be shocked if you are not used to spicy and hot dips, like me. Tempuras are sold at P4.00 each.
The next dish I tried on my first night in this trip is the "sinuglaw." I could not imagine how it tastes and looks when I ordered it in "Atong Kamalig" (Our Barn, in English) but I liked what I saw when it was brought to our table. One order costs P275 and is good for two to three people depending on their stomach capacity. Atong Kamalig was still open at midnight (mercifully) and a group of musicians belting out Psy's "Gangnam Style" and other dance music was keeping the patrons awake. Sinuglaw is a combination of sinugbang baboy and kinilaw nga isda. The combination actually turned out excellent. I will be ordering sinuglaw again if it is offered in other establishments just to compare the preparation style and taste.
This bodbod, Visayas's version of suman, is similar to the moron of Leyte, only glutinous rice called "pilit" is used to make it. It's sold by pairs costing P10 in some stalls at the back of Dumaguete City Public Market. It is great paired with chocolate or coffee and usually eaten before a major breakfast meal. That's how Visayans are. They have a small snack before the major breakfast. They call it "painit." Because the public market is already busy with buyers and sellers at the crack of dawn, the 'painitan' area also prepare their merchandise to serve their patrons early.
This is a favorite 'pasalubong' whenever someone returns from Dumaguete, The sylvanas from Sans Rival. A 35-year old establishment and favorite of the locals. A box of sylvanas cost P125, if you get it from the airport, it will be P150. So get it from the original location to save a few pesos. Best eaten straight from the ref. According to the manager, it will soften within 6 hours, but if placed in the ref, it can still be good within a month. So stock up. It's worth it. This was the only meryenda I got to try while I was in Dumaguete.
I can't resist putting this pic up because there are two Sans Rival establishments but they are adjacent to each other. One is the bistro and this is the bakeshop. I was able to try their carrot cake and tiramisu, which are very affordable and delicious as well. Try everything while you are there because carrying big boxes of cakes is not practical. So splurge a little because you get your money's worth for their products.
There is a story why I decided to have this treat, the original "sikwati" which is thick, pure chocolate. I am not sure if they prepared it the traditional way with a 'batirol". But it is rich nevertheless. I saw this in the Malatapay Market while I was waiting for a 'baroto' to take us to Apo Island. One of the reasons why I wanted to go to this part of the Visayas is to go snorkelling at Apo Island and experience the breathtaking underwater scenery of the marine sanctuary, but I arrived late. I arrived at 12 noon therefore most of the people were in lunch mode. One thing I learned is this: Go early if you do not want to rent an entire boat for P2,000. This price is acceptable for a group of 5 or more, but impractical if there were only two people. Besides, I felt that there wasn't a standard price for a 'pakyaw'. One host in a travel program said it was P1,200, but when I got to Malatapay market, it was P2,000. So, I had to forego my plan which was really a pain in the butt. Don't go in the middle of the day because people have been up since dawn and they finish early too. You'd be getting the shrug and the unclear directions. There would be no one who would answer you straight, even the person manning the coastguard office, was not receptive to questions. So better book with a resort especially if you plan to stay overnight in Apo Island. Timing is key in everything.
I went to Lab-as, a seafood restaurant located beside Hayahay bar and resto at Rizal Boulevard. It is Dumaguete's answer to the Dampas in Metro Manila, I wonder if there were other similar establishments. But since it was already almost midnight, the night owl that I am, had to be contented with a handful shrimp for sinigang. But the surprise that I got is the Dumaguete Express which is the specialty of the house. It's 3 kinds of seafood mixed with vegetables such as sweet pepper and kamunggay leaves (malunggay) cooked in coconut milk. I was impressed by the food as it is a new thing I have experienced. It's worth crowing about.
This is not the espasol that we are familiar with, but baye-baye. It is just a little richer and thicker than the espasol. I took it with coffee which was good because I don't think espasol will ever be good with coffee. So buy some for pasalubong.
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