Mango Shake From Cafe Mamia

This morning, we had planned on having our American expat's brunch at the Gabby's Bistro inside the Paseo Perdices Building on Rizal Blvd.

The original plan was for 10:00 AM, but it developed into a regular cluster 4#ck very early. The school where the children of four of us attend is having exams this week. This means classes are only half days this week. Yesterday the children got out at 11:30......that would still give us time for our brunch from 10:00AM until 11:30, but at the last minute, my son tells me that they'll get out at 10:30 today instead of 11:30. At that point it became a scramble to contact everyone to see if we could gather at 9:00 AM instead.

Everyone was successfully notified about the change. When the first ones arrived at Gabby's, we learned that Gabby's was no longer serving breakfast at that location. The signs read that the cafe would open now at 9:00 AM, but we were told by employees that they really didn't open until 10:00. We decided to go to Cafe Mamia instead. We could stay parked where we were and walk the short distance to Mamia's.

The last two times we met at Cafe Mamia, I had had the bread pudding à la mode with brewed coffee, and I had enjoyed that on both occasions. I had every intention of ordering the same today, until my friend ordered the mango shake. I couldn't recall ever having had a mango shake there, and I'd need to try one for my reviews.

As it turned out, neither of us had tried them before today. Looking back at an old blog post, I read that once before two others had ordered the mango shake, but when I ordered that time the cafe was "out of stock, sir".

Today, finally getting our shakes, my friend and I were both disappointed. The mango shake is too thin for my tastes, and priced too high (105 pesos) to boot. I'm sure I'll stick with the bread pudding next time I return to Mamia.

Los Mariachis

My son had been invited to a late afternoon/early evening birthday party yesterday in Brgy. Buntis, Bacong and after dropping him off, my wife and I decided to get a little bite to eat. Not wanting to travel all the way back to Sibulan, I thought we'd try Los Mariachis, located only 5 or 10 minutes away.

Neither of us had eaten at this restaurant before. A number of my American friends had recommended Los Mariachis - our group had even unsuccessfully attempted to have our Thursday morning brunch there but found that it wasn't open that early.

There weren't a lot of customers there when we arrived around 4:30 - there was room for me to park my car in front.

My wife and I split an order of enchiladas (with corn tortillas) with Mexican rice and refried beans. I had a mango milk shake; my wife had halo-halo. The refried beans were not like the ones I've eaten in the U.S.. These were made with white beans. Tasty but a little unusual. The enchiladas were excellent.

It wouldn't be fair of me to compare the mango milkshake I had at Los Mariachis with the mango shakes from other places in Dumaguete. This one had a generous dollop of mango ice cream. Most mango shakes do not include ice cream - the exception being Panda Ice Cream shop in Dumaguete. You get what you pay for. The mango milkshake was more expensive that any regular mango shake in town, but it was very delicious. Los Mariachis also sells a regular mango shake which is comparable in price to most places, but as I haven't tried it, I can't review it.

All in all, I'd recommend Los Mariachis to lovers of Mexican food in and around Dumaguete.

Mango Shake from the Octagon Sports Bar.

Today being Thursday, I met with a group of Americans for a brunch of sorts. Me being the cheap bastard that I am, I always eat at home before going to these get-togethers. Not only is it a lot cheaper, but I can cook as good, or better than the folks here.

Today we met at the Octagon Sports bar in Bacong. In keeping with my usual habit, I decided on a mango shake. It's been quite some time since I've last reviewed a shake from a local eatery.

As can be seen in these photos, the shake was thick and creamy. This one was actually made with mango - you can't say that about all the mango shakes in Dumaguete. This tastes as good as it looks. It's price was only slightly above average. 80 pesos. It was certainly better than some I've had costing 90 and above. I'd recommend the mango shake although the restaurant is really too far from my place to go just for the shake.

Brunch at Cafe Mamia

Like every Thursday for ages, I met with a small group of American Expats for brunch at a local cafe today. At one time, we would find a suitable meeting place and return to the same place for weeks or even months at a time. Recently, however, we've taken to meeting at a different spot each Thursday.

Today, we decided on Cafe Mamia at the corner of San Jose Street and Sta. Catalina Street not far from Rizal Blvd. in Dumaguete. There were six Americans meeting this morning - one is a newbie -. Three of us had met at Cafe Mamia once before. We seemed to be in agreement that it had been two years since we were last there, but a check of photos that I had posted to Google Maps at the time show that we last visited the cafe in September 2018.

Today, we all agreed that the food was top notch. I had a bread pudding à la mode, which was absolutely delicious. With lots of creamer and brown sugar added, my coffee was not bad.

I had planned on trying a mango shake in order to add to my reviews. The menu listed mango smoothies rather than shakes, but no matter. Two of my companions ordered mango smoothies with their regular order, but I didn't want mine to come out with my coffee and bread pudding. I'd order my smoothie after the food arrived. Unfortunately, when I ordered my smoothie, I learned that my companions received had the last mango smoothies available. When it came to me, the cafe was "out of stock, sir".  One of the guys with me - who is also a regular reader of this blog wanted me to point out that he thought his smoothie was very good. We're planning on returning next Thursday, so perhaps I can have one then.

Something odd happened while I was paying for my food. The menu gives the price of brewed coffee as 55 peso, and the bread pudding à la mode as 105 pesos. The cashier had my bill and told me the total was 90 pesos. That's less than the price of the bread pudding - not to mention the brewed coffee. I pointed out to the cashier that the price was incorrect. She said the coffee was 55 and the bread pudding was 35. I was confused. When I told her that the price on the menu was 105 she looked confused as well, and said something to the waiter in Visayan. I'm hardly fluent, but I believe he must have explained to her that the à la mode increased the price.

If that's the case, then I'd hardly think that the addition of cream should raise the price by 70 pesos. I have no complaint because the menu clearly had 105 and the dish was delicious. I'm still finding it hard to believe that I could have had the bread pudding sans ice cream for only 35 pesos.

In addition to posting the photographs I took this morning, I'm including maps from Google showing the location. There will be two maps below. Google has two entries for the same location.....one given as Cafe Mamia and another as Mamia's Bar and Restaurant. There was a time when I would notify Google Maps of the duplication, but after seeing nothing being done to correct this in the past, I'm reluctant to point out the error now.

A Mango Shake from Alima Cafe.

As I've mentioned on this blog in earlier posts, I meet with a small group of American expats on Thursday mornings. We've recently taken to trying a different cafe every week and this week we met at the Alima Cafe , not far from Silliman University Hospital.

While the other guys had breakfast, I decided - having had breakfast at home - to have just a mango shake. It's been quite a long time since I last did a proper review of a local mango shake.

As can be seen in the photo, the shakes at Alima look delicious - and the one I had was very nice. The mint sprig was a tasty addition. Sadly, I have to say the mango shakes there are over priced. As delicious as it was, at 128 pesos, it costs twice as much as shakes from other cafes that are just as delicious - if not more so.

Over all, the cafe is nice enough, even if they charge too much for a mango shake.

Breakfast at Gabby's

I met some fellow Americans for breakfast this morning at the Gabby's Bed and Breakfast in Daro.

I can't remember exactly what they call the breakfast I ordered - it has bacon, Spam and pepperoni between two hash browns and topped with egg and cheese. Toast on the side.

It was pretty good, and at 175php, I have no complaints regarding my breakfast. I am disappointed, however, that they did not have mango shakes. I've had mango shakes from the other two Gabby's in Dumaguete, but I can't get one at the one in Daro.

Roadside Resto in Sibulan

Yesterday, I went with a group of fellow Americans to have lunch at the Roadside Resto in Sibulan. Today, I feel it is appropriate to review the restaurant.

I had been at Roadside Resto many times, and I thought I had reviewed their mango shakes for this blog, but I was mistaken in that. This post will serve as a review of both the mango shakes and the food.

I don't believe there is much - if any - fresh fruit in the shakes served there, but the taste and texture is very nice and I won't give the shake a bad rating because of this lack of fresh mango.

One of the favorites among my fellow Americans is the Roadside Burger. On this particular burger you get lettuce, cucumber, beef patty and cheese with pulled bbq pork, coleslaw and onion rings stacked on top. This incredible burger comes with a generous portion of fries and iced tea for 159 pesos (about $3.04 USD at current rate of exchange).

Yesterday, I decided to try the Chili-burger. This burger has the same lettuce and cucumber with the beef patty, topped with bacon, cheese-fries and, of course, chili. A word of warning - this chill is not for the faint of heart. The chili is very hot, and I doubt that I could eat a bowl of this chili, but atop the burger it is, for me, a manageable heat. The bun, burger and cheese fries help make the heat of the chili tolerable. This burger also comes with iced tea and a generous side of fries for the same 159 pesos.

All in all, I highly recommend this restaurant.

The Chin Loong Mango Shake

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was headed along the boulevard this afternoon to try a mango shake from a Chinese restaurant called Chin Loong, when I was sidetracked by a voice calling my name. As I wrote in that earlier post, the voice belonged to an American I knew, who had stopped at a place called Why Not? to get something to eat. While seated with him, I had a mango shake - which I reviewed in the earlier post.

Being a bit disappointed the shake from Why Not?, I continued my walk to Chin Loong in search of a better shake.

The mango shake from Chin Loong was pleasant enough; very different from the type served at Why Not? Although different, it could also be classified as average in taste. Nice enough I suppose, but nowhere near the best in Dumaguete. On the positive side, however, this shake was priced at only 50 pesos. It was certainly as good as some I've found for 65.

With all that said, if I were to find myself along the boulevard in need of another mango shake, I would choose Chin Loong over Why Not? or the Gabby's located nearby.

A Mango Shake? Why Not?

Whenever I fetch my son from school, I usually go early in order to find a decent parking place along Hibbard Ave. That's exactly what I did this afternoon, and with lot's of time to kill, I thought I'd go in search of a mango shake to review for this blog.

A friend had told me of the shakes at Chin Loong Chinese restaurant located on the boulevard. I was headed that way when I heard someone calling my name as I passed a place called Why Not? It was another American I knew who was about to grab a bite to eat. Not wanting to appear rude, I decided to sit with him for a bit. I mentioned that I was on my way to get a mango shake, when he told me that Why Not? also had shakes.

I was already seated, so I thought I'd go ahead and try one.

As can be seen in the photo, the shakes there come topped with a little Filipino flag, a cherry and another piece of fruit which I could not identify. I didn't view the decorations as a good sign. It's a pretty good indication that the shake will be over-priced.

I was right, of course.

The unnamed fruit was extremely sour - like a very tart, green apple. I didn't like it one bit. The shake was ok, but nothing to write home about, as we used to say.

This mango shake was priced at 120 pesos. This is the second highest priced mango shake I've come across in Dumaguete - the highest priced being the one I bought at Chapters Cafe.

There is absolutely no way I'll ever get another mango shake at Why Not? The taste was about average - not the best in town, but not the worst either - the thought of paying almost twice as much as 90% of the shakes found elsewhere is ridiculous. I left feeling as if I had been robbed.

Mango Shake from Gabby's Bistro - on Rovira Dr.

There are three Gabby's located in Dumaguete; one, in Brgy. Daro, a second one on Rizal Blvd. and third, which I visited today, on E. Rovira Dr.

I reviewed the the mango shakes from the Gabby's on the blvd. and attempted to review the mango shakes from the Daro location. Today, I purchased a mango shake from the Gabby's Bistro on Rovira.

Had I tried this shake before getting a mango shake from Panda's Ice Cream Haus, I would have called this one a thick shake. However, being made with milk and not ice cream, this Gabby's shake can't compare in creamy thickness. The taste was nice. The slightly tangy taste of the mango gave the milk based shake a bit of a yogurt flavor.

Like the shakes at the other Gabby's this one cost 75 pesos. Again, if I'm comparing this shake with Panda's, I'd have to give the Mango Fruit Shake from Panda's the prize.

I once called the mango shakes at Gabby's the sine qua non of mango shakes. I no longer feel that way. Although delicious, the Gabby's mango shakes have met their match.

Panda's Mango Fruit Shake

As I mentioned in last Sunday's post, the Panda Ice Cream Haus has both a mango fruit shake and a mango ice cream shake.

 In Sunday's post, I mistakenly wrote that both shakes were priced at 65 pesos. I stopped by this afternoon to try the mango fruit shake, and saw that the fruit shake is actually only 60 pesos.

Even though the mango ice cream shake I had Sunday was very delicious, I noted that there is very little mango flavor to the shake - it's mostly vanilla.

The mango fruit shake was different - it had a wonderful mango taste. No mistaking this for any other flavor. To add even more to the delight, this shake has to be the thickest mango shake I've had. This shake was even thicker than the ice cream shake. It would not surprise me to learn that ice cream was also an ingredient. The mango pieces didn't hurt either.

All in all, a wonderful mango shake.

An Ice Cream Mango Shake

On Google Maps, the address for Panda Ice Cream Haus is given as #3 Silliman Ave..The map location is correct, but as far as the address given, the store is actually located on Ma. Christina St..

Although I've passed by several times, I had not stopped in until today when I thought I'd see if mango shakes were available. On the plus side, Panda Ice Cream Haus has both mango fruit shakes and mango ice cream shakes - each costing 65 pesos. I decided that today, I'd try the mango ice cream shake and the fruit shake next time.

Another plus for the store is their utilization of metal, reusable drinking straws. I'm one of those folks who try not to use plastic straws, and an old fashioned paper straw would not hold up with this thick, creamy shake.

The shake I had was quite delicious, but I have to deduct points due to the fact that the mango shake does not taste like mango. Yes, the shake was delicious, but it had a vanilla flavor instead of mango.

I'll return soon and see if the mango fruit shake is more to my liking.

My Mango Shake from Gie-Gie's Sports Bar

I don't believe I've mentioned this before, but once a week I'll meet up with a couple of fellow Americans for breakfast. Truth be told, I don't always order breakfast - I frequently have breakfast earlier at home, and just meet the guys for a bit of conversation.

For several weeks we've been gathering at Senorita's Mexican Grill located at the Dumaguete airport compound. We decided to change it up this week and meet at Gie-Gie's Sports Bar located on the opposite side of Dumaguete on the Bacong Road.

This morning I had already eaten breakfast with my son before taking him to school, so when I arrived at Gie-Gie's I decided to have a mango shake. It's been quite some time since I've reviewed a mango shake - not since November 29 as a matter of fact, and it's long over due.

At the beginning of this post, there is a photo of the mango shake I ordered at Gie-Gie's. You might say, "That doesn't look like a mango shake - that looks more like a place mat". You'd be right. I was unable to photograph anything other than a place mat because they could not serve mango shakes this morning.

"And why", you might also ask, "were you unable to get a proper mango shake this morning?"

It seems that the owner of the sports bar had taken the blender home. That's par for the course in this area.

Having already eaten breakfast, I thought my second choice would be the homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The above photo is serving double duty today as it is also a photo of my apple pie à la mode. After being unable to get the first two items I ordered, I settled on a coffee.

They were able to serve me coffee. Perhaps I should have photographed that.

The Mango Shake from Jo's Chicken Inatô

Jo's Chicken Inatô is located on Silliman Ave, in Dumaguete, between KBOB restaurant and 21st Boutique. Coincidentally, the mango shake I had there recently is also between KBOB and 21st.

The shake was better that the regular mango shake I had at KBOB - it had to be - but the mango shake I had at Jo's just doesn't compare with the wonderful mango shakes from 21st Boutique.

As if that's not bad enough, Jo's makes it worse by charging 75 pesos (10 pesos more than 21st).

No question about it, it's worth walking a few extra steps to pay less for a much better mango shake.

Mango Shake from the 21st Boutique

On Google Maps, the name for this cafe is given as 21st Boutique, although I'm not sure why. The closest thing to a complete name (other than 21st) is given on a few signs as 21st Food Ave.

Google Maps also lists the address as 21 Rizal Blvd. even though the map below clearly shows the cafe to be on Silliman Ave.

Be that as it may, I stopped in to the cafe recently to find out if they served mango shakes. I'm glad I did.

I know I've praised other establishments as having superior mango shakes, but honestly, none are better than the shake I had at this particular cafe. Absolutely smooth and creamy. Of all the shakes I've had, this one has the most ice cream taste and texture. At 65 pesos, you can't ask for a better mango shake in Dumaguete.

Mango Shake from the Cafe Racer Diner

This afternoon, I made my way to the Cafe Racer Diner for a mango shake. This isn't the first time I've mentioned the cafe in a blog post. In March of 2017, I wrote of a half- VW Beetle used as decoration - slash - conversation piece outside the cafe.

When I sat down at a small table, I told the waitress there was no need to leave a menu - I only wanted the mango shake. Normally, at nearly all the cafes and eateries in the area, one would have to pay before getting ones order, but Cafe Racer is one of the few exceptions here. You don't pay when you order.

Because I hadn't looked at the menu, I was unaware of the cost of the mango shake. As I received my shake, I thought that not knowing the price before drinking it might prevent my prejudging the drink.

The mango shake I had at Cafe Racer was absolutely delicious. The perfect mango shake. As I drank, I felt this one would be one of the higher priced shakes in Dumaguete. Upon finishing, I asked the waitress for the check, and I understood her to say the shake was 185 pesos.

Yikes.

I handed her a 200 peso note and waited at the table for my change. I was completely shocked. This may have been one of the better mango shakes I've had, but it was the highest priced shake I've come upon. No other mango shake had even come close to 185 pesos.

When the waitress returned with my change, she gave me - not the 15 pesos change I expected, but 115 pesos.

"What did you say the price is for the shake?", I asked.
"85 pesos", she replied.
"Oh," I said, "I misunderstood what you said".

I didn't tell her the amount I thought she had told me.

As it turned out, the shake isn't the highest priced mango shake in town after all, but more reasonably priced.

I have no complaints with the mango shake at Cafe Racer, nor the price.