Cebu Restaurants

It’s difficult to find a place at the IT Park that has good food and away from a noisy street or crowd. My search is over with the opening of VIPS in Asia. It opened a week ago, and it is located in the same building as Tara’s Cafe but at the opposite side. Yep, the side facing the parking area/grassy location where people jog at night.

I originally thought the location is not a strategic one for a restaurant because it is not easily spotted. After eating there, I think it is the perfect spot for people like me who want to eat in peace. The interiors are great by the way; quite unique, in fact, with different styles of lamps on the wall and some murals and wooden airplane models as ceiling decor. There are lots of visually interesting objects in this cozy place. As for the food (Asian Fusion as stated in the menu), you have to read the rest of this post to find out.

CARB SALAD ~ lettuce with fresh tomatoes, boiled egg, bacon, and chicken fillet with mustard-based dressing

This salad is different from the green salads I’ve ever tasted. The chicken and bacon (and lots of them!) really blended well with the egg, tomatoes, and lettuce. And the dressing certainly made it even more delish. This is highly recommended.

Chilli Chicken ~ pan broiled chicken fillet with chili sauce (served with rice)

This one was a group favorite, as in dali ra siya nahurot . If you like spicy food, you will love this one. You can clearly see the green chili pieces in this viand. The sauce is neither salty nor sweet, just plain spicy but it suits the chicken.  This is definitely a dish with Korean influence.

Valencia Paella ~ rice with meat (beef), seafood (shrimp), boiled egg, and vegetables (carrots, peas, bell pepper)

This paella is good for 2-3 persons. It doesn’t look like it in the photo above but, believe me, it was enough even for 4-5 persons. Taste-wise, it is okay. Not outstanding like the one served at Arano’s, but this one is still okay.

Fish En Sticks ~ fried fish fillet with tartar sauce served with rice

I can’t imagine how they came up with such a name, it sure does sound funny and erroneous to me. Name notwithstanding, this fish dish is okay. The coleslaw and the mayo dip complemented the fish fillet.

Alfredo Rib Eye Steak ~ grilled steak with VIPS sauce (served with rice)

Steaks are not my favorite so I can’t really give details the way Fedge can. This one was my friend JP’s order, and I had a slice of it. JP ordered it “well done” so I assumed that’s why it was dry. As for taste, it was a bit bland for me. It sure did taste better when I dipped it in the chili chicken sauce hehe.

Beef Bulgogi ~ pan broiled seasoned beef with vegetables and pineapple (served with rice)

I was slightly disappointed with VIPS beef bulgogi. It doesn’t taste bad, but I had better at other Korean restaurants. This one, as written in the menu, had pineapple, and it sure did taste like it had pineapple although you can’t see the fruit in the dish. I don’t think my friends were impressed with this one. They said it’s probably an acquired taste, but no, beef bulgogi (the traditional Korean one) is very delicious. This one probably was an “Asian Fusion” that was not able to match the original dish.

And on to the dessert….

Stress Buster Brownie ~ brownie with cream and two scoops of ice cream (chocolate and vanilla)

At that time, we were quite full and decided to try one dessert (for 6 of us hehe). This Stress Buster Brownie tastes good and well presented. The brownie is not a typical one. As I told my friend Ruby (who is a brownie monster hehe), this one is not KFC Brownie sweet. It tastes and had the texture of a very very good pudding hehe. The two flavors of ice cream and the whip cream were bonuses. Basta, I like this one kay wala moandar akong tonsilitis.

VIPS Fruit Punch

As fruit punches go, this one was okay. It was refreshing enough, and the flavor was not intense. The apple bits served in our individual glasses, not in the fruit punch pitcher, added flavor to our drinks as well.

VIPS with Friends

We were there during lunch time, and there were no other customers. We sure did feel like VIPs. The waitresses, with their Sailormoon-inspired customes (nothing too dramatic, it was the knee socks that caught our interest hehe), were very very accommodating and attentive. And I don’t think it was because their foreigner (Korean?) boss was there or because we had the place to ourselves. You can tell if the server is someone really nice and knew the menu items by heart. As my dad would say, maayo sila pagka-seminar hehe. They even gave us 6 spoons for one dessert without being asked. I like their plates pud, not the usual shape, although they are small.

They gave each of us souvenir pens in bright colors. And yes, MOAGI ni nga mga ballpen. Nisugot pa gyud sila ilisan ang isa ka pen kay akong isa ka amiga ganahan man sad ug green hehe.

I’ve been to many restaurants (clearly evident with my girth), and this is the first time I’ve received a souvenir. As in, babaw lang gyud cguro ko na taw, but I appreciated the pen gyud.

There are so many good restaurants here in Cebu nowadays, looking for a place to eat is challenging. That’s why the little things (and the staff’s attitude) are easily remembered, at least for me. Two restaurants now made a good impression to me (not necessarily food-related): VIPS with the friendly staff, souvenir pen, and interesting interiors, and Pino (no review yet kay ulaw kaayo mo take pics didto oi) when I was surprised with the waiter’s attentiveness - as in he placed rice on our plate gyud. Mura gyud mig donya/don didto unya galakaw ra diay to pag-uli hehe.

PAKALISTA VERDICT:

VIPS in Asia is now my favorite in IT Park. VIPS has some good food with large servings at reasonable prices. The biggest factor for me though is its location. I can’t see jeepneys passing by or groups milling about. Finally, a place where I can eat in peace or be the sole source of noise.

Check out the menus to have an idea on the restaurant’s price range. Prices as of June 2009.

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