Some friends and I planned to go to Donsol last weekend to snorkel with whale sharks and to dive the Manta Bowl in Ticao. It had been raining in Metro Manila early last week, but the skies cleared up a bit on Friday, which as it turned out only gave us false hope.
Choco Fudge Sans Rival
We'd heard that there was a storm brewing in the vicinity of Albay. But I guess our great desire to see butandings and mantas put us in a state of denial. We thought that because it was getting sunny it Manila, it would follow that the skies would be clear in Sorsogon too. (Despite all evidence to the contrary, of course.)
Well, the low pressure area hovering in the area DID turn into a tropical depression named Dante. The storm caused floods and big waves that foiled all our plans. After a 19-hour bus ride (the delays caused by sitting out floods), we ended up in a hotel in Legazpi, Albay. To comfort ourselves, we decided to go foraging for food. The locals suggested Small Talk Cafe and Restaurant. After an overpriced tricycle ride, we got there a bit wet from the nonstop rain.
Crispy Tilapia
We immediately liked the place. It had a homey ambience, and there were not many people due to the storm. It also had an interesting menu, which tried to infuse local flavor into otherwise staple fare, like Pasta Pinangat/Laing and Bicol Express Pasta. I had their Crispy Tilapia, and some of their Crispy Squidlets. My only complaint would be that the squidlets were not that crunchy. We all had dessert (I had the Mango Crepe with an additional ice cream scoop), so at the end of the meal we were all stuffed.
Mango Crepe with ice cream
The next day, we decided to go for lunch at Chili Peppers, a restaurant that caught our eye during said overpriced tricycle ride the day before. We had a few hours to kill before our 6:00pm bus ride back to Manila so we wanted to hang out in a nice place. It turns out that Chili Peppers was a good choice. The food was good, and they didn't at all threaten to kick us out during our five hour lunch, despite the ruckus we created from playing Pusoy Dos at our table.
Tuna Salpicao
I had their Tuna Salpicao with garlic rice, and their Choco Fudge Sans Rival, which I thought was heavenly. The only thing I didn't like was the green mango shake that my friend Ismael had. It was also the only thing that wasn't demolished among everything that we ordered.
So... we didn't get to see the whale sharks, nor did we get to dive with the mantas. But we did find out that if you are stuck in the middle of a storm and just aching for a good meal, Legazpi City is not a bad place to be.
SMALL TALK CAFE
051 Doña Aurora St.
Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines
(63-52) 480-1393, 820 1477
+63 917-5583275
Email: smoltok_cafe@yahoo.com
CHILI PEPPERS RESTAURANT
Rizal St. cor. Doña Aurora
Old Albay District
(63-52) 481-7142
Choco Fudge Sans RivalWe'd heard that there was a storm brewing in the vicinity of Albay. But I guess our great desire to see butandings and mantas put us in a state of denial. We thought that because it was getting sunny it Manila, it would follow that the skies would be clear in Sorsogon too. (Despite all evidence to the contrary, of course.)
Well, the low pressure area hovering in the area DID turn into a tropical depression named Dante. The storm caused floods and big waves that foiled all our plans. After a 19-hour bus ride (the delays caused by sitting out floods), we ended up in a hotel in Legazpi, Albay. To comfort ourselves, we decided to go foraging for food. The locals suggested Small Talk Cafe and Restaurant. After an overpriced tricycle ride, we got there a bit wet from the nonstop rain.
Crispy TilapiaWe immediately liked the place. It had a homey ambience, and there were not many people due to the storm. It also had an interesting menu, which tried to infuse local flavor into otherwise staple fare, like Pasta Pinangat/Laing and Bicol Express Pasta. I had their Crispy Tilapia, and some of their Crispy Squidlets. My only complaint would be that the squidlets were not that crunchy. We all had dessert (I had the Mango Crepe with an additional ice cream scoop), so at the end of the meal we were all stuffed.
Mango Crepe with ice creamThe next day, we decided to go for lunch at Chili Peppers, a restaurant that caught our eye during said overpriced tricycle ride the day before. We had a few hours to kill before our 6:00pm bus ride back to Manila so we wanted to hang out in a nice place. It turns out that Chili Peppers was a good choice. The food was good, and they didn't at all threaten to kick us out during our five hour lunch, despite the ruckus we created from playing Pusoy Dos at our table.
Tuna SalpicaoI had their Tuna Salpicao with garlic rice, and their Choco Fudge Sans Rival, which I thought was heavenly. The only thing I didn't like was the green mango shake that my friend Ismael had. It was also the only thing that wasn't demolished among everything that we ordered.
So... we didn't get to see the whale sharks, nor did we get to dive with the mantas. But we did find out that if you are stuck in the middle of a storm and just aching for a good meal, Legazpi City is not a bad place to be.
SMALL TALK CAFE
051 Doña Aurora St.
Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines
(63-52) 480-1393, 820 1477
+63 917-5583275
Email: smoltok_cafe@yahoo.com
CHILI PEPPERS RESTAURANT
Rizal St. cor. Doña Aurora
Old Albay District
(63-52) 481-7142
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