Back at Garden Cafe in Tagbilaran

When I was in my college days and later when I worked at the provincial government of Bohol, my favorite hangout in Tagbilaran was the Garden Cafe, a restaurant owned by the Bohol Deaf and Disable Foundation (IDEA).

When you go there, you are doing a two-pronged activity- enjoy their food and help the deaf of Bohol. In fact, the waiters and waitresses at Garden Cafe are all deaf. 

From a simple hut-inspired building, the Garden Cafe is now a showcase of American dining. The place has changed into a sort of cowboy-inspired diner, with all the boots and other Americana. Even the waitstaff are donning cowboy regalia sans whips. Interesting.

And the food too has become interestingly varied to suit the Montana theme. My friend brought me there to have a late iftar celebration. I ordered a chicken quesadilla and avocado shake. The quesadilla was quite exceptional specially with lots of salsa on it. I finished my meal with a slice of blueberry cheesecake which was so-so. I could have ordered coffee but my friend planned to do it somewhere.

If I will be in Tagbilaran, I will visit once again Garden Cafe.

Chicken quesadilla is the best (you can order beef, too)

Their blueberry cheesecake has more gelatin than cheesecake

The avocado shake I ordered is creamy and nice

Garden Cafe opens daily from 8 in the morning until 10 in the evening with exceptions on Sundays. The restaurant opens 1PM til 10 on Sundays. Garden Cafe has a themed room upstairs called Montana Room with several displays of Americana- stuffed animals, boots, skates, pictures, and the like. They also have a small function room and a music room. You can call for reservations at telephones (038) 4113701, 4112028.

Revisiting Laguna Garden Cafe

Laguna Garden Café (telephones 032.233.8600; 233.8602) at The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu is one of the best Filipino restaurants in Cebu. The ambiance, the food, the service are all excellent.

But when we went there last week for dinner (6-7pm), we could hardly find a table for the three of us. When we were seated, even the service water took time to arrive.

I can see the waiters were working really hard so that they sometimes tend to ignore you. And I found it funny because when you are hungry, you also become confrontational and demanding.

The last time I was there having dinner, the waiter almost stayed at our side, leaving us only to get our orders. But that was 9 in the evening when all of the hungry crowd have been nursing already their full stomach.

So I believe there is a lesson here: Do not go with the hungry crowd, usually at seven in the evening, or else you will lose your diet. Go to Laguna before or after the hungry mass have been fully satiated.

Now let’s eat.

A Very Good Night at Garden Cafe

I came to visit friends in Tagbilaran this week and they brought me to this nice place called Garden Cafe. The place has improved so much that even if I came to Tagbilaran once in a while, the place looked new to me.

Aside from the fact that it is run by deaf mutes (only the cashiers can talk), the cafe is actually very orderly and better than other restos in Tagbilaran. For one, the place is generally clean. The ambience is very good! The cowboy-themed resto lived up to its name. You can see different items from Montana, USA in their Montana room. The music is country and you could not resist the cowboy fare in their menu. Overall rating for this resto is 100%.

I wonder why the cafe of the Bohol Bee Farm could not imitate this resto. I mean, they have different themes but at The Buzzz (after the bees) at the Island City Mall, the ambience is very different from what they adhere. The Buzzz Cafe brags about organic food and yet the place does not came near to organic. Their music is even worst, playing the local radio station where a gay anchor blabbers the names of Tagbilaran residents. It is irritatingly irritating when you are eating garden salad.