The last time I ate at Tandoori was way back in 2007 when the restaurant was still going by Persian Palate. A friend of mine wanted to try the only Persian restaurant in town, and try it we did. I remember having lamb which was grilled and served with a whole tomato. The meat was soft and tasted like it was soaked in milk before it was grilled. I was never too keen on lamb or veal (I'm a pork and chicken person) so the taste was something I had a hard time getting used to. That was the first time that I downed a whole bottle of San Mig Light just to get the taste out of my mouth.

Today the restaurant goes by the name Tandoori, and its a favorite of most expats and foreign visitors who frequent the city. The restaurant changed names, but the decor is still the same, down to the Indian paintings on the walls. We decided to have dinner here because he likes Indian food and I was hoping that they served the traditional Indian sweets that I saw on TV (too bad they didn't). I ordered the Tandoori chicken and JP recommended the samosa, which according to him, is the Indian equivalent of the empanada. He ordered the mutton curry. For something sweet I ordered the strawberry lassi.

Tandoori chicken is chicken which has been soaked in curd and then seasoned with Tandoori masala. This is a traditionally hot Indian dish courtesy of added cayenne and red chili powder. Turns out I couldn't eat the chicken. It came served very hot and spicy, and my first bite almost brought me to tears. Dishes that come with a lot of spices are not my cup of tea, and this particular dish was very hot indeed. One good thing I can say about the chicken though, it was soaked through with flavor. It also came with a side dish of cubed tomatoes and cucumber with their own vinegar dip.

JP's mutton curry agreed to my tastebuds better. We paired it with naan, the traditional Persian flatbread, and it tasted goooood! The mutton was very soft as well, with the flavors of butter and curry predominant with each bite. The strawberry lassi was the perfect compliment to all the spicy flavors.

We also ordered the samosa, which came filled with diced vegetables wrapped in a pastry shell. The entire thing is deep fried to a crisp and served with a mango chutney dip.

All in all, a very satisfying dinner. We finished the lamb curry in a hurry but the chicken tandoori and the samosa left untouched. We decided to bring the two unfinished dishes to the booth area, where the night was going on in full swing. It was August 28 after all, TIPON night and the busiest night of the Founders week.

There is a new coffee shop in town. Located in a portion of what used to be National Bookstore (which moved to Robinson's), Poppy Coffee and Cupcakes is just right across the lawn from my classroom. The coffee shop is airy and spacious with its high ceilings and large windows. I loved the feel of the place the moment I stepped inside. They also have the couch-y type of seating that I prefer over plastic chairs, which really allows you to sit back and enjoy your coffee.

The coffee shop is fairly new so I didn't expect a wide array of choices. For the most part, they have hot coffee, iced coffee and non-coffee blends, a few cupcakes, and sandwiches. I tried the ham sandwich and a hazelnut frappecino for my very first order. The frappecino tasted great, but the sandwich was a little bit on the cold side. I saw that the staff looked a bit frazzled, so I guess everyone was still getting to know where everything goes and how to do stuff. I would expect the service to get better once they have settled in. The cupcakes looked adorable, but I'm not really a cupcake person so I passed.

Although I have never been to Camiguin, I love the Vjandep Pastel that comes from the island. JP brings a box of the yummy treats every time he comes to visit, and we never fail to finish the entire contents of the box in one or two days. The pastels are something you don't find in Dumaguete, and they are only sold in some of the malls in Manila, and often at twice the price of pastels if you buy them from Vjandep branches in Camiguin or Cagayan de Oro. The pastels come in several varieties of filling such as durian, nangka, ube, and monggo, but the most popular is the original custard flavor.