aleyson,

Its as good as it looks. Save up for a special occassion and go. Don’t forget to make reservations and ask for suggestions when you get there. You won’t regret it.

Life is short….enjoy good food as much as you can, is what I always say.

I booked there for valentines dinner with my wife at PhP2900++ per head… all went well until a couple of days before valentines, i called them up to confirm, and they said well and good but I had to pay the amount before they confirmed my reservation… Can you imagine that? That may work wherever Mr. Hyatt (the owner) came from, but it sure won’t work here… I for one am offended that I have to pay up front, like i’m not good for the price?! Hehe, he’d better think twice… I ended up cancelling my booking… Aside from that, two people I know went there at different times, and both came back with totally wrecked stomachs… I can’t question their judgement, one is the GM and the other is the Operations Director of a 5-Star international hotel in Cebu… It’s a shame, because the place is nice… oh well, shit happens…

i too have been there at abaca few times.. but don’t agree with you completely.
food there is not just ok.. i think is fabulous! everything is homemade, ok try doing that at home you might find that impossible appleseed. very immature comment. you will probably end up with bowl of rice and sausages from supermarket freezer. the chef is american and in my opinion is very professional. trying his best to put things together and actually produce something that is almost impossible in cebu, good food and service. try watching gordon ramsey’s hell’s kitchen.
when was the last time you went out and actually had a good meal here? i go out once or twice a week eating at different places, cheap and expensive but always find crappy food and lazy service. i don’t know what’s wrong with you guys but if you don’t find this place fabulpous addition to cebu you are all spoilt to the sweet crappy food scene in cebu.
i’ll say abaca is the way to be! i wouldnt expect any more than they already accomplished.
go out of cebu and travel, then you will be thankful to the food and service at abaca. i too paid for my valentines dinner with my girl friend had a wonderful meal. they asked for deposit to secure the seat. and i am glad i did because it was packed!! isn’t putting down deposit a common thing? that’s what people do in developed countries on busy nights no? i am getting feeling that people commenting on good places and trashing them when in fact they are not is done by either competitors or stupid people have no common sense. abaca is well worth a visit. i am going back again this week and will post my new comments of the place if i feel any differently.

i see your point g_gourmet. however i do not belive people are true or to stick with their experiences based on their real experience. my real experiences tells me that
-the place is beautiful. ok everybody agrees.
-the chef is very strong and may use foul languages but the kitchen team looks strong and fast.
-food is fresh and well presented and taste fresh.
-the couple is genuinly nice people with solid reputation, more of this story later as i found out some information cause i haven’t met them.
-most of people i know from cebu or manila like their presence here in cebu.

i had guests from abroad, one first time in cebu and the other one has been here many times over the years. we started the night at cowrie cove. this is what i do when i have guests, and we head to abaca. the place was packed again. some from cebu, some from manila (i saw the president of rustan’s group?) and others look westerners.

anyway the pool site looks finsihed and lit but nobody eating downstairs.

main course came out quite slow this time but considering the crowd situation i guess it’s understandable. see two big groups served so mine will come next i hope. my guests are impressed about the food. that kind of makes me feel proud.

there are couple of restaurants i would take people out in cebu. i enjoy eating good food. quality food whether it cost P50 or P1000. but have to be good.

i would comment freely about the food scene in cebu because i feel that way. i could be wrong so i check and ask people. however i try out myself and reflect my opinion.

the chef again in my opinion is prefessional and presentable. i didn’t get to meet him but i don’t hear or see anything mentioned above when i am there. most of people i know who’s been there have met him and few even knew him from his previous place.
all i know he serves solid food each time. consistent. oh the menu’s dated? they print everyday?

it is difficult digest people commenting and trashing people they hardly know. this is my personal theory and i stick to it.

i don’t know them well nor i tried to. i hear comments from real people. but i would still go and have my own opinions.

even people say it’s not worth a try, i would go and try it myself.

stick to the food. the chef looks fine. he seemed tense time to time i look into the kitchen. he has full restaurant to feed. having shit food served would upset me more.

i expect my food to to be served on time with good quality and a proper service to go with it.
whatever you have to make this happen is the chef and manager’s responsibility.
after all, i am paying dear price for it.

i paid P1900 each for my valentine’s dinner. plenty of food i couldnt finish. think i had oyster too?

mr. weedmeister obviously hasn’t been to the place.
got the facts wrong too.

who knows he could be working for/with “the GM and the other is the Operations Director of a 5-Star international hotel in Cebu”
mr. appleseed could be the mr. weedmeister.
i am curious. just a nature of my job.

i might ask abaca next time who this could be. haha
ok, i have too much time on my hand i admit again.

well said weedmeister2… I am half white too, I just hope that I am not just half-right!

.. and does the title food-lover mean the love of good food? or just love for any food?

.. and mr. weedmeister2, you have just enumerated the places of great gastronomic experiences, I would look forward to hear about the non five-star restos from you. Punko-punko, which I grew up with, was definitely worth the 1 peso of ngho-hiong I have for lunch daily.

I’m thinking of booking a table at Abaca for one weekend in May. We will be flying to Cebu for a friend’s wedding and will be celebrating with a group of 8 people.

I have never been to this restaurant. Any advise which is the best table to reserve? Great views?

i am back to cebu. haha! so now i am the chef or being paid to write these comments. actually that isnt a bad idea. i should get paid by them writing this or a free meal or two? maybe you can help me by informing them kielbasa?

i am trying to make a point here. first it began with me pointing out why would anybody create a story to hammer on a venue that’s doing so well. i would write same thing and reflect my opinoins on places i believe is worth a try. i know some of these people(obviously) writing this thread trashing this place so i am trying to make a point. trashing your competitor isn’t cool. you are in the same industry and is just not cool.

kielbasa,
what did you have to have a bill of that price?? did you have a meal with gold flake sprinkled on top?
tell us more.

hey, food lover, what exactly do you mean by trashing?

is writing my own opinion “trashing”? is this now a fascist state where one cannot air his views?

is telling the truth and recounting your experience “trashing”? since when, my friend?

and no, i did not “create” this story for you… anyhow, who are you to think that i would even give a rat’s ass about what you think…? lol

@kielbasa: are you into kielbasa sausages? hehehe, we have the same taste eh?

@food.critic: thanks for your support… as for the “dinky” eating places in cebu, i have recently tried “Kuya J’s” near capitol, and i must say for 250 per head it’s pretty good. especially the shark meat soup… oh, and another place i keep going back to since ‘98 is “Aranos”… senor arano really knows his cheap basque food… hehehe try their tortilla de patata and their lengua.
as for the semi-expensive places, there’s a pretty great alternative to Kanyoen’s pricey kalbi, and that is Wakamatsu on the same road… around 500 bucks gets you eat all you can US Angus (hard to believe, but it’s really good) that you can cook right on your table, plus half price for kids… there’s also Kameyama noodle house on cabahug, right in front of paseo… try Kameyama-San’s Chasyumen and his Gyoza for a real authentic japanese treat… this should set you back around 500 per person also… enjoy

Well said Orange77

i would like to say:

An opinion should always be welcome from any individual, and should be treated as an opinion, no more or less. However, when you critique, there are standards to follow to conclude with fair judgement, It is not an acquired taste, hence not an experience, otherwise, leads to bias. It is innate, not learned.

* You may read good reviews of Abaca in magazines, but that is clearly biased. The place is beautiful as i mentioned earlier, the service impeccable, the food? it’s only a small fraction of the quality of the first two. Nothing gourmet at their cost, or flavor, -> elaborate preparation of fancy, specialized, or exotic meals.

I’ve been to Abaca. The interior of the restaurant was excellent. That’s it. Food? so-so..

When you talk about food you talk about personal experience. You relate it to what you’ve tried and experienced.

I had the privilege of dining in some really good restaurants abroad and to my opinion the food at Abaca is just too hyped, not even extra ordinary to rave about, not to mention it’s over-priced. Even your lowly house-help at home when properly given the instruction how to prepare the dish she can make them.

grilled prawns brushed with olive oil, a sprinkle of herbs? mash potatoes? prime rib? how difficult is that to make?

I’m not saying I had a bad experience at Abaca. The food there is just not that exciting. I even paid more for a meal at a small shack in Seattle’s Public Market. the seafood was fresh, pasta was house-made, and even with just a simple sauce you’d want to eat them everyday! and even for just an affordable $10.95 at Cafe Mediterano you have an authentic medeteraean meal already, and that’s good for 2 persons already ..no kidding.

Normally when we have a new resto in town people would have mix reviews about the place. You feel great to have tried their food but in the long run, you’d you want to go there often? i seriously doubt that.

you say you are a food-lover? maybe you’re just in for the adventure. you’re a food lover, that’s it. you love food, and anything you shove to your mouth you would probably like (pardon my french!)..

progress to become an epicurian..or a connosseur or watch foodnetwork..they have really good good there, not some paper-thin pizza with topping yo barely taste.

and chef? what about the chef? well he’s the chef of abaca, alright..no doubt about that..arrogant? I’d say he looks down on his kitchen staff..too sad for the people who work there..maybe he had bad experiences when he was still a line cook in his early days. abroad there’s so much yelling in the kitchen when you’re a slacker..and one can eventually take it on to other people..influenced? maybe..maybe not..i read a lot of books about the experiences of chefs..and cooks..i encourage people to grab a book at national bookstore or at fullybooked at rockwell..

i’d say, eat at local restaurants..you’ll go home more happy and filled.

I have been to Abaca several times and personally have never seen the chef yelling at employees. I have had many items from the menu and most were very tasty but not everything was perfect every time. My overall comment on the food is that it is very good, the portions are large and easily shared. I would reccomend the ribeye, fresh pastas and the pizzas. Being a girl who loves her food I think Abaca is doing a good job overall. The service was excellent and the food came out very quickly. The ambience is like no other. Drinks can be a little expensive but the corkage is fair if you want to bring your own bottle of Vino. Abaca is one of the 5 best western restaurants in Cebu along with Gustavian, Aqua, Giuseppe and Olio. TIP: ask the manager to prepare a menu for the table to share and it will be less expensive. Happy Dining!

kielbasa, I had a similar experience with the seabass. Everyone in our table who tried it agreed that it was crap. I can personally say that it was tough and tasteless. Only a sense of propriety kept us from asking the waiter for some toyo and patis to give the fish some taste.

Ive been to Abaca twice and I have to say that although the restaurant looks great, the food is really just average. At those prices I was expecting a lot more. I guess we really pay for the ambience, not the food. In my opinion the pasta and pizza in Acqua or Giuseppi blows Abaca out of the water.

all the comments about Abaca are great! shows that everyone in Cebu has taste. I have been to many restaurants and for me, the food is ok. I can give a few that serve much tastier food (but that may get me in trouble), Dessert is really good there though but anyway, i agree with all, food may or may not be good but it does take away one’s appetite when the chef can’t control his temper.
That doesn’t say though that the chef is a rude guy,there are more arrogant than he is. It is a bit discriminating though for Filipinos.

Who is more arrogant? the chef (foreigner) who treats his Filipino staff cruelly or the Filipino manager who treated his Filipino staff like dogs…Birds with the same feathers flock together.
am i right? Stop treating your employees like that …Philippine law excuses no one.

BETTER NOT GO, IF THATS THE WAY YOU WILL ONLY SEE ABOUT THE CHEF ANDF THE MANAGER…KICK THOSE KINDS WHO TREAT FILIPINOS LIKE A DOG!! THEY ARE JUST A FOREIGNER IN OUR COUNTRYMWHY DO WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE HUMILIATED???