Cucina Higala — Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro

Yesterday I hosted my girlfriend's birthday here. Place is really elegant. It is one of the few restaurants in CDO you can really say is presentable enough for you to bring your guests here. Food was also good. You get what you pay for and I paid for expensive food. In the backdrop of this city, the food is good compared to other restaurants that charge expensive prices but you get food that is just common. Here, they have dishes you cannot find elsewhere. And that is one of the reasons why you should visit a restaurant: to eat what you cannot eat elsewhere. But don't be mistaken, the food served here is not weird. It is very good food that's what it is. In terms of service, we love it. They have very beautiful and handsome staff. And very attending to our needs. That is what I want. That is what my family want. And I'm thinking many families come to this restaurant to dine. We may be tucked in an isolated city we all call CAGAYAN DE ORO but we have fine tastes and well travelled enough to know if a restaurant is good. It must have good food, good ambiance and SERVICE MUST BE IMPECCABLE as well. In terms of price, it is all worth paying for. I think I ordered 5-7 dishes? All presentable and delectable. Price was fine unfortunately I could not understand why there are so many addons in terms of sales taxes etc. Maybe to keep the prices of their food down? Maybe next time instead of writing it down in a piece of paper, properly computerize those add on prices OK? Because that is something you have to be transparent with. Its ok for me to pay but I have to understand why there are additional charges you added on top of the official receipt. And, that was very questionable because you only handwritten those charges. I can have someone from DTI look this up but I will not do that because we had a wonderful time in the restaurant. Oh and we loved the happy birthday greetings. Thank you! Kudos. Please work on my suggestions. Those may be subjective but when it comes to financial matters I think it is worth looking into.

5 Star...

Starting with appetizers, first is garlic calamares. I had a bit of high expectations because the garlic calamares from Ricardo's is really good. But Cucina Higala's version taste so much like Filipino street food -- squid ball. Even the sauce tastes perfect for steet food but that's not the quality you'd expect from with such a pricey menu, don't you think? Next is the fresh lumpia. The kicker of fresh lumpia has always been the sauce. Their version is more for Indo-Malay taste buds due to the prominent peanut flavor in the sauce which I'm not sure blended well with the lumpia. Don't get me wrong, sauce was good but put it together with the lumpia, you'd be more confused than wowed. Tries their sinuglaw too. It was not bad. Again, the taste did not meet the price. Tuna belly was juicy atleast. Pancit Fiesta was the worse. The serving was big but it really lacked toppings or ingredients. It felt like eating rice. Lastly, Tiyula Itum... I have a bit of a mixed feeling on this one. It was good but highly lacked the oomph or character. I don't have a frame of reference for this one so I'm reviewing as a first time eating it. Will I order it again? Maybe not. The soup while it's good did not have good texture. The meat while it's advertised as wagyu, was a bit tough and really rough. Don't know what went wrong with this one but it feels like a nice-try but highly priced. Will I go back or recommend Cucina Higala to my friends coming to cdo? Unlikely unless there is no...

Been here a couple of times for dinner. Their pork humba will always hit, but somehow, this time, it's a bit sweeter (?). We ordered pork humba, beef randang, pancit palabok, and kinilaw. First time trying their beef randang, and it's good. It's one of their must try as well. Pancit palabok is good as well, a bit dry for our liking but not bland as well. Tried their yellow mango shake for 170 pesos. It lacks flavor and the mango taste. If you are looking for a good mango shake in CDO, just go to cogon.

Serving time was 20-40 minutes as it was busy as well, we decided to walk in rather than have reservations luckily availability was fast. But i still would suggest getting a reservation if you are coming from a busy day, so they'll prioritize you. Staff and waiter/waitresses are kind, they had this special fusion drink we typically order, which changes color every time they add something, their waiter could've waited or explain what's the magic that was going to happen, it was kind of a bummer since it was smtg cute to witness. In our first visit, our waiter did explain to us what would happen so we could capture it. Nonetheless, nothing big deal, just a bummer.

Interior and ambiance will always be superb, neat, well lit, and classic interior. CR is the best, very clean, spacious, and cool! Very clean space and comfortable. Overall, it is always a good experience dining here.

Opinion ko lang: Kind of overhyped jud ang cucina higala,...