The Green Chef Dumaguete — Restaurant in Dumaguete

Where do I begin? Let's start off with a fair warning. This place is on the 4th floor and there is no elevator but I'm not going to dock a star because of that because the food itself makes up for there not being any stairs.

THE CHEF: Chef is Ver knowledgeable and is very approachable. He greeted our party as we hiked up the stairs. We had some seniors in the party and he was very helpful and accommodating. He loved to chat and answer any questions you have from history, to food, where the food is sourced from, to what his ingredients are as well as a slew of other questions we bombarded him with. Chef had a few recommendations and we weren't disappointed. Bottom line he knows his stuff and requesting to tweak his food items was easy because he was so knowledgeable and knows how to adjust the food and still have it taste awesome.

BACKGROUND: From our chatter, he's had a proper fine dining location prior but rent went up so he had to adjust and not pass the cost of his items to the customer. Their food started roughly pre pandemic and closed briefly because of the pandemic but because there was high demand for healthy food he got proper permits and opened up the restaurant for takeout. Pretty much where the boom started for his food.

THE MENU: Everything is explained on the menu as far as what ingredients there are as well as the very affordable price and the calorie count which was calculated and tabulated by his son who graduated in Silliman as a Neutrishionist. This place is VEGAN so there are no animal products, no dairy, and most definitely no eggs in the ingredients.

THE AMBIANCE: As mentioned before this place is on the 4th floor but has an open concept so you get a view of tops of buildings and you feel the breeze from the mountain. Granted I'm sure the city was a little dusty but I didn't feel it up there nor did I feel hot because of the elevation and open concept. When we died there was a foreign family already seated and was enjoying their food. Granted most clientele or should I say most that frequent this place is foreigners because they understand the food. I'm not saying Filipinos won't understand it but they had a bit of a stretch to open up their minds to vegan concept. Sample, where do you find kalamungay/malongay? Soup... Well there are other foods malongay can be infused or can be the primary ingredient.

THE FOOD: 1st off I love meat but sometimes you've gotta sweep all that cholesterol with some proper fibrous vegetables. If you are Vegan or love vegetables then this is the place for you. If you are a meat eater you'll still love this place if you give it a chance. I've had a few vegan and vegetarian dishes in most of my travels and I'd say this place compares to International standards. We started off with drinks and these drinks didn't disappoint. I technically could have ordered a couple of drinks myself and I would have been satisfied and be stuffed but I wanted to try Chefs recommendations. Everything tasted great! I'd say I order a good 50% of the menu because I wanted to try them all. Initially ordered just enough for a meal but after trying each dish, I wanted to taste the rest. I might have actually over eaten because I wanted to try everything. Let me add that I was visiting Dumaguete (I do visit here frequently but today was the first time I looked them up and tried), and I wish they had this place in Cebu.

CONCLUSION: For foreigners this is a MUST go to if you miss vegetables. Many times I myself as well as a few friends who visit the Philippines crave vegetables and not overly sauced and cooked/steamed l vegetables but a proper vegetable dish. Vegan is going the extra mile. For locals I say you try something once but I bet you you'll be amazed at the flavor Chef brings out with his dishes. You have to try so you can make your own opinion. I myself will frequent this place. A wrap and a drink is plenty to keep you running for the rest of the day. You'll feel full but not heavy......

The Green Chef should be its own destination when it comes to food especially if you’re looking for vegan inspired Filipino foods. I appreciated that the menu and foods had so much thought and creativity behind each dish. The plating is beautiful, it felt and tasted like we went to a Michelin Star Restaurant (which we’ve been to).

I want to highlight the protein amount per dish was marked on the menu and the food were made with no sugar added. Often times, vegan dishes are just veggies unaware that plant based dishes should be well rounded as well! This felt like a haven for me as I’m constantly mentally measuring macro content, I felt at ease knowing that the dishes were well rounded.

I was most surprised by the mango salsa, which had olives in them and reminded me of when my Filipino mom would put shrimp paste on my mangos. Im not sure if that was the intention but it great balance of sweet and salty.

Tofu Sigsig: The mixture of in-house tofu and mushrooms captured the texture and umami of your standard sigsig and then rose above it. We’ve been trying out the tofu sigsigs throughout our trip and this was by far the best.

Mango Ice Cream: Reminded me of a really good vanilla bean ice cream with a mango overtone. It even had the homemade mouthfeel. Given the temperature and humidity, I appreciated that it wasn’t overly creamy which allowed it to feel cold and refreshing.

Avocado Almond Ice cream: This reminded me of pistachio ice cream, however it didn’t leave it there, the chef elevated it with almond bits! It gave it a candied taste-which for no sugar added-is quite the treat! Lots of thought went behind this, you can tell!

I added a photo of the turmeric rice because -look at it!-it’s gorgeous!

We got to meet the owner and chef, who gave us descriptions of each of their dishes and answered our many questions and exclamations as we were wowed by the foods. Truly amazing!

Kudos to the chef and staff who make this restaurant what it is. I hope to eat at their next location...

We finally visited The Green Chef’s restaurant and had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners.

Food and Restaurant: The food was simply amazing! We enjoyed the Green Veggie Burger, Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, and a refreshing Vegan Smoothie. Each dish was full of flavor and creativity, truly showcasing their talent for turning traditional Filipino cuisine into delicious plant-based meals. The restaurant itself had a welcoming and cozy atmosphere, perfect for a relaxed dining experience.

Regular Meal Plan Provider: The Green Chef has been our regular meal plan provider for the past four months since we moved to Dumaguete. Their meals have seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, providing us with nutritious and tasty options every day. Even during their two-week transition to a new location, we tried other meal plan providers, but none compared to the quality and innovation of The Green Chef. They continue to impress us with their innovative and flavorful plant-based meals.

The pricing is just right for the high quality and variety of dishes they offer. It’s premium dining at a reasonable cost, making it a fantastic value for money.

Meeting the nutritionist owner was a highlight. It was great to connect and learn more about the thought and care that goes into each meal. This personal touch made us appreciate their service even more.

Highly recommend this gem in...