Ciangi

Ciangi sits on Quezon Street right across from Mati City Baywalk Park, one of the longest-running sit-down restaurants in the city centre and an easy landmark if you are walking the waterfront. You can eat outside in the garden, where the breeze comes off the bay, or step into the air-conditioned coffee shop section, which is quieter and good for cake and coffee.

The dishes people come back for are bakareta (beef caldereta), sizzling sisig, kinilaw na tuna and spicy gambas, with halo-halo and the in-house cakes for dessert. Plates are built for sharing, and tables of four to eight are the norm on weekends. It is a Filipino menu with a café on the side, so you can also drop in just for a slice and a coffee after a Baywalk stroll.

Open daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Service is the common complaint, with waits of up to an hour on busy nights and some dishes running out, and one diner noted that old and new price menus circulate, so confirm prices when you order. Ask what is available before choosing, order everything in one go, and take the cake and coffee course in the air-conditioned room.