Dolce Cafe

after burnz and i had dinner at Maya, we decided to check out Dolce Cafe for sweets and coffee, located at Panorama Heights, Nivel Hills, Lahug Cebu City. 

Dolce is an italian word wich means gently and sweetly, according to my research. hehe :)

thanks to my long arms, was able to take a clear pic of the signage! haha

the view of Dolce from outside

there's another signage that says, Belle Fleur, a french term which means, beautiful flower. im not so sure why two languages (french and italian) were used to be portrayed in a cafe. usually, if the concept is italian, it should be italian all the way, and so on... anyways, this two signages just got me confused as to which title is being accorded to the cafe... hmmm :)

pasok tong chandelier na toh, bet ko toh! :)

this chandelier caught  my attention first when i entered the cafe. sosyal, luv this! :)

the main cafe counter where orders are taken

ok, here's the thing, this is an upscale modern design cafe but i don't agree much on the structure where they use blackboard-ish type of menu for people to look at when they order. the chalk writing fades, and some descriptions are not readable. i suggest they use a signage type of menu where there's a back light coz it matches their modern chic theme. the likes of bo's coffee and starbucks, etc... the cake fridge is quite small since i can see plastic with fruits placed in there at the bottom most part when i was there. plus, the top of the cake fridge has a crowded display, there's too much going on there. on the right side, this is where we can see different turn-over croissant bread but they were not arranged properly. different from what we usually see in bread & pastry shops. it was like it was just placed there, that's all. at least, they could have put art on how they display things to make it look orderly and more enticing to buy. also, if you notice the people inside the main counter, they look crowded, as in!
i've read from other blogs that the interiors were designed by Holly Dychangco. her sister, Sally Dychangco, i guess, also manages the cafe. i am inclined to assume that the two ladies you see on the pic above, inside the cafe counter, are the owners. hehe :)

my favorite spot in the cafe - pasok sa aking taste! :)

white cabinets and fridge etc. lol

the two visible chest freezers, kaloka! :)

for me, these cabinets and fridge are so off talaga... the fridge is empty, i really took notice of it when i was there. lol... the white cabinets have wines and different mugs, ala starbucks ang show but for me, having it there was a poor choice... it doesnt stand out, it looks like a mini bodega na tinambakan ng kung anik anik...no offense ha, hindi lang talaga bagay... im not an architect or an interior designer pero i know naman what looks good and doesnt look good, at least, in my own opinion. chos! to make things worse, there are two small chest freezers na visible, kaloka! at parang may mop pa talaga sa likod ng chest freezer, can you see it?! lol :) ... the kitchen, i must say is also inside the main counter! when burnz and i were chatting at our table, kumalampag ang mga pinggan at baso! gosh! hahaha! 

another view of the cafe's interior

there are beautiful pieces of furniture to take note of inside naman. mala cobonpue ang peg ng mga ito but i didn't take a closer look na kasi i notice may mga nakalagay na description na naka tape sa mga pieces, and since nobody was using it, or nobody dared to use it, i assumed, it was for display purposes only... hahaha ... next time, when i do a review, papasukin ko na lahat ng sulok and take pictures para complete lahat ng reviews ko. hehehe :) others kasi, they blog and just say all the beautiful things but for me, i dont think its right... i cant say that its delicious when its not, sorry. or say that its beautiful when its not, again, in humble personal opinion... im just being honest... hahaha

real flowers as a center piece

in fairness, these are real flowers that they used as a center piece on each table. its really NICE! bagay xa sa peg na modern chic design! :) i must say that the white furnitures (tables and chairs) they have in their cafe is really sosyal, maganda and matibay. so bet ko ang mga ito. chos! hahaha :)

double brownie and red velvet cakes

burnz got the double brownie cake and i got myself the red velvet. the red velvet cake is just ok. the taste of the filling is average, the cake alone, the red crust, its also ok... if i have to rate this red velvet cake from a scale of 1 to 5, nasa 3 ang rating nya for me. for the double brownie, i'll have to rate it at 3 pa rin.. the filling is ok but the cake crust is not moist. by the way, they sell these cakes for 100 pesos each. for me, it should only be sold at 70 to 80 pesos each, from its taste. just my opinion. chos! haha :) 

outdoor lounging area

another view of the outdoor lounging area

ok, this is an over-looking outdoor lounge of the cafe. you can view the city from here. landscape is good and the big circular lights are really good to look at, very modern talaga. i made sure that i wont be able to capture what's on the inner right side coz its a bodega of old fixtures! kaloka! hahahaha.... hope they fix it naman at hindi yung ang tinatabihan ng mga customers nila is bodega. i find it just so not right. anyways, im not fond of outdoors pag gabi coz of the lamok! chos! hahaha :)

im not saying that pangit ang Dolce Cafe, it needs a lot of improvement lang talaga. hopefully, next time i visit the place, baka bongga na talaga xa in all aspects! sayang lang, kasi the interior decorator is also the owner of the building tapos ganito ang kinalabasan, diba? the building itself kasi is really maganda, in fairness. yun nga lang, the interior, hindi masyado pinagisipan. we'll see as the days pass, babalik ako dito to check kung may bagong ganap! chos! haha :)

burnz and myself

in fairness, nakakaganda ang lights nila dito! swak for picture taking! hindi halata ang mga pores mo sa ganitong lighting! chos! hahaha

tight hugs,
AC