Spice and flavor!
This is what the newest restaurant in General Santos offers. Cafe Paprika, a mixed of Mediterranean and Asian fusion restaurant, serves Gensan with flavorful dishes. They recently opened their store last October 2023 but has become a popular favorite for social media influencers in the city.
They offer a variety of food but mainly with Mediterranean and Asian influences such as their biryani that comes in different meat selection. They offer chicken, prawn, salmon, and beef biryani. They also serve Singaporean laksa and salted egg shrimp which is also very popular in Singapore.
What was amazing is that this little quaint restaurant offers dishes that are not common dishes you find in General Santos City. They offer something new such as the oyster sisig, laksa, and the salted egg pasta shrimp.
The first time we tried Oyster Sisig was in Two Seasons, Boracay and you have to queue for more than an hour to get a seat and try this famous dish.
Cafe Paprika offers this without having the hassle to go all the way to Boracay.
How to Get There
The restaurant is located at Asai road, corner Mateo Rd, General Santos City. It is located within the compound where Jovinaj Travellers Inn is located. If you are riding via public transport, this is the landmark that tricycle drivers know it by. Drivers may take you to Asai Subdivision so inform them you will be dropping at Jovinaj Travellers Inn.
They are open everyday from 11:30AM to 10:00PM.
Payment method is cash and Gcash.
The Place and The Ambiance
Cafe Paprika is situated inside the compound where Jovinaj Traveller Inn is located. Once you enter the compound, you will be greeted by a little yellow painted house with a brown door adorned with grey and turkish prints.
The interior uses mustard painted walls with woody elements. It can only seat an estimated 20 pax of people. It is very clean but tiny. The ambiance is really cozy and great for intimate gathering.
The Spending
Cafe Paprika offers a short list of menu but offers new dishes that are unique in General Santos City. They offer spicy rigatoni ala vodka and salted egg pasta with shrimp that is uncommon anywhere in the city. We personally tried their salted egg pasta with shrimp and is one of the best salted egg pastas I’ve ever tasted.
A unique vegetable dish that we missed out on was their buffalo broccoli wings. It’s a nice vegetable alternative to the favorite chicken buffalo wings.
They offer oyster sisig which is quite expensive but such a treat. They also offer singaporean laksa and crispy beef tadyang and different types of biryani.
They come as a little pricey but the food is really delicious. Their biryani is quite expensive as well. The chicken biryani is the least expensive among all the biryani type.
Most dish cost around P250+. Their pasta dish is around P230 to P300. Salted Egg Shrimp pasta costs P300. Their least expensive dish on the menu are their burgers at P149. For their main entrees – it would be their choripan at P195.
Review
When I went home to Gensan to spend two weeks there, I visited three new restaurants I haven’t tried yet. Out of all the restaurants I’ve visited, Cafe Paprika offers the most unique food and gave a new experience.
Thanks to their salted egg pasta with shrimp! If you’re reading my previous blogs, I have mentioned that I am a big fan of salted egg shrimps or any dishes with salted egg on it. By far, Cafe Paprika’s salted egg pasta with shrimps has been one of my favorites. A lot of restaurants offering this pasta don’t taste like salted egg at all. The cream overpowers the salted egg making it like a version of alfredo with salted egg as garnish. However, with Cafe Paprika’s, the salted egg flavor dances around your mouth like that dancing scene on Midsommar. You can also feel the texture of the salted egg which lets you know that they were very generous with the salted egg they put.
We also ordered their oyster sisig which has been a genius way of cooking oyster. I am not a clam/oyster fan because I dislike the soft slimy texture of it. Oyster, if not cooked properly or unseasoned also taste like ocean mud. However, the first time I tried oyster sisig in Boracay, it was heavenly and worth spending hours to queue for.
Imagine my surprise when I found that Cafe Paprika offered this dish. We ordered oyster sisig and it was worth it. Although, the flavor profile is far from the oyster sisig in Boracay, their version of it is also delicious. It had some tangy taste to it and was peppery. It was crunchy which was a nice mouthfeel.
We did try their chicken biryani but it was not really something amazing. The biryani lacked spices and was a little bland. They also put star anise and was really annoying to eat because I kept biting into little chunks of it. I understand that some biryani recipes require star anise but they need to remove the star anise when serving to avoid any choking hazards. The chicken was also on the dry side.
The crispy tenders were nicely cooked. I am amazed that it was highly crispy and not soggy or oily at all. Although, the chicken batter lacked some flavor as it was bland. We ordered the honey sriracha flavor. My partner really loves the sauce. I love how it spicy and sweet it was. I appreciate that they choose to present the sauce as a dip instead of tossing the chicken on the sauce.
The service is good and the place is clean and well air-conditioned. I love the prints on their dish as it was Turkish inspired. Overall, I look forward to coming back and tasting their singaporean laksa and their buffalo brocolli wings. It’s a restaurant I would recommend if you are coming to General Santos City.
- Payment Method: Cash and Gcash
- Budget: P700-P1000 per 2 pax
- Business Hours: 11:30AM to 10:00 PM
- Type: Mediterrenean/Asian Fusion
- Facebook Page: Cafe Paprika
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The Voyaging Accountant 