Turn Back Time at Claude's

When I met with my friend E on a recent visit to Davao City, she brought us to Claude's Le Cafe de Ville for dinner. Of course I've read about this restaurant, having done my usual research before travelling to a new place. E said it's the only nice restaurant in Davao City. She must know, she was born and raised in this Southern city famous for durian fruits.

Claude's is located at the city center in an ancestral house, previously owned by the first mayor of Davao. They actually recently transferred there from their original place across the street. My friend said people were wondering why Claude's would transfer to this haunted house. But after the restoration, the old house was transformed to a charming early 20th century home, as it would look like when it was first constructed.

Claude's front porch.

The wedding photo of the original owners.

At first glance, the house actually doesn't look like a restaurant. It's inside a gated lot with a garden front, a lot like a typical house in the Philippines. I only knew we're at Claude's when I saw the sign. Going up the short stairs to the restaurant leads to the front porch, where there's a sitting area with several memorabilia from the previous owners. Just from the front porch, you'd see that they stayed true to the traditional Filipino architecture and design when they renovated. The windows are large and covered in Capiz shells. The floor and walls are hard wood. They decorated the space with old photographs, an old sewing machine and Capiz shell chandelier.

Upon stepping inside the restaurant, Claude, the owner greeted us warmly and had our reservations checked. We were promptly seated to a table in the middle of the big room. There's a lot to take in inside the restaurant, paintings and prints hang on the wall, knickknacks on shelves, and different old-fashioned chandeliers drop from the ceiling. What used to be bedrooms are now used as private dining areas for small parties.

Liver Pate

The food at Claude's is French, because Claude (the owner) is French. There's a good selection of appetizers, local and imported steak, seafood dishes and desserts. For our appetizer, we had fresh oysters and liver pate with toasts. The oysters are very fresh and not slimy at all. The liver pate is creamy and went well with the slightly toasted baguette slices.

For my main course, I heard their steaks are good so I tried the Pepper Steak, picking a USDA tenderloin meat. It came with side dish of mashed potatoes and veggies. E had a seared fish fillet, I think Lapu-lapu and T had Roasted Lamb, picking a local instead of imported meat. My steak was very tender and had a good serving of gravy, I really enjoyed it. T's lamb was not easy to cut into, but once you get a piece, it's easier to chew. T said he liked it too.

Pepper Steak

For dessert,  I had the Banana Flambe and T and E had the Creme Caramel. The bananas were cooked so they're soft and their natural sugar caramelized. The Creme Caramel came in a shallow dish. I thought the top should have been more burnt, it looked soft and very creamy.

We were so busy catching up that I forgot to take pictures of a lot of things! Anyway, it was an enjoyable and beautiful night with delicious food, wonderful ambiance shared with great friends. Definitely one of the memorable nights in Davao.

Claude's Cafe de Ville
Rizal Street, Davao City
Philippines