Here in the metro, the "Dampa" restaurants offer a unique dining experience. Instead of the conventional restaurant where you simply sit down and order your dishes from the menu, in a Dampa restaurant you are first supposed to shop for your own fresh seafood and meat at the adjacent wet market. You then turn these over to the restaurant staff, and decide how you want them to be prepared. The point of this exercise is to let you determine just how premium you want your ingredients to be: you can splurge on the plumpest prawns or the fattest deep sea crabs without being charged a surplus. Instead, you only pay for the 'paluto' fee.
I would say that the name of this restaurant, Dampa sa Timog, is rather misleading because unlike the other Dampa hubs near MOA and Ortigas, Dampa sa Timog does not have an adjacent wet market where you can shop for your ingredients. Instead, the place simply features several carinderia-style establishments where you order from the typical restaurant menu. Still, the food is reasonably good and priced just right.
This place is a good choice if you like the usual pulutan fare like sisig, buttered fried chicken and batter-fried squid. The beer is cheap and cold, and with a group of friends to share it with, you really won't mind dining alfresco. read more