Ed Tabancura at the gate of Goodtimes Cafe

Where in Dipolog can you find genuine art and delicious food at the same place at the same time? Art lovers and enthusiasts know exactly that I am referring to Goodtimes Cafe, located at corner Lopez Jaena and P. Garcia Streets in Biasong, Dipolog City.

Sculptured angel by the gate

Goodtimes Cafe is actually a private mini-park about 1,000 square meters with a two-story ancestral house along the road, an art gallery by the left sideyard, a pension house by the right, and an indigenous open chapel at the back area.

This...art haven is the creation of Ed Tabancura, a native Dipolognon whose expertise in coffee house management goes back to his experience with the first Goodtimes Cafe in Ermita, Manila.

What separates this venue from other eating places in this part of the country is its artistic quality. This is a place where one can find down-to-earth art creations. The ambiance of the place is equally different, so different that it leaves a lasting impact to visitors who come, locals, and foreigners alike...

The gate to the compound gives you a glimpse of what is inside. Its iron grill has the motifs of eight split suns. Two smiling suns also greet you by the gate's sides and, if you think these are not enough, two fallen suns, frame the place's motto "peace and love be given" by the gate's floor.

The motif of the sun is repeated everywhere. On murals and floors and artworks. So are sculptured angels and crosses.

The main ancestral house is a bazaar with a main altar by the skylight. Everywhere are objects and collectibles, including chinawares, figurines, paintings, sculptures, macabre papier maché masks, odd-shaped driftwood and a twenty-five-year-old stereo from which music flows all day.

the altar

At the garden, Kapilya Juliana is the centerpiece. It is a chapel for all religions. This open chapel is made of iron, wood, bamboo and nipa, while its floor is of crazy-cut marble tiles painstakingly designed to form the scattered rays of the sun.

Galeria Indelicio

By the sideyard is Galeria Indelicio which houses several of Ed Tabancura's artistic works as well as those of friends and students.

There is also the Casa Juliana, a pension house recycled from a recently emptied old apartment building. It has three bedrooms named Tranquility, Holy and Enlightenment.

All over the compound there are more than twenty nooks with tables and chairs which are perfect for private and cozy talk among the green exuberance of leafy canopies... (Don Gurrea)

HOW TO GET THERE

Goodtimes Cafe in Dipolog City, may be reached through:

1. ferry/boat ride from Manila, Tagibilaran or Cebu, or
2. plane ride from Manila or Cebu

When in Dipolog city center, just ask around, everyone knows where Goodtimes Cafe is.

Locate Dipolog City in Southern Philippines here: http://www.ldb.org/phil_map.htm

OTHER SITES TO SEE WHILE IN DIPOLOG

Goodtimes Cafe is walking distance from the The 1896 Cathedral of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary; altar designed by National Hero Jose P. Rizal during his exile to Dapitan (More on the famed Cathedral here), or may be reached by taking a tricycle from the city center.

You also get to see a majestic view of Dipolog City from 3002 Steps Linabo Peak (View)

Dipolog is also 20 minutes away from Dapitan City, exile home of National Hero Jose P. Rizal, the Rizal Museum (View); and the famous Dakak Resort (View)

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