Ronda find: dragon fruit farm

On our way to Moalboal, we passed by this dragon fruit farm in Ronda. It immediately caught my eye and I was even more pleased to see a native-style eatery right beside it: Delcio’z Resto Cafe

I don’t understand the name, either. Maybe it’s some kind of play on the word “delicious”?

Delcio’z Resto Cafe and dragon fruit farm

Delcio’z Resto Cafe is a great stopover for round-south trips. You can grab a bite here on your way to or when you’re coming from the beaches in Moalboal, the canyon and waterfalls in Badian or the whale sharks in Oslob.

Instead of individual tables, there were bamboo cottages near the side of the road. I love local, farm to table and open air, so how could I resist?!

There were also tables inside the main restaurant, if you wanted to be boring 😄 I like the native look, though, don’t you?

It was lunch time, so I asked the waitress what their bestsellers were. She was modest enough to say that everything on the menu was just okay and that their bestseller was really their dragon fruit shake.

Makes sense. We just picked whatever we liked then. First order – dragon fruit shake.

Oh-so-pretty dragon fruit shakes

When our dragon fruit shakes arrived, I couldn’t get over how stunning they looked. We finished them in a few seconds.

Filipino lunch fare

The food took a few minutes to arrive, but it wasn’t that bad. Nothing spectacular, but more than so-so, which I had expected based on our waitress’ hesitation.

About the dragon fruit

Called pitaya or pitahaya, dragon fruit tastes like a cross between a pear 🍐 and a kiwi fruit 🥝. It looks really exotic with its black seeds.

The plant is a cactus and there are several varieties. The common one has red skin with white flesh, another has yellow skin and white flesh (this I haven’t seen) and then one with red skin and red flesh, which is what we just had and actually makes pretty fuchsia-colored shakes 💕

Exploring the grounds

While waiting for our food earlier (and after eating), the kids and I explored the grounds.

There were only two restrooms – one for men and one for women. Surprisingly, there were two shower rooms. Very convenient for people stopping by to shower and change.

The dragon fruit farm

We then went to the dragon fruit farm and I was happy to know we could explore it. Touching the dragon fruit flowers was not allowed because, apparently, they were very sensitive.

You’d think there wasn’t any fruit at all when you first see the rows of dragon fruit plants.

And then you spot one…

And then this…

There were actually lots of fruits. They are ripe when they turn red. However, Delcio’z has a standard size for the fruits they sell. This one below is small and considered a “reject.” Aww… Poor pretty baby.

The fruit starts as a bud on the leaf. Well, being a cactus, the leaf is also its body.

As the bud grows, so does its hair till it becomes Cousin Itt.

The hair dries up and the fruit starts looking like a small green pineapple.

You could take pictures and selfies as long as you were a customer. With the lights they put around the dragon fruit plants, the place must look magical at night.

The resto also sells dragon fruits at Php 280 per kilogram. These are the big ones.

Enjoy the ambiance

Just sit in one of the cottages and watch the vehicles pass by on the highway while you sip on that bright pink drink that’s chock full of vitamins. Not a fan of agricultural sceneries? Read a novel and enjoy the rural breeze on a hot day – with your dragon fruit shake, of course!

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