Cafe Lorenzo and the Gambas That Failed

Today, in a fit of gastronomical ennui, I went to Cafe Lorenzo by the seaside to see if they had something interesting to snack on. I've been a fan of their capuccinos and cheeseckes, which I found to be at par with any coffee I've had in Manila or Italy . They have also a bistro menu with entrees like "tonkatsu", tacos and US-style ribs. I always thought they were kind of overly ambitious with this menu, which was quite expensively priced. I would have expected them to follow the safe American model, which is to simply offer pannini and pastries. However, Cafe Lorenzo decided to open full restaurant fare, the kind whose names you only encounter in international  bistros. I know of no other restaurant in Ormoc that offers US style ribs (very expensive at 750 pesos). I decided to order the "gambas" (around 140 pesos without rice).  As far as I know, when you say you're offering  gambas or "garlic shrimp", that means you're going to give me reasonably sized shrimps in olive oil and minced garlic. I say this with much back experience. I used to play the piano in La Tasca, a Spanish restaurant in Greenbelt, Makati back during the Marcos era. Their specialty was, you guessed it, gambas and very specially, a kind of fall-off-the-bone oxtail stew called "rabo estofado".  I'm not sure if they are still there, but if they are, check them out. They were just a few steps away from Via Mare. Greenbelt Makati has changed so much though since the 70's, so they're probably gone. I've had tapas in Spain, of which gambas are  a usual feature. Plus, really, I've cooked them myself, usually with an infusion of white wine.  To return to  Cafe Lorenzo:  after a short period enjoying my cappuccino, the waiter came over to bring me a dish of ...horrors.  What I got instead was a very much dumbed- down concoction of very tiny shrimps, the sort that seem to be like those dried ones called "ebi"  that they sell at the Chinese store as condiments for noodles. There were some peppers, some garlic, the whole of which was smothered in an unexpected gooey blanket of ketchup that hid the wee shrimps from sight. I was debating whether to return it or eat it. I decided not to make a scene, and  I ate it, vowing never to order it ever again from this cafe. Again I find this conundrum in Ormoc: potentially good bistros with promising offerings are done in by greed. In their need to economize, they skimp on the ingredients, thus making money out of charging a lot for not a lot.  Is Cafe Lorenzo becoming, or has become, a tourist trap? Yes. I later mentioned  my experience with  somebody who replied: " That's the way they make their gambas" as if excusing their failure. This is usually how Ormocanons reply when somebody complains about bad service or bad food in this city: it's  the way things are, no need to make a fuss about it. No my dear: these below (from Google) are real "gambas al ajillo", and nothing can ever change that.