Friday, March 22Multi-awarded Filipina blogger, ocial media specialist, publicist and content creator
Shadow

Food

Why Mindanaoans especially Dabawenyos still love TAPS

Commentary, Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Musings
New fastfood outlets and restaurants may pop up like mushrooms in Davao City Mindanao but methinks Dabawenyos still love TAPS. Taps, short for "tapsilog" (tapa - sinangag - itlog), has long been in the food industry in Davao City and it's known for its wide array of "pares" or "tapsi" meals. Name it - they most probably have it. From tapsilog to bangsilog (bangus-sinangag-itlog) to tocilog to lekasilog (lechon kawali-sinangag-itlog) to adosilog (adobo-sinangag-itlog), TAPS Davao has it! If I'm not mistaken, they've been in existence for more than 15 years. Taps was one of the places my friends and I frequently hung out in during our high school days (only goes to show my age, eh?) These days, Taps now has branches in Bolton Street (the one I still frequently go to), Sta. Ana Street, Leg...

Batchoy at Tita Annie’s Victoria Plaza Davao City Mindanao – fail!

Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update
Upon my mom's prodding, we decided to eat at Tita Annie's at Victoria Plaza, Bajada, Davao City in a recent trip to my hometown Davao. I was craving for batchoy at that time so I ordered the Tita Annie's special batchoy. Batchoy is basically comprised of sweet meat broth, slices of meat and pork innards, spring onions, garlic and other taste enhancers plus fresh noodles. Batchoy is usually topped off with crushed pork cracklings (chicharon). So you can just imagine my dismay when this was served to me: Not only did it taste bland, I particularly didn't like the fact that the chicharon wasn't crushed. Instead of being extra toppings, the pork skin cracklings looked as if they were "part" of the meal itself. Ayayay. Meal wasn't worth it. That was a disappointment. What abo...

Davao region soon to be a lobster production area?

BIMP-EAGA, Business, Commentary, Controversial, Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, News
A PNA article caught my attention today. It said that an American feeds supplier is eyeing lobster production in the Davao region here in Mindanao! A certain Denzil Nicholson of Verdant Ocean, an aquaculture feeds company, said that they're keen on the possibility of producing lobsters in Davao. "The region is a good area for development. It is one of the most viable industries as lobster stocks are on the decline," Nicholson was quoted as saying. Did you notice the tricky part? He said "lobster stocks are on the decline." I wonder if the proposed lobster production process would involve "synthetic" procedures or would the entire thing adopt natural means? Nicholson was part of the US-Philippines Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission. The group visited the 60-hectare maricu...

Best durian candy in Davao City is by Lola Abon’s

Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Recipes, Reviews
So I was in Davao City a few days ago to accompany one of my mom's classes. It was a quick, day-long tour and included in our agenda were Davao Crocodile Park (I'll blog about this next), Ateneo de Davao University college campus and of course...a visit to my favorite durian candy store in my hometown - Lola Abon's. My brothers and I grew up knowing that if you want durian candy, eat Lola Abon's products. Nothing else. Don't settle for those sold in bus terminals or in grocery stores. Lola Abon's made the best durian candy products. That's it. Lola Abon died years ago but my brothers and I met her. This was way back when her "store" was basically her home garage and her workers were hidden behind a curtain just a few steps away. Whenever we visit her store and buy her candies, we were ...

Merco Davao 63rd Anniversary Fun Run slated on October 25, 2009

Announcements, Davao City, Events, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Sports
Merco Davao is celebrating its 63rd Anniversary! And in celebration of this momentous occasion, they're sponsoring a 4th Fun Run competition on October 25, 2009. Categories include 3K run, 5K, 10K and a special category where you can jog along with your pet! How cute is that? Check out the flyer below: Interested parties can call Maricel or Edward at tel. number (082) 221 7313. I have many fond memories of Merco Davao City. My family and I used to visit their Bolton branch a few times every week. Up to this day, it's still our favorite place for our share of creamy leche flan. What about you? What about Merco do you like?

Pepper and Peppers Davao Restaurant celebrates second anniversary, offers “2 good to resist”

Announcements, Business, Consumer, Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update
One of my favorite restaurants in Davao City, Pepper and Peppers, is celebrating its second anniversary with a "2 GOOD TO RESIST" offer! During this special Pepper and Peppers promo, customers get 2 for the price of 1 among any of their yummy pasta dishes. Take note, though, that this offer is valid everyday but only from 2pm to 5pm. Also, this special Pepper and Peppers Davao offer is offered only until November 30, 2009. That means you have more than a month to bring your friends and have your fill of gastronomic delights! Check out Pepper and Peppers restaurant at E. Jacinto Extension corner V. Mapa Street, Davao City, Mindanao.

Roadhouse Cafe Baby Back Ribs and Pumpkin Soup

Bukidnon, Business, Cagayan de Oro City, Commentary, Consumer, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Photos, Reviews, Tourism
I, Mindanaoan, was finally able to "introduce" my mom to the renowned Roadhouse Cafe baby back ribs. I say renowned because a lot of foodies and food experts have already given their thumbs up on the baby back ribs served at Roadhouse Cafe. Roadhouse Cafe serves Asian and Western cuisine. Its first and original branch can be found along Sayre Highway (national highway), Valencia City, Bukidnon, Mindanao. It now has a second branch at SM City Cagayan de Oro. Cagayan de Oro is roughly 2 and a half hours away from Valencia City. Reasonably priced, Roadhouse Cafe's baby back ribs tastes a bit sweet and tangy. The meat is very tender and definitely what you can call "fall off the bone"! As you can see from these photos, you're given extra sauce and a few slices of cucumber. The rice is se...

Max’s Restaurant celebrates 7th anniversary, offers eat all you can for only P149

Announcements, Cagayan de Oro City, Events, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Northern Mindanao
Max's Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao is currently celebrating its 7th Anniversary! And to celebrate this momentous occasion, this Cagayan de Oro restaurant is offering an "Eat All You Can" promo for only P149.00 - sounds good, yes? Just imagine - you can partake of the chicken dishes that Max's is best known for! This Max's Restaurant special promo will run until end of the month. Take note, though, that the "Eat All You Can" promo is only good from 6pm to 10pm. Max's Restaurant CDO is found in the Divisoria area of this Northern Mindanao city. Max's Restaurant CDO is located at Tiano corner Chavez Streets, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. By the way, what are your favorite dishes at Max's?

Figaro coffee shop at Cagayan de Oro City Mindanao

Business, Cagayan de Oro City, Commentary, Consumer, Corporate, Culture, Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Personal, Photos, Reviews
Davao City is no longer the only Mindanao area where the famous Figaro Coffee has a store. Figaro Coffee has already set up shop at Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao! Established in 1993, Figaro is a 100 percent Filipino-owned coffee company. Figaro Cagayan de Oro is located right across the SMART Wireless Center and Globe Telecoms office area of the said CDO mall. The Figaro coffee shop is also right below Skypark Grill and near the Rosario Arcade. Check out the photos I took using my brother's cellular phone camera: And since my brother and I are huge coffee lovers, we decided to stop by and have our snacks at Figaro CDO. I had the ham and cheese sandwich and cafe latte while my brother had baked mini pizzas and cafe latte as well: The ambience at Figa...

Mindanao food aid from United Nations to continue – definitely good news!

Advocacy, Announcements, ARMM, Basilan, BIMP-EAGA, Commentary, Food, Government, Headline, Mindanaoan Update, News, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga Sibugay
MINDANAO - Thankfully, the Mindanao food aid from the United Nations World Food Program will continue! We Mindanaoans should really be thankful for this because the UN WFP food assistance can really help so many people especially those displaced by the recent conflicts here in Mindanao. UN Resident Coordinator ad interim Dr. Soe Nyunt-U has reportedly announced that the delivery of food aid for Mindanao will resume once the travel restrictions imposed on their personnel are lifted. I'm hoping that the travel restrictions will be lifted very soon! So many families will really benefit from the UN WFP food assistance. Accordingly, the travel restriction to Mindanao for UN World Food Program personnel was only for the week of July 6 and was a precautionary measure following the spate of ...

Sen. Chiz Escudero urges Malacanang to diverte imported rice to Mindanao refugees

Commentary, Cotabato, Food, Government, Headline, Iligan City, Mindanaoan Update, News, Personalities
At least someone's thinking about Mindanao and Mindanao refugees! Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said that the government should act immediately to divert shipments of imported rice to central Mindanao so that the 380,000 refugees in evacuation centers won’t go hungry after a UN agency halted its food relief operations in the region. “We are faced with a humanitarian crisis that could become a disaster if this administration fails to act quickly to fill in the gap left by the UN World Food Program,” Escudero said. “Part of the rice we have been shipping in from abroad can be diverted to the ports of General Santos and Cotabato City. This will not make a dent in the NFA’s 82-day buffer stock,” he said. He also called on the government to ensure the safety of the staff of t...

Cheesecake etc Gaisano Mall Davao branch

Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Opinion, Personal, Photos
DAVAO CITY, MINDANAO - Whenever my family and I are back home in Davao City and we happen to visit Gaisano Mall of Davao along Bajada, we often find ourselves having our snack at the cheesecake etc. branch there. Located at the second floor of the said Davao City mall, cheesecake etc. serves pasta, coffee, cakes and other pastries. My brother likes their blueberry cheesecake while I often have the chocolate moist muffins. Yum! :) Top that with a tall glass of their homebrewed iced tea and we're happy Davao foodies! What about you? What's your favorite hangout in Davao City and what do you usually order?

Teriyaki Boy now open in SM Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao

Announcements, Business, Cagayan de Oro City, Consumer, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Reviews, Society
Seems like the City of Golden Friendship is fast becoming the new city of major developments! Cagayan de Oro City is the newest home of a Teriyaki Boy branch. Teriyaki Boy is a fast-casual Japanese dining restaurant here in the Philippines and yes, I often make it a point to drop by one of their branches in Manila (I also like Tokyo Tokyo, another fast-casual Japanese-style dining restaurant chain which has a couple of branches in Manila). Thankfully, Teriyaki Boy now have an outlet in CDO --- in SM City CDO along Masterson Avenue, to be exact. *picture taken using only my Motorola Krzr Is it just me or has Teriyaki Boy changed their corporate look? Their logo used to have red and black, yes?...now I noticed that they prominently used yellow. Or does this look only apply in th...

Made in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao: Energy Plus bar

Business, Cagayan de Oro City, Consumer, Food, Mindanaoan Update
I discovered something pretty interesting lately. Well, a product made in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, to be exact. It's an energy bar - an all natural, high protein, high fiber and high carbohydrates bar that promises to help you replenish lost energy. "Reload in a bar" - the product says. I'm a huge fan of muesli bars and I also make it a point to visit cereal joints whenever I'm in Manila (which reminds me...when will a similar all-cereal food joint ever open here in Mindanao?) so to find a similar product made here in Mindanao is interesting to me. This Cagayan de Oro Mindanao product is called Energy Plus (Trail Mix Bar) and of course, the picture used for the product label is that of a group of friends going on a white water rafting trip (CDO is known for its white water r...

The power of luya, salabat and Pei Pa Koa

Advocacy, Commentary, Consumer, Features, Food, Humor, Mindanaoan Update, Musings, Opinion, Personal, Recipes, Reviews, Weird
So I'm up at 3 o'clock in the morning. I'm set to travel to Koronadal City, Mindanao in a few hours. Terribly excited to see another part of my beloved Island of Mindanao but a bit worried, too. Not about traveling to the place formerly called Marbel but because I lost my voice...literally! I caught nasty cough and colds a few days ago and now I'm paying for the consequence --- I currently have terribly hoarse voice. Two days ago was the worst. I could barely hear myself. I couldn't hear anything when I tried to utter a word! Enter my immediate remedies for this type of emergency --- luya (ginger), salabat (ginger ale) and the ever trusty Pei Pa Koa. Ever since I was a child, my mother always reminded us of the wonders of luya and salabat. And of course, mothers know best. Ginger ...

Spend Valentine’s Day at Pepper and Peppers Restaurant Davao City

Consumer, Davao City, Food, Mindanaoan Update, Personal
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you should already have an idea by now as to where you can bring your loved one for that special, romantic dinner. However, with just so many choices especially in Davao City, Mindanao, deciding where to go can be quite a challenge. Good thing there's Pepper and Peppers Restaurant which promises nothing but exquisite food, exclusive dining and elegant ambiance. Located at The Site, Central Convenience Store Compound, Jacinto Extension corner Mapa Street, Davao City, Pepper and Peppers Restaurant is best known for their killer (and I mean absolutely delish!) Iberian chicken, Chilean shrimp pasta and (my favorite) Sizzling Blackened Chicken. And come Valentine's Day, they've prepared two Valentine Set menus for you to choose from. The "Hopel...

Bigby’s Pork Steak, Bigby’s Cheese Caramel Cake

Food, Reviews
One of the restaurants I tend to go to whenever I'm in the City of Golden Friendship here in Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro City, of course) is Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant. Ever since they opened in Cagayan de Oro nearly ten years ago on December 8, 1998, people have raved about their appetizing food choices and of course, the size of their servings. True to its name, Bigby's offers meals in BIG sizes and they make sure that you leave their cafe and restaurant full and contented. Actually, you may even end up bringing some of your food home because that's how large their servings are. So anyways I was in CDO last weekend with my mom and we decided to eat dinner at Bigby's SM Cagayan de Oro. My mom ordered the Boomerang Shrimps meal (P219.00) and soda while I ordered the Bigby's Pork Steak (P219...

Monks Blend Arabica Robusta Premium Coffee from Bukidnon

Bukidnon, Food
The Transfiguration Monastery in Barangay San Jose, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon is a Catholic Benedictine monastery. Highly known for its pyramid chapel where millions have already sought refuge, peace of mind and calmness of soul and spirit, the Monastery of Transfiguration is also the perfect serene place to talk to the Lord. The monastery is also known for their trademark Monks' Blend Premium Coffee. Made with quality arabica robusta coffee beans, Monks' Blend Arabica Robusta coffee has that very special rich taste that coffee lovers like myself will surely enjoy. I believe the rich taste is brought about by the fact that the choice coffee beans are from the monastery farm (yes, you can actually see parts of the farm from behind the chapel) and from the coffee growers of Bukidnon (wher...

Simple tempura sauce recipe

Food, Recipes
I've been on a cooking frenzy as of late. Yesterday, for instance, I cooked fish escabeche for lunch and then chicken afritada for dinner. Both meals had complete rekados (condiments) and loads of vegetables. Delish! Today, though, I prepared tempura and tempura sauce almost akin to what those street vendors in and out of Mindanao use. I say almost because we ran out of catsup and that's supposed to be the ingredient that makes the sauce "reddish brown." Anyways, let me share with you my simple tempura sauce recipe. Feel free to try it and don't forget to let me know how it goes! Mix 1 cup of water, 1 cup vinegar (I use Datu Puti vinegar..yoohoo Datu Puti, I should get freebies because of this :D), one fourth tablespoon rock/table salt and about half a cup brown sugar (white sugar wi...

Rice coffee in Mindanao

Agriculture, BIMP-EAGA, Food, Sarangani
I can declare that, yes, I, Mindanaoan, am a certified regular coffee drinker. I find it difficult to start the day without at least a cup of coffee (I'm a happier camper if I have two). I also frequent coffee shops and I have also tried drinking coffee from sidewalk vendors and from vendors at the bus terminal (you know who I mean - when you absolutely need to take a trip in the wee hours in the morning and all you can find are the ever reliable manangs and manongs who put up their "painit" stations - and by stations I mean a single table, a few glasses, coffee, sugar, some milk if you're lucky and thermos). I do know that drinking coffee has some health benefits. Still, I want to cut down on my intake or at least drink decaffeinated kape. Fortunately, there seems to be another choi...
error: Content is protected !!