on the Verge of

It was a long Sunday for me, Keen and my sister Jacq. We just finished some errands and a long overdue grocery so we were starving. We decided to check out one of the newest restaurants in Tulip drive: Cuencos. Cuencos Rice and Noodle Bar is just in front of Fuente de Villa-Abrille. The restaurant offers a variety of noodles and rice bowls at reasonable prices, an average of P180-200 per person. We ordered Arroz ala Cubana for my sister, Nasi Lemak for me, and Beef Pares for Keen. We also ordered Laksa as a soup for sharing. The servings were adequate and it tasted really good, especially the Laksa. I have tried many Laksa and I must say theirs is one of the impressive ones. Beef Pares Nasi Lemak Arroz ala Cubana Laksa While they they have friendly and attentive staff, I must note that their service time is quite slow. There were only three groups in the restaurant at the time. It took almost 40 mins to serve the food. I don't think it would be practical t...

Keen and I have been going to Aurora Quezon street to buy fresh buko juice and we have been passing by this new Japanese restaurant in the area. It wasn't anything fancy but it looked nice with all the street dining feels. We tried to eat there twice but the place was always full. Finally on our third attempt, there was a table for two available. The restaurant was called Sukidesu. Their place was small and a bit cramped. But everything else looked decent and the staff were attentive despite being busy. Keen and I looked at the menu and we were really surprised with the very affordable prices. Their gyoza was only 45php and chicken karaage 50php. We ordered both with a bowl of ajitama ramen and sukidesu maki. Ajitama Ramen Ajitama ramen was served first. The serving was just enough for one person and its price. The soup was surprisingly good too. As you can see in the photo the broth is rich and the eggs were done perfectly. Keen and I agreed it was next best ramen in ...

Keen and I were searching for a new place to dine in town. We've been passing by Torres Street before and saw Soul Kitchen  and this new restaurant beside it, Project Paella. Since Keen wasn't up for some salads or wraps from Soul Kitchen, we decided to try Project Paella instead. Keen wasn't a fan of paella because of previous experience. However, he was willing to give it another try since I like paellas, especially Paella Negra. The place was small but the space was maximized well. It had a modern industrial interior design. Keen and I sat in front of their open kitchen where we could see the chef flambé. The menu was simply comprised of a small variety of tapas, paella and dessert. Keen ordered Valenciana while I had my favorite Paella Negra. The we added Gambas since I wanted something spicy. I thought a P180 per plate of paella was quite pricy. It turns out the serving was more than enough for one person, at least for Keen and I. Keen enjoyed his paella which ...

Japanese restaurants in Davao City have sprouted sporadically for the past three years. Although it is no surprise as Davaoenos have retained many Japanese influences since the latter's occupation, it is only now that we have further explored our taste for the Japanese cuisine. For the past two years we've been together, Keen and I have tried almost each Japanese restaurant in the city. We've tried every gyoza, maki and ramen we can get our hands on. We've been to many minimalist, modern or high-end Japanese restaurants. We've also been satisfied and disappointed many times. With the many things we have tasted, we are confident enough to judge and identify which Japanese restaurant in Davao serves the best dish. Not all restaurants are perfect. Some have the best gyoza but has the most disappointing ramen, or vice versa. To be fair, we will only be comparing the dishes we have tried from each restaurant. Also, we will be judging not only the taste, but the servi...

It was the first weekend of the year and many were still celebrating the season of Christmas. After all, it was technically Christmas until the Sunday of the Three Kings. Sadly for Keen and me, holidays were quickly over and the usual work days have already resumed. But that also means our typical Saturdates and #KaonSerye are back! And since it is part of my 2018 resolution to blog every week, what better way to get things started than to blog again about our love for food. Restaurants were filled with friends and families having belated reunions on 2018's first Saturday. After much discussion and strolling, we found ourselves seated in Selera. Good thing we were able to get a table before more than half of the restaurant was reserved by one group. Although Selera has been in SM for a while, it was our first time to eat there. It was easily dwarfed by other restaurants such as Hukad, Kuya J's and Mesa. The restaurant was relatively small but it was comfortable and very m...

Since Confex & Co. Bakehouse opened its first humble bakeshop in Madrazo Compound, C. Bangoy St., I have always wanted to go and check them out. They have drawn a lot of attention because of their unique freakshakes - a milkshake topped with a slice of cake, revel bar or brownie and lots of sprinkles everywhere. I knew friends who lined up for this and told me that it was worth the wait. Unfortunately for me at that time, my work was far from their bakeshop. By the time I got there, they were already closed for the day. Confex & Co. have finally moved to a new place, a more spacious one where they can accommodate more customers. They are now located at The Site Compound, E. Jacinto St. That's where Keen and I headed for dessert last night after some kebab dinner. I was excited to try out their revel bars. It was the highly recommended revel bar in town. Sadly at 8pm, all revel bars have been sold out. Keen wasn't up for any dessert but he wanted a milkshake. I wante...

When our friends from Cebu, Therry and Charles, told us they were going to Davao for a weekend vacation, Keen and I were completely excited. There were a hundred activities and places I could think of that we could tour and enjoy over their two-day stay. Keen and I had to plan out every single detail in our itinerary to make sure we can cover as many places and eat as many local specialties as we can. All this without breaking our budget as well. Here's our weekend itinerary for the Davao City Tour. Note that we had a private vehicle so we just chipped in for the gas :) Day 1 7:30 am - Pick-up from Airport James and I picked up Therry and Charles from the airport. Thankfully their flight was not delayed. Therry and Charles did a quick photo op by the famous Durian sculpture made by one of Davao's highly respected artists Kublai Millan. Charles and Therry 8:00-8:30 am - Breakfast at Driver's Choice/Rommel's Eatery The original Driver's Choice in Roxa...