Header

This lady loves to eat!

 

Dementia Recommends

Review: Lachi's Lives Up To My Expectations

Published by: dementia

0
comments:
  • Dec
  • 2

Still a continuation of my Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) experience. I’ve been hearing about Lachi’s from other bloggers for years. They all rave about the sans rival which of course piqued my curiosity. The night of Day 2, we headed to Lachi’s with empty and aching stomachs from the day’s activities. Lachi’s was full [...]

Still a continuation of my Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) experience. I’ve been hearing about Lachi’s from other bloggers for years. They all rave about the sans rival which of course piqued my curiosity. The night of Day 2, we headed to Lachi’s with empty and aching stomachs from the day’s activities. Lachi’s was full so we had to wait before we got in but once we were seated, we didn’t have to wait long for food to arrive. I was very much ready to try what Lachi’s can dish out.

restaurant review

The staff packed our table with new and old Lachi’s dishes: Unforgettable Grilled Pork Ribs (P132), Chinese Pork Belly in Red Sauce (P152), Tinik-less Daing na Bangus (P70 for half/P120 whole), Home Style Beef Tapa (P100), Breaded Pork Cutlet (P95), Laing, Pork Marinara Pasta (P95), Chili con Carne, The Ultimate Calderata (P190) and much much more. The Davaoenos surely knows good food and they flock to Lachi’s even if it’s out of the way and in a remote place with hardly any public transport. (more…)

Review: 360 Degrees Handshaken Tea

Published by: dementia

4
comments:
  • Sep
  • 10

I’m happy that a lot of my friends are milk tea addicts like me so when I went to Davao, Andrew introduced me to his favorite milk tea place. The only milk tea I tasted from 360 Degrees Handshaken Tea is their Pearl Red Milk Tea (P35). We must have gone there thrice while I [...]

I’m happy that a lot of my friends are milk tea addicts like me so when I went to Davao, Andrew introduced me to his favorite milk tea place. The only milk tea I tasted from 360 Degrees Handshaken Tea is their Pearl Red Milk Tea (P35). We must have gone there thrice while I was in Davao and I never tried any of their milk tea variants because I think the Pearl Red Milk Tea is perfect. Not only that, it’s sooooo cheap as well! (more…)

Review: Crepelato's Fat-Free Sin

Published by: dementia

0
comments:
  • Jun
  • 6

I just got back from Singapore and I have Singapore foodie experience to blog about but that will have to wait. For now, I will continue with my Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) logs. The afternoon of Day 2 was an adventure for me and some bloggers who participated in DFAT. We tried zipline and [...]

I just got back from Singapore and I have Singapore foodie experience to blog about but that will have to wait. For now, I will continue with my Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) logs.

The afternoon of Day 2 was an adventure for me and some bloggers who participated in DFAT. We tried zipline and some also tried Zorb. After our exhilarating experience, we went to NCCC Mall where Crepelato has a branch.

review

Crepelato serves homemade fat-free gelato. You’re probably thinking “What’s new with that? There are so many gelato establishments in the Philippines.” Well, let me tell you that Crepelato serves their gelato with a twist. They pair it with brownies, cakes, crepes, and other pastries. There are also the not-so-common gelato flavors like cappuccino and food for the gods. (more…)

Review: Ranchero

Published by: dementia

0
comments:
  • May
  • 26

On our second day of Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT), we had lunch at Ranchero. Ranchero is one of Pablo and Solita’s restaurants. The couple is well-known for their ranch and their famous meals. My first impression of Ranchero is that it is homey and cozy. I like how wood was incorporated in the very [...]

restaurant

On our second day of Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT), we had lunch at Ranchero. Ranchero is one of Pablo and Solita’s restaurants. The couple is well-known for their ranch and their famous meals.

My first impression of Ranchero is that it is homey and cozy. I like how wood was incorporated in the very concrete commercial space the restaurant occupies. The restaurant itself is spacious but the huge tables and metal chairs make it hard to move around. Then again, maybe it’s because I’m big.

restaurant

tree trunks framing the windows

restaurant

cozy earthy interior with lots of wood and metal

So the interior design is good. How about the food? Well I can honestly say that I finally found the best baby back ribs in the Philippines…at least for now.

The Baby Back Ribs (P475) of Ranchero is very tender that the meat falls off the bone. The marinade is sweet and slightly tangy and seeps into the core of the meat. The barbeque sauce is optional because the meat is tasty enough.

restaurant

Baby Back Ribs

Ranchero’s Crispy Pata (P420) was also impressive. The crew already chopped the bones for easier eating. Like the Baby Back Ribs, the pork is tender. The skin is thin and crunchy as crispy pata should be. My only gripe is they served only 1 plate of crispy pata on our table and there were probably 12 of us who had to share it. I grabbed the thigh bone and just gnawed the few remains. *sigh*

restaurant

Crispy Pata

Other dishes which were served to us were Sinigang sa Miso na Dory Fish (P225), lacked “asim” for me; Garlic Chicken (P395), I found it dry; and Lumpiang Hubad (P225), it was ok but I was too distracted with the meats.

restaurant

Garlic Chicken

review

Sinigang sa Miso

review

Lumpiang Hubad

The food is slightly pricier than most restaurants in Davao but the Baby Back Ribs is worth the price. Serving size per dish is good for 3 to 4 people. The staff seemed a bit lost when we were there.

Would I recommend Ranchero? Yes, I already did.

Ranchero
Metro Lifestyle Complex, Jacinto Extension corner F. Torres Street, Davao City
+6382-2220793

Review: Trellis 'N Vines

Published by: dementia

8
comments:
  • May
  • 24

I was very lucky to be able to join Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) this year. I had no expectations of Davao food and restaurants so it felt like almost everywhere we went to was a pleasant surprise. Our first restaurant was Trellis ‘N Vines, the one along F. Torres Street, where I was shuffled [...]

I was very lucky to be able to join Davao Food Appreciation Tour (DFAT) this year. I had no expectations of Davao food and restaurants so it felt like almost everywhere we went to was a pleasant surprise.

Our first restaurant was Trellis ‘N Vines, the one along F. Torres Street, where I was shuffled off to immediately after being picked up from the airport. At first, I was turned off by the restaurant’s name because it reminded me of seedy bars in Manila. You know, those bars or shops with names like D’ Burger Joint, etc. When I finally saw it and saw that there were families eating, I concluded that it’s completely harmless.

review

We started off with Sinuglaw (P260), a purely Davao delicacy. Sinuglaw is a portmanteau of “sugba” which means to grill and “kinilaw” which means ceviche or cooked in vinegar. This dish is made of succulent tuna, grilled pork, veggies, green mango, chili, and soy sauce. I enjoyed this healthy dish which complemented the other food which were served. The grilled pork’s skin was crunchy so I munched on those a lot.

review

Sinuglaw

Another Trellis ‘N Vines specialty I loved is their Chicken Biryani (P215), perfectly spiced for the Filipino palate and the chicken carefully cooked. I can’t recall if basmati rice was used or if Trellis employed a local rice variety. All I remember is that I liked how their version tasted.

review

Chicken Biryani

The dish from this restaurant which I will never forget is their Crispy Noodles (P150). Although it is the usual crispy noodles found in Chinese restaurants, I couldn’t get enough of it. Maybe it’s because the vegetables were fresh and I didn’t find a trace of MSG but I really finished off this food to an embarrassing degree.

food review

Crispy Noodles

The other dishes served to us that day. Either I found them okay or forgettable. I decided to just focus on the dishes I loved for all my DFAT entries or I’ll never be able to finish writing because we tried so many.

review

Crab 'N Corn Soup (115)

review

Pan-Friend Bangus with Tomato Concasse and Adobong Kangkong (P135)

review

Baby Back Ribs (P170)

review

Peanut Butter Banana Roll (P65 for 2 pcs.)

I can’t find a unifying theme to the dishes Trellis ‘N Vines serve. It’s a mish-mash of Filipino, Chinese, American, and other asian cuisine.  Don’t let that get to you because once you eat, the good food will make you forgive them. Every order is good for sharing for 3 to 4 people (my guesstimate).

If you are in Davao, try the 3 dishes I recommended. I don’t really like sour tomato-based food but if you do, the Pan-Fried Bangus is also a must-try.

As for the restaurant itself, it has no frills. The dining area was clean and so were the restrooms. The staff were helpful and service was fast.

Trellis ‘N Vines
F. Torres Street, Davao City
+6382-221-5566

Everybody's Cafe

Published by: dementia

3
comments:
  • Jan
  • 18

Part of the Ultimate Pampanga Tour I joined was a breakfast at Everybody’s Cafe. It was definitely not a light breakfast because of the eat+all+you+can fare. The owner of the cafe greeted us and gave a brief background of their business. I didn’t pay much attention because I was busy photographing the food. The breakfast [...]

Part of the Ultimate Pampanga Tour I joined was a breakfast at Everybody’s Cafe. It was definitely not a light breakfast because of the eat+all+you+can fare. The owner of the cafe greeted us and gave a brief background of their business. I didn’t pay much attention because I was busy photographing the food.

tsokolate eh

tsokolate eh

heavy breakfast

heavy breakfast

The breakfast included the following: pugon-baked pandesal, giniling na baboy, suman, another type of suman, tamales, and tsokolate. I loved the pandesal. It was heavy on the stomach and it tasted great. My favorite among the fare was the tamales. I would have gotten several servings of it if it weren’t a full-day of food binge eating.

For my American readers, the Filipino tamale is different from the Spanish/Mexican kind. Although it was introduced to the Philippines by the Spaniards, the ingenious pinoys back then substituted rice for corn since rice is abundant in the Pampanga region. The Filipino tamales is a steamed mixture of ground white and brown rice, ground peanuts, coconut milk, chicken, chorizo, and hard boiled egg (sometimes salted egg).

tamales galore on the right

tamales galore on the right

I am a big fan of tamales and I first learned of it when my mother brought them home from Santi’s Greenhills. Actually she bought them from a man who sells native delicacies in front of Santi’s. Anyway, I try to buy tamales whenever I can. It’s not common to find them in Metro Manila. Oh I digressed. Pardonne-moi!

I can’t really say I’ve tried Everybody’s Cafe because I only had the chance to eat their breakfast food and I’m not even sure if those are regularly served. Hence, I couldn’t rate the restaurant yet but for their tamales and pandesal, I give them

Rating: ★★★★★

Everybody’s Cafe
Del Pilar, McArthur Highway
San Fernando, Pampanga

Everybody’s Cafe also has a booth in Salcedo Market every Saturday.

Craving Cebu Lechon

Published by: dementia

9
comments:
  • Dec
  • 11

I’m seriously craving for lechon from Cebu because a certain someone sent me a text to gloat about the food there. Can you believe that I only discovered how great their version of lechon is 2 years ago? Before that time, I only thought Cebu is famous for danggit. If you haven’t tasted Cebu lechon, [...]

I’m seriously craving for lechon from Cebu because a certain someone sent me a text to gloat about the food there. Can you believe that I only discovered how great their version of lechon is 2 years ago? Before that time, I only thought Cebu is famous for danggit. If you haven’t tasted Cebu lechon, you are missing half of your life. Seriously!

What’s the big deal about this lechon, you ask. Well, the lechon mom brings home from her Cebu travels does not come with sauce. It doesn’t need a sauce because the flesh is already very tasty. She buys it an hour before her flight back to Manila so add the travel time plus Manila’s traffic, the skin isn’t crispy anymore when mom-bearing-yummy-lechon reaches our house. In spite of that, the skin is still edible. In fact, it tastes good and is not makunat unlike Manila lechon. Another thing, with Manila lechon I only like the skin. I have to drown the flesh in sauce before I eat it. With the Cebu version, the flesh is as good as the skin. Maybe even better and no, I’m not kidding.

I have no plans of going to Cebu any time in the near and not-so-near future. I do love food tours but I want to stick to drivable food tours mmmkay. Going to Cebu just to eat lechon is just insane and a waste of good money. The wonder that is the interwebs has revealed the next best thing – lechon cooked the Cebu way here in Manila! Huzzah!!!

Food Bloggers’ recommendations:

I’m planning to order for our family’s Christmas dinner because last year was a disaster (and deserves a separate post). I might go for Sabroso but if you have recommendations, tell me so!

Archives

Recent Posts

My Blogs

Other Foodies

Other Gustatory Sites


Dementia Foodista
on Google+

  • Twitter

    • Tags

    Ben's Burjer Ben Abalos bento Black Angus Bonifacio High Street Brasserie Boheme buffet burger burgers cafe Cebu Charlie's Charlie's Grind and Grill Chinese contest Davao delivery dessert desserts DFAT drinks EDSA Fire Lake Grill food gelato Giligan's Greenhills Japanese lechon Makati Mandaluyong Mario's meals Mexican milk tea Pampanga Pasig pasta Quezon City restaurant review San Juan steak Tagaytay Tomas Morato

    Recent Comments

  • Dementia Foodista

    Promote Your Page Too

    • © 2010 Monmarthe