Lachis Classic Sans Rival - Delightful Davao (Part 5)

It seemed fitting to end the Delightful Davao series by recounting our afternoon at Lachi's, the place that EVERYONE recommended. This bakery-cum-restaurant seems to have gained a huge following and has won the favor of even the most critical Manileños.

Lachi's Classic Sans Rival (p50+/-)

As soon as friends found out about the trip to Davao, a lot of them told us not to leave without trying the bakeshop's famous sans rival. We asked our tourguide Kuya K about it and he gladly obliged (our want to fatten ourselves up some more). So one rainy afternoon in Davao, we drove over to Ruby street and shortly found ourselves settled inside the small cafe. Nomming, of course.

Actually, the cafe was full to bursting when we arrived (surprising because it was raining like kitties and puppies) and there weren't enough tables and chairs to fit our semi-large group. So we checked out the pretty cakes on display while waiting (salivating the entire time). Cake slices were fairly priced at a range of 50-100 pesos and we were excited to stuff our faces with the sweet stuff.

Cream Custard Cake (p48) and Cashew Mocha Torte (p52)

We had to try the sans rival of course, everyone seems to be all agog over it. They have a durian variant that was sadly not available (Bim was happy) so the first orders were a couple slices of the very famous Lachi's Classic Sans Rival. What I liked about it is that the wafery cake was sweet but not sickeningly so and the layers were crunchy but soft (is that weird?).

 Regal Chocolate Torte (p60) and Carrot Walnut Cake (p48)

Being in Lachi's where all the cakes were on display, we couldn't just try one cake. We had to order a few more (diabetes, here we come). 

My favorite would have to be the Cream Custard Cake which was a chiffon cake with light cream in the middle and sweet custard on top. The Cashew Mocha Torte and Regal Chocolate Torte were both delicious (similar to chocolate mousse) while  the Carrot Walnut Cake is a classic that's a steal for its price.

Click for a larger image

They're more than just a cake shop and have a full menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner nomz. Since we didn't get to try them, I thought to post the menu, just in case you wanted to see what's available. When you're in Davao, you have to go and visit Lachi's, it's definitely worth it.

(Click here to read the rest of the Delightful Davao posts.)

Lachi's Sans Rival, Atbp.
Location: Ruby Street, Marfori Heights, Davao City
Contact info: 6382-2245552; 0916-9841183
Other info: Lachi's Facebook Page
Map:

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The Durian Fruit - Delightful Davao (Part 4)

Davao is famous for being a major source of the king of fruits- the durian. Available in the city all year round, but most plentiful (and cheapest) in August (also the month of the Kadayawan festival), durian is something you should try at least once when you're in Davao.

King of fruits

Because of it's strong aroma, durian is a fruit that has varied reviews. Some enjoy the distinct odor of the fruit while others find it offensive and disgusting. Planes going out of the city do not allow the fruit as a carry-on, but you can bring the fruit in your check-in luggage (this doesn't really contain the smell, my luggage has a faint durian scent after EVERY Davao visit).

The smell isn't THAT bad

This fragrant fruit will be the topic of our latest entry in the Delightful Davao series. I'm in Davao every so often and the durian (and its smell) isn't anything new to me (the fresh fruit is ok, but I like durian best as a shake from Merco). To give you an unbiased opinion of this unusual fruit, we'll recount the experience of someone who tried durian for the first time.

Before durian

This is Bim, the Comicology dude (will also be referred to as the noob). It was his first time in Davao, and we wouldn't couldn't let him get away without trying fresh durian. We trooped over to the Ramon Magsaysay Park where durian fruit vendors are aplenty. The smell of the fruit that wafted under our noses as soon as we got out of the car made the noob scrunch up his nose and hold a towel over his face.

After durian

Surrounded by Davaoeños (which included my dad), he knew he couldn't back down from the challenge no matter how badly he wanted to. When the vendor broke the the hard, spiky shell of the fruit open and laid it down on the table, he had to toughen up, forget about the smell, and put the sticky flesh of the fruit in his mouth. Which he did.

It didn't go over so well. His face stayed in that i-just-swallowed-an-alien expression for a long time. I asked him to give me a one line description of what was going through his head that time and his answer is this- "F@#K EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FRUIT!"

Yes, he was thinking in allcaps (and without censorship). Conclusion? Durian- it's not for the weak of heart.

(Click here to read the rest of the Delightful Davao posts.)

The Exotic Riverwalk Grill - Delightful Davao (Part 3)

To start off the week, we'll resume with a new post the Delightful Davao series. Let me just say that Davao remains to be one of my favorite cities in the country (no bias) for its rich culture, nommy nomz, and happy people. 

On Day 3 of our four-day trip last February, we started the day off bright and early to get a dose of adrenaline at Asia's best zipline- The Xcelerator. As soon as it was over, we rushed to the next stop of the day- LUNCH (we were famished, the "short hike on a developed trail" turned out not to be so short, or that developed).

Located right next to the famous Crocodile Park, Riverwalk Grill is a restaurant that serves exotic fare such as crodile meat (naturally), ostrich meat, ostrich egg, and pangasius fish. We couldn't pass up the chance to try them, of course.

Ostrich Egg Omelette (p500)

We started the exotic nomz challenge with the Ostrich Egg Omelette. It's a little pricey at five hundred pesos an order, but how often can you get an ostrich egg omelette in the city? One egg is good for a whole bunch of people. The omelette had shrimps, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers mixed in and I was surprised that it wasn't as fishy as I thought it would be. Actually, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought it was your typical chicken egg omelette.

Croco Spicy (p390)

The second exotic dish to try was the crocodile meat. The meat was available as steak, sisig, roast ribs, caldereta, and kare-kare but we settled on the simple Croco Spicy one so we could actually taste the meat (we didn't think it would be that saucy). When it arrived, the meat was mixed in spicy, oily sauce and garnished with strips of bell peppers, and onions. As expected, the meat was tough, chewy, and did not taste like chicken.

Healthy Dragon Fruit Shake (p65)

To wash down all the nomz that we ordered, we had glasses of the Dragon Fruit Shake, as recommended by regular diners of the restaurant. It came as a bright purple, frothy fruit shake topped off with an inviting cherry. It looked nice but I'm not a fan (maybe because I don't like the fruit all that much either).

The boy I'll miss the most holding the ostrich egg used for the omelette

At Riverwalk Grill, you can choose to have your meal while cruising down the river at an additional premium of 300 pesos for the whole boat. The only drawback is that you can't order additional nomz until you come back. Trying crocodile meat and ostrich egg was fun but it's not something I'd do on a regular basis.But if you're in Davao, you shouldn't miss the experience. After nomming, walk across the street to visit the Davao Crocodile Park, to see where they got your crocodile meat from.

(Click here to read the rest of the Delightful Davao posts.)

Riverwalk Grill Exotic Resto
Location: MA-A Diversion Road, Davao City
Contact details: (082) 221-9643 or (082) 286-8883
Other info: Riverwalk Grill Official Website; Riverwalk Grill Facebook Page
Map:

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Cafe Demitasse is Super! - Delightful Davao (Part 2)

To cap off our first night in Davao, we headed over to Kuya K (my cousin and Davao local) 's favorite hangout, Cafe Demitasse. This homey cafe is actually more than just a coffeeshop because besides their famous cakes and coffee based drinks, they also serve some superb nachos and a host of other main course orders.

For that night, we were there for a purpose- to stuff our faces with the famous Super Nachos and sample all the cakes they had to offer while sipping coffee to help digest the feast we had at Jack's Ridge earlier that night (IT MAKES SENSE TO US, TO PZL NOT JUDGE).

The cake display at Demitasse and the sinful Mudslide Frappe (p130 18oz.)

As if we were hungry, we ordered a couple of some mouth-watering cake slices from the many that were on display. We picked the Moist Chocolate Cake with Custard Filling that everybody loved so much (we had to order a couple more slices) because of the lovely combination of chocolate and custard, which was surprisingly light and not too overpowering.

There was also a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake, which wasn't spectacular (but it wasn't bad), the interesting Choco White Mousse which turned out to be plain, and a slice of Banoffee Pie, which was just okay (but I still like Banapple's version better).

Clockwise from top-left: Moist Chocolate Cake with Custard Filling (p110),
Blueberry Cheesecake (p110), Choco White Mousse (p105), Banoffee Pie (p110)

As if those cakes weren't enough, we ordered more nomz (our stomachs are bottomless pits). Of all the noms ordered that night, I have my favorites. Here's my top three:

Snickers (p65)

1. Snickers cake

Each slice is only sixty five pesos. It wasn't huge but to me, this cake is worth more than it cost. Imagine a Snickers bar with a chocolate cake base and you'll know what this cake tastes like. I could kiss whoever thought to make this.

Super Nachos (p150)

2. Super Nachos

These famous nachos shouldn't be passed up if you're ever at Cafe Demitasse. Again, I think this order is worth more than the price. A big plate is filled to the brim with crispy corn nachos topped with a generous serving of ground meat, chopped up tomatoes and onions, and a healthy sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese. It also has a side of cheese dip, in case the overload of rich flavors on the plate isn't enough for you. The Super Nachos is super worth it.

Mocha Caramel Latte (p80 8oz.)

and lastly,
3. Mocha Caramel Latte

The coffee was pretty good (better than Starbucks) but what boosted this order's rating is the ultrafabulous presentation. Just look a the picture, the mug has a teddy bear drawn on the foam! How cool is that? The first cup of latte that we got had hearts as foam art, while cute, it just can't level up to the teddy bear foam. We had a theory (that we didn't get to test out) that the foam art becomes more complex the more you order. This order even came with a side of iced gem biscuits. So cute!

~

I can understand why Cafe Demitasse is a favorite hangout for many locals, the ambiance is homey,  the servers are extra helpful, the prices are affordable and the nomz are absolutely fantastic! They have free WiFi too. If you're in Davao, you MUST check out Cafe Demitasse. From that one visit, it has become my favorite coffeeshop in the city (I'm wishing and hoping for a Manila version).

Click here to read all entries in the Delightful Davao series.

Cafe Demitasse
Location: 727 F. Torres Street, Davao City
Contact details: 082-282-2828
Other info: Cafe Demitasse Official Facebook Page

Jacks Ridge Bihod - Delightful Davao (Part 1)

Today, boys and girls, we start the series we shall call Delightful Davao. One lovely February weekend, the whole family plus 1 flew to the gorgeous city of Davao to be part of a beautiful wedding set in the nearby Samal island.

Because my dad hails from Davao and most of my relatives from his side of the family live there, I would regularly visit the city when I was growing up. My plus 1, however, has never set foot on the land of the vaunted durian fruit. Although we had very little time, he had to be schooled, of course. (Yup, no matter how much he flailed, he has been forced to try durian.)

On our first night, my relatives very kindly welcomed us with a small dinner get-together at the famous tourist spot, Jack's Ridge. Located on top of Shrine Hills in Matina, you get to enjoy cool weather, historic sites, and a great view of the city skyline. We took advantage of the cool night and dined at Taklobo Restaurant, the main restaurant that boasts of authentic Dabawenyo cuisine.

Bihod (p72.24/100g)

One such dish is the Bihod. It may look like your regular fish viand, but it is anything but. Bihod is your local caviar, a roe of fresh yellowfin tuna eggs is seasoned, grilled and served. You can't get this delicacy all that often because each female tuna only has two roes (fish ovaries) and it has to be pregnant (so it's filled with eggs) at the time it is caught. 

I've never had the heart to try this dish but plus 1 valiantly tried it for me (and ended up loving it and finishing the entire plate). He says the meat is kind of bitter in a good way (much like laman loob) while having the texture of rigid tapioca. (I yech inwardly.)

The area had loooong flights of stairs. Phew!

Jack's Ridge is a must-see for Davao first-timers. Besides Taklobo Restaurant, they also have Kai's Bar and Grill (where beer is p30 during happy hour), Karlo's Gourmet and Coffee (serving French, Italian, and Mexican dishes), Tap Room Piano and KTV, a pool, and a souvenir shop (perfect for tourists!).

Tune in for the next servings in the Delightful Davao series!

Jack's Ridge Davao
Location: Shrine Hills, Matina, Davao
Contact details: (63)82-2978830 to 31
Other info: Jack's Ridge Davao Website; Jack's Ridge Official Facebook Page