Cute Coffee Art at Kape Isla

Saturday nights are usually capped off with a favorite drink at a popular coffee joint (yes, that one). One night, we deviated from the norm and took a chance on a newish cafe  in the city called Kape Isla. Situated in a relatively obscure corner of Serendra, this little green coffee shop doubles as Echo Store, an organic shop that sells, well, organic stuff.

Coffee art!

We ordered our drinks and while waiting, we took a look around the shop which sells environment-friendly items (like bags made from recycled paper!). The entire place had a very eco-friendly feel to it, with its wooden furniture and green color theme. When our drinks arrived (in mugs instead of disposable cups), we were pleasantly surprised (and not to mention highly amused) that each one had a different "design".

Kape Capuccino (p85)

What's better was that the shop wasn't crowded at all on a weekend (I had gotten used to needing to wait in line to get plain coffee). This is possibly because from the outside, you really wouldn't know that it's a coffee shop until you take a closer look (I'm really glad we did).

Hot Chocolate (p85)

Also, we were expecting to spend more than usual because of the shop's location (Serendra isn't exactly known to be cheap). For a pretty decent-sized mug, they charge less than your average coffee shop. When you're in the area, try Kape Isla instead of the more crowded coffee shops. They serve reasonably priced coffee with very cute coffee art. Make sure to check out their environment-friendly goods while you're at it.

Kape Isla / Echo Store
Location: Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Contact info: (02) 901-3485
Other info: Kape Isla Website

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.)

Kantina at Market! Market!

Here's a video of Kantina, the newest night food market in town, busy and bustling during the wee hours of the start of the weekend. It's so good that we spent two consecutive Fridays sampling the nomz from the different stalls (I miss the bibingka and puto bumbong stall).

It's that peacock song!!! Nnnnnoooooooo....

Kantina will be running until June, so hurry and check it out come Friday night, they're open until very (very) late! Video credits go to Comicology dude (thanksabunchaloff!).

Check out my first post on it here- Kantina: The Newest Night Market To Hit The Town!

Kantina Night Market
Location: Parking lot (the one near the open food court), Market Market, Taguig
Contact details: 0927-563-9234
Other info: Open every Friday from 10pm to 9am the next day; Kantina Official Website; Kantina Facebook Page

McDonalds of the World: Shrimp EuroKnallers in the Netherlands

Hi guys, this will be a quick post. We shall again be disrupting the Delightful Davao series for an update on yet another series. It's been awhile since the last post on the McDonald's of the World series and it's high time for a new one. Mostly because we recently got photos of the nomz from McDonald's Netherlands from an anonymous donor.

McDonald's of the World: Netherlands

Because I haven't been there myself, the pictures will have to do the talking (writing, in this case). So, here they are-

Looks like the Dutch also like chicken (like me!). But hey, they have Chicken Sate (Met satesaus), which is something I would expect more from McDonald's in Indonesia or Malaysia rather than the Netherlands. And, and, and, and... is that a Kit Kat McFlurry I spy? *drools*

I can't understand much of what's written on the menu but I can see the prices. That's 5.90 euros for the salad, 3.75 euros for the Happy Meals, 1-2 euros for the Euroknallers. That's a 356 peso salad, 226 peso Happy Meal, 60-120 peso side dishes. It's not as expensive as I thought it would be (I was told a Value Meal is priced at EUR15 or Php905. Yikes!).

Chicken Sate (Met satesaus)
(EUR 3.75 or Php 226 for burger; EUR 6.05 or Php 365 for a meal)

Garnalen met chilisaus (EUR 2 or Php120)

SHRIMPS! Mcdonald's in the Netherlands sell shrimps! WANT! To the awesome person who shall remain nameless and anonymous by request, thank you for the photos. :)

(Click here to read the other posts on the McDonald's of the World series)

McDonald's of the World

1st post: McArabia in Abu Dhabi

2nd post: Twisty Pasta in Hongkong
3rd post: Samurai Burger in Bangkok

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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STEAKS! at Everything at Steak

After the victory of the DLSU Lady Spikers against the UST Tigresses last Sunday, securing the UAAP Season 73 Volleyball Championship (woohoo!), we were in such high spirits that we wanted to celebrate. 

Days prior to the game, I read this post over at FlairCandy about a new steakhouse in San Juan. Because we were in the area (the game was held at the FilOil Flying V Arena), it was decided that having steak while basking in the glory of the win discussing the game highlights would be a great way to spend the rest of the night.

Everything At Steak

Although it's not along a major road, we didn't have a difficult time locating the place. From the arena, we took a left to P. Guevarra street and cruised down the road until we saw the landmarks (North Park on the left side, Petron/Everything At Steak on the right).

Everything At Steak is a smallish steak place (the place can fit thirty at most) that gives off a warm, homey vibe with its cushy couches at one end, pastel color theme, and friendly crew. Now let's get down to business, let's start talking about the meats. 

Pork Spareribs (p195)

Every main course order at Everything At Steak comes with a side dish and a cup of plain rice. Upon ordering, you have to choose the marinade for the meat, the sauce, and the siding (details at the end of the post).

This in picture is an order of grilled Pork Spare Ribs in original flavor with barbecue sauce and a side of mac n' cheese. The meat was so tender it almost melts in your mouth, it's juicy, tasty, and as advertised, it was thick and large. (The photo doesn't do justice to how humongous the meat was.)

T-Bone (p195)

This one in picture, is the T-Bone steak in original marinade, mushroom gravy, and a side of corn on the cob. The meat, also unusually thick and juicy for the price, was a little tougher in consistency than the spareribs and was slightly plain. It wasn't the best but it still tasted pretty good.

Lamb Shoulder (p195)

This is an order of the Lamb Shoulder in original marinade, mint sauce, and served with a side of mac n' cheese. The meat is obviously smaller than the first two on this list but it's lamb. Where else can you get lamb here in the city for only that much? It's a steal at the price they're selling it for. The mint sauce is an acquired taste and I wouldn't recommend it if you have a strong aversion to wasabi (it has a similar kick).

Moo Fries (p120)

Lastly, we had to order the famous Moo Fries because of all the good reviews. And I'd have to agree with each one of them. I loved it. The presentation is fun and quirky, with the fries arranged for easy picking and the to-die-for meat sauce slathered generously in the middle. If you're curious, there are more fries inside the bowl, but you have to use a fork to pick them because they're covered in the meat sauce. This was so good.

All in all, Everything At Steak is a fantastic find. Most orders are large enough for people with extra healthy appetites and the prices they're selling them for are insanely low (it's unbelievable). They don't accept credit card payments though, so you better bring some cash when you decide to visit. Parking is also a breeze as there are designated parking slots for diners (in fact, we left our car parked in front of the restaurant and had coffee at the shop on the next street).

Main course choices:

Siding:	2pcs fried egg, 2pcs garlic bread, garlic rice, grilled corn on the cob, coleslaw, meatball pasta, chorizo carbonara, mac n' cheese, french fries, twister fries, mashed potato, potato wedges, twiced baked potato, potato salad
Marinade:	New Orleans Rub (spicy), Original Marinade
Sauce:	Original Mushroom Gravy, Peppercorn Gravy, Barbecue, Mint Sauce, and Country Style Gravy

Everything At Steak
Location: 5 P. Guevarra corner V. Cruz streets, San Juan
Contact details: (02) 726-2386

Other info: Everything At Steak Facebook Page
Map:

View Larger Map

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

Kantina: The Newest Market To Hit The Town

We're cutting into the Delightful Davao series today to share this new find called Kantina.

Watch out Banchetto and Mercato Centrale, there's a new food market that has just launched and is ready to serve night noms to late night crowds who want to have a simple warm meal before heading home. Kantina is the latest one to join the night market bandwagon.

We found out about it only by chance, and boy, am I glad. Friday night date and I were heading out to the parking lot of Market Market after dinner when we noticed a few tents set up at the far end. Curious, we made our way towards the tents and were surprised to find food stalls a la Banchetto and Mercato Centrale (initially, I thought it was a bazaar). 

Kantina opens on Fridays starting at 10pm and doesn't close shop until the next day at 9am (one of the latest I've seen, Banchetto is open until about 7am and Mercato only at 3am). The area is much smaller than the previously mentioned night markets and there were only about twenty food stalls. The good thing about it is that no stall sell the same nomz (except maybe the two grill stalls).

At Kantina, you can have shawarma, siomai, lutong bahay like dinuguan, pansit and palabok, grilled seafood, barbecue, isaw, and tenga,  bibingka and kakanin, cheesecakes and various pastries stall and drinks of course.

Because we already had dinner (I was sad. I really wanted to try the sugpo-slash-lobster. They were huge!), we were eyeing the dessert stalls and ended up getting freshly made Puto Bumbong and a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake. To make the long story short, the hot kakanin made me feel like it was Christmas again and the cheesecake that tasted like starchy Jell-O killed the fantasy.

Sugpo-slash-lobster (p100), Puto Bumbong (p30), Strawberry Cheesecake (p45)

Kantina is a small scale night food market that targets Taguig office drones heading home late from a long day at work and don't have time to cook warm meals at home. I'm really glad for this current night market trend, it used to be a chore to find an inexpensive place to eat at if you get home past mall hours. Now we have night markets.

Kantina Night Market
Location: Parking lot (the one near the open food court), Market Market, Taguig
Contact details: 0927-563-9234
Other info: Open every Friday from 10pm to 9am the next day; Kantina Official Website; Kantina Facebook Page