Ranchero at Abreeza

at the old Ranchero branch

Ranchero has been one of Davao's top destinations for grill and steak for as long as I can remember. I have always loved their old location at Tionko Avenue. Even if the place wasn't air conditioned, it was well ventilated and I couldn't help but enjoy the ambiance that perfectly matched their brand name. It was like being in a refreshingly ancient ranch house somewhere.

Just January of this year, Ranchero moved to a new location in Torres corner Jacinto Extension Street, which I still haven't been to yet. What I have been able to visit is their branch in Abreeza Mall, right at the 3rd floor, along those array of restaurants and coffee shops located "outdoors". And yes..I love their new place!

That feeling of being in a ranch house is still there when you're in Ranchero Abreeza. Only it got more modernized and, well, better ventilated. They did very well with the interior designing. And to stay consistent with their brand, the waiters and waitresses dress in cowboy attires complete with cowboy hats.

inside Ranchero in Abreeza

Crepelato - Davao's House of Crepe and Gelato

Gelato is an Italian frozen dessert which has become popular all over the world. In Davao, one of the places to be when craving for this heavenly delight is Crepelato - House of Crepe and Gelato.

Crepalato's branch at Mayon Street, Davao City

The latter takes pride in their homemade recipes that are both visually and gastronomically pleasing. Whenever I go there, I couldn't resist taking a shot of their array of mouth-watering gelato. And I do not get satisfied with just a single serving of it. I usually go for the unlimited package which is 199Php. This is money very well spent, I tell you! Take a look..

Krispy Kreme Donuts: Davao Outlets

More than a month has passed since Abreeza has opened and there still aren't any signs of a Krispy Kreme branch opening in it.

However, I found a couple of Krispy Kreme mini outlets on certain areas in Davao. The ones who want them badly can at least satisfy their cravings temporarily. Here's where you can get Krispy Kreme in Davao:

My G Café experience: the first of many

Whenever I get inside a coffee shop, there's a couple of things I first look for -  an Internet connection, available charging outlets, a couch. Surprisingly, coffee and food isn't necessarily on that list. This is because I don't just eat and drink but I more importantly try to be as productive as I can be while I'm in there. Plus I also just assume that the food is good in semi-expensive establishments such as coffee shops so..

G Cafe counter

Just recently, I found yet another coffee shop in Davao that suits this very qualification - G Cafe, A coffee shop found in Quimpo Blvd. which, I think, has been open for quite some time now.

Red Kimono at Abreeza

This is the first time, and probably not the last, that I'd be writing about a resto and not post photos of the food I ate. My excuse? We had to struggle with parking for about 30 minutes. It had been over 7 hours since my last meal and, as you now would be able to guess, I was so so so hungry that picking up chopsticks instead of spoon and fork was all I could do to prevent myself from engaging in a total pig out.

So, Red Kimono, yes...here are some borrowed shots from their Facebook Page..

 inside Red Kimono (we were seated at the far left area while we dined there)

Home Made Pasta - White Puttanesca

My apartment mate loves to cook. And I can't tell you enough how much compatibility we have considering that I very much love to eat. LOL! A few weeks ago, she found the urge to pick up her magic wand, that is, her cooking spoon, and I thought to myself...yeah..pasta time!

She has an incredibly large pasta cookbook stored in her mind that I didn't quite know what kind would be served this time. She cooked two types of pasta, one red, the other white. While the red one was being prepared, we were verbally daydreaming about other kinds of pasta that could possibly be made and she came to the point where she talked about how anchovies would go really well as an ingredient. I remembered we had anchovies in the fridge and her magic wand simply cast a spell on the other half of the pasta noodles and created what I would like to call - white puttanesca pasta. The lady with the magic spoon didn't actually give it that name, but I went to an Italian restaurant last week and found, on their menu, that puttanesca had similar base ingredients. Olive oil, anchovies, capers, pasta = heaven!

The taste of all these ingredients combined together made the incredibly pale pasta the tastiest I've ever had. Don't judge the pasta by its color, as many would usually do. Thanks to the lady with the magic spoon, now I'm obsessed with any pasta that has capers and anchovies! :)

Get her recipe of 'white puttanesca' from her blog post on Pasta ala Capers and Anchovies from here.

Wanna cook this dish? Here's how to make White Puttanesca from my cooking blog. 

Harley Boulevard Motor Cafe: Not Your Ordinary Burger

Harley Boulevard Motor Cafe. I first heard of this burger house in Juan Luna Street of Davao City from a friend of mine. I was told that they serve the best burger in the city and that it costs less than a hundred pesos. When it comes to food, I don't take anyone's word for anything. I go to the place and see for myself...and that's what I did exactly with Harley Blvd.

I came in there with high expectations and was totally surprised that my friend wasn't kidding about the less-than-a-hundred price. The American owner, who also was the chief cook, welcomed us to the place. He explained that the burgers would take about 20 minutes to cook because he doesn't pre-cook them beforehand. After a little chitchat, we placed our orders and a few minutes later were served with this...and were silent for the next 15 minutes for a couple of reasons..

Harley Boulevard Motor Cafe burgers

Green Coffee: Comfy In and Out

With a coffee shop situated at almost every corner and mall in Davao, one could easily say that this city is in the coffee-shop era. It's not even about the coffee anymore. The things that people do in these cozy shops range from having meetings, dining, socializing, studying(or at least attempting to), launching products, or simply hanging out with friends or a loved one. It just is the place to be nowadays, or so it seems.

The competition is tough for this kind of venture as Davao is filled with coffee shops. It has even become tougher as one prominent brand has had its franchised branch open at the city's newest mall. A recently opened coffee shop in Torres named Green Coffee seems to understand this competition very much as they have built their place like no one else has in town - they air-conditioned both the in and outside of their place keeping 'coffee lovers' comfortable no matter where in the place they're seated.

inside Green Coffee

What I love about coffee shops is being able to have that feel of being away from home yet at the same time being able to bring 'home' with me. I'm not sure if that made any sense at all. Lol! I just love coffee shops that give me that homey feeling even when I know I'm not at my own home. That's what Green Coffee gives me. Good food. Very nice place.

Abreeza Davao List of Food Shops

Just when I have decided to go on a food trip hiatus for a little while, here comes a bunch of food stores opening in the new Abreeza Mall tomorrow...

Here's a list of Abreeza Davao food shops which are new in the city that you guys will be seeing come May 12...

Teriyaki Boy
Wendy's
T.G.I. Fridays
Bread Talk
Starbucks
Max's
Taco Bell
Burger King
Dairy Queen

Talk about food trip hiatus...NOT!


Update: I haven't seen Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Dairy Queen up until now(June 2011). There's still a lot of unopened spaces in Abreeza though so there may be a chance of these stores opening later.

La Pizzeria Nel Tralizzio: Home to My Fave Meatlovers Pizza

On this blog's banner, you'd find a pizza. This might just give you the idea that I am a huge fan of it. And YES, more than anything, I am a pizza lover! When I was a kid, my favorite food from the school canteen was, well, for the lack of a better term, the pizza. As I've grown to be an adolescent, more restaurants have opened in Davao and, to my utmost delight, many of them served..wait for it...pizza! And even up to now, you could still bring me to a pizza buffet (if there is any), and I shall not get enough of it. It's my ultimate comfort food. Sometimes, it wouldn't even matter what place you'd take me to, or what kind of pizza they'd serve. I'd take even the simplest type of pizza any day.

  the front counter at La Pizzeria with the brick oven right at the center

La Pizzeria Nel Tralizzio in broad daylight

There is, however, one place that gives me what I like to call pizza nirvana. It's called La Pizzeria Nel Tralizzio, a pizza and pasta house situated right in between Bistro Rosario restaurant and Cups and Lowercase coffee shop at Torres St., Davao City. La Pizzeria's Meatlovers Pizza is simply the most awesome I have ever tasted. Believe it or not, I usually eat half of this entire 15-inch goody all by myself.

 La Pizzeria's Meatlovers Delight Pizza with extra Mozzarella Cheese