Mooon Cafe: Mexican-Inspired Restaurant

Taco Boy, a small Mexican food stall at the mall, was my favorite few years back. Yes, I do have occasional cravings for Mexican food, especially tacos. I like ones with lots of salsa (esp ground beef), onions, and cheese. However, there was never really one true restaurant in Davao that you can call “Mexican” so I always trusted that food stall to satisfy my cravings for anything Mexican.

Until... Abreeza opened and Mooon Cafe opted to open a branch in this new mall. They do not solely serve Mexican foods, however, because the menu offers a wide selection of international cuisine. Last New Year's Eve, I had a chance to experience their cuisine and one that I would highly recommend!

For our order, we tried their best seller Mooon Steak. This is a sizzling pork steak that comes served with its own gravy sauce and mixed vegetables on the side. This is affordably priced at PhP 185, which is an excellent value for its price. Plus, the meat is well cooked and extremely tender to the bite.

We also had Chicken Mozarella Melt, which is breaded chicken that is deep fried. It also comes with a fresh tomato mixture, wherein the tartness coming from the tomato provides a good contrast with the saltiness of the breaded chicken and cheese. This one is available for PhP 175.

Finally, we had Hawaiian Pizza for PhP 150. This is a ten-inch pizza that comes with a soft crust and topped with ham, pineapple, and LOTS of cheese!

Want to try eating Mexican? You can never go wrong with Mooon Cafe. It is an affordable fare that does not compromise on quality food and service. Two thumbs up!

Zabs Buffet: Another Buffet Favorite

Payday has become some sort of a tradition with the officemates and I. Hence, we headed over to Zabs Buffet for another buffet experience, since I've learned about this buffet restaurant via Davao Food Trip. I didn't have high expectations because I wasn't quite familiar with this restaurant, but I was literally blown away.
 This has got to be one of my favorite buffet restaurants (from those I've tried so far, of course) because of the sheer amount of food items to choose from. E, being the health buff that he is, opted for their sushi and salad section.

There is also a special section wherein you can pick your own fresh ingredients and the chef will cook it for you. So, E and I went crazy with the shrimps! There was also a Mongolian section wherein you can have your Mongolian dish freshly cooked for you... and delivered to your table. Same goes with their crepe!
Again, the highlight of this food trip seemed to be the dessert, yet again. Your mouth will surely water at the sight of the delectable desserts that include coffee jello, churros, creme brulee, and blueberry cheesecake. And did I mention they have a dedicated ice cream section? The waiters are willing to serve you their homemade vanilla ice cream and you can experiment with the toppings that are provided for you! How fun is that?

Try Zabs Buffet Restaurant for only PhP 325. It's more than worth it!

Ranch & Reef: Food Overload

It was a rainy Monday, October 31 (late post, I know), when E and I ventured on a food trip. Despite the rain, we mustered the courage to get out and try this restaurant located at DavCon compound in Torres Street - Ranch & Reef. For months, I've heard about this place but never really got the chance to try it. So, here I am all excited about all the raving I've read about this place in the blogosphere. At the same time, a voice in the back of my head was hoping that those weren't all hype.
Lo and behold, Ranch & Reef was all those blogs claimed it to be. A food haven that will surely whet your appetite. The buffet table had pasta, roasted beef, chicken, and steamed fresh vegetables. There is also a sushi bar, which I can tell delighted E because he is a BIG fan of anything sushi! In fact, I saw him carrying a plate full of california maki and he could not contain that grin!Meanwhile, I was like a child in a candy shop, wide-eyed in awe exploring the dessert section. They had mango float, blueberry cheesecake, all sorts of brownies and cupcakes, and a chocolate for dipping of fruits and marshmallow. My sweet tooth was quite thrilled with this lovely feast of desserts that I opted to fill my plate with desserts first.

I'd have to note that the wait staff is friendly and accommodating. And for those with a big appetite, you will be pleased to know that they are quick to refill any empty trays on the buffet table so nothing can stop you from enjoying this delicious buffet experience.

The dinner buffet is available at PhP 329 per person.

T.G.I.Friday's

TGIFriday's is the all-American dining experience. It is evident with the ambiance of the resto itself, with allusions to Elvis Presley, baseball, politics, and all things American. But browsing through their menu, one will quickly discover that they do have more options as far as culinary experience is concerned. The decision to dine at Friday's on Christmas Eve was E's, who wanted to try out their Jack Daniel's Pork Chop, which in his own words looked “yummy”, when I showed him a link to their menu online. But turns out it is, in fact, even more.

For this particular visit to their restaurant, we sampled two different dishes. First is the Jack Daniel's Salmon (Php 785). There is nothing better to catch my attention on the menu than salmon. This dish is real good value! Salmon is always a hit with both E and I, plus it was cooked perfectly! Aside from mixed vegetables that included carrots, celery, and broccoli, you also have the option to have mashed potato or rice on the side.

Another dish we tried is the Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta (Php 415). This one I enjoyed as well. The pasta sauce was rich and creamy at the same time. There is also a hint of spice, which wasn't really spicy to the taste but it rather gave the dish a bit of a kick to it.

For dessert, we had the Chocolate Malted Turtle (PhP 265) that was the perfect way to cap off this lovely meal. It was made of warm and rich chocolate malt cake on the bottom and was topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate frosting, and toasted almonds. Yup, heavenly!

Overall, a great dining experience at TGIFriday's. Not an inexpensive fare but certainly worth every penny you spend.

Italianni's at Abreeza – Italian Cuisine At Its Best

Italian has always been one of my favorite international cuisines, alongside Japanese. I mean, who doesn't love some pasta or pizza from time to time? Dining at Italianni's and having our own branch here in Davao felt like a long time coming. Hence, it was only worthy of a visit one Tuesday holiday for a quiet (and fully satisfying) lunch. E & I opted to visit their Abreeza branch on lunch time because I've noticed that the place is almost always jam-packed at night.

Let us cut to the chase and head right over to the food, which was obviously the best part of our experience there. I was craving for some vegetables and a pizza. So, I picked one that would satisfy both cravings – Pizza Verdure. This is Italianni's version of vegetarian pizza that consisted of my favorite toppings – artichoke, mushroom, asparagus, and broccoli. Yes, yum-o!! The pizza was worth around Php395, which is a great deal knowing that this is a family sized pizza. The crust, even though thick, was soft and created a perfect compliment to the vegetable toppings. 

 

Meanwhile, E picked a seafood dish. We opted for what the waiter recommended – the Grilled Pepper Fish Fillet (Php 575). It was the perfect dish for a fish lover like I am. Even E, who isn't that into fish, dig it! By the way, it was Cream Dory, so there's more reason to like it! The fish was paired with angel hair pasta that was cooked al dente along with sauteed vegetables that are cooked to perfection! This dish is all about subtlety but the flavors were all in there. 

For drinks, we had the refreshing combination of citrus juice made up of lemon, dalandan, and calamansi (PhP 140). It's a refreshing tropical drink, alright, but it was way too much citrus in there. If you order this, avoid drinking until you've stuffed yourself.

By the way, they do have a complimentary treat, which is tuscan bread and an olive oil with balsamic vinegar dip (picture above). Hence, you won't go hungry waiting for your orders to be served.

A return trip to Italianni's is in order, especially since there are many other items off their menu that we'd like to try, especially the desserts. :D