Cafe Mediterranean: Flavors of the Sun

Cafe Mediterranean, or Cafe Med as it is casually referred to by some foodies, has been around the scene for some time. The original location of this restaurant was in Chimes and I honestly do not know if that branch is still open because I haven't been there in a long while. Nonetheless, the opening of a new branch at Abreeza made them more accessible to those who would like to enjoy authentic Mediterranean dishes that I still consider to be rare in Davao. But if you are a big fan of this cuisine, like I am, this will hopefully make do while we wait for an authentic Greek or Mediterranean restaurant to do business in the city. Hello Cyma, I'm talking to you!

Cafe Mediterranean was known for their Buy 1, Take 1 Pizza Promo available from 2-5PM on weekdays (there was a point when this was the craze in Davao and almost every pizza shop had this offer!). Although I never got the chance to take advantage of that promo offer, I remembered ordering mostly their pizzas during my few trips to their Chimes branch.

The ambiance of Cafe Mediterranean in Abreeza is nearly an exact replica of their original branch. It does help to reinforce the experience of being in a Mediterranean restaurant wherein you are enjoying some pasta, cheese, and wine. But ambiance is just one step into the experience - food is what it will all come down to.

It starts with Mediterranean Pasta (P 265) that has all the goodness you would expect from a pasta that bears that name. The penne pasta comes with sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, grilled eggplants and zucchini, and anchovies. The flavor of this pasta is rather subtle, but you cannot help but notice the lovely aroma coming from the olives, olive oil, and grilled vegetables. Simply enticing!

Another dish that we've tried is the Cafe Mediterranean Kofta (P 140), simply out of curiosity because it was listed as one of their must-try dishes. There are two options for the pita bread used for preparing this dish - regular or whole wheat pita. We opted for the latter, which I believe is a bit more expensive. The meat is a combination of ground beef and lamb that is savored with various herbs and grilled on skewers. We were slightly disappointed with the choice to go with the whole wheat pita bread because the aroma is slightly too overwhelming that it clashed with the aroma of the meat. There was simply too much going on. We both agreed there and then that the pasta dish was our favorite.

Have you tried dining at Cafe Mediterranean?

Cafe Med: Flavors of the Sun is located at G/F of Abreeza Ayala Mall (the side fronting the fountain).

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Krispy Kreme Christmas Treats

It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth. I always blame that for my constant craving for sweets like chocolates and donuts. Hence, I am one of many excited folks in Davao when Krispy Kreme finally brought their donut goodness into the city. And that means no more asking for pasalubong for every time anyone in the family visits Manila because there are, in fact, three branches of it in the city.

Recently, I had the chance to drop by their SM Annex branch before going on a movie date for The Hobbit. During that visit, we sampled one of their Christmas Treats - the Snowflakes donut. It features the same donut goodness that you would expect from Krispy Kreme, which is a dream for anyone with a sweet tooth. I believe their Snowflakes donuts have options for fillings but I went with the kreme filling and I suggest you do, too. It's heavenly!

In addition to their special edition Christmas donuts at KK, I also munched on their New York Cheesecake (one of my faves!) and had their Chilled Caramel Latte. What a fantastic pre-movie meal!

I'm not sure if the Christmas Treats donuts are still available. But if you want to give the other donut flavors a try, make sure to pay one of their branches a visit on either SM Annex, SM Lanang, or Abreeza! 

 

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

Red Kimono at Abreeza

It was our first time at Abreeza and so my boyf and I were clueless on where to eat. We decided to scour the entire mall for a while before we decide where to have our dinner. We ended up getting lost (oops, LOL) and it took us maybe around 30 minutes before we finally got settled. It was a tiny nook in the left side of the mall wherein we found Red Kimono. Other choices would have been TGIFriday's, Italianni's, and Mooon Cafe (my 3 other choices), but these restaurants were jam packed that night (it was a Wednesday) and neither I nor my tummy had the patience to wait!

So, we decided to go for Red Kimono since I had also been eyeing it for a while and anyone who knows me is aware that I am a massive Japanese food fanatic. This is their first time to open a branch in Davao City, so that is another reason for me to get excited.

I noticed that the ambience had more of a modern Japanese feel, which was warm and welcoming. However, the place is tad too small especially since they had large tables for a group and we were seated in the table for two right at the center. It was difficult even for the waiters and waitresses to walk from one table to another without bumping into our table or chair. To make matters worse, E's chair also had a defect that he nearly fumbled when trying to lean over to one side. Hopefully, they could address this problem because it wasn't the most comfortable dining experience. Everything else was fine, though, and the service crew was attentive and accommodating.

As for the food, E ordered Sukiyaki (PhP 215) that comes with Australian beef, tofu, and mushroom with noodles. I was able to taste it and it was really good. The flavors are subtle but rich. My favorite Japanese soup is still Rai Rai Ken's seafood hotpot, but it was some good competition. There was a bit of sweetness to the soup, too, which was a pleasant surprise.

Aside from Japanese food, I am also a sucker for seafood so I immediately scanned their seafood section. I ordered Fillet of Cream Dory (PhP 295) because the photo on their menu just looked so inviting! The fish was grilled to perfection (just as the menu said!) and the spinach was perfect compliment to the fish! The serving also came with mashed potato and E noted it was a little too garlic-y, but it was just perfect for me! Loved it, even.

It was an overall great dining experience for us and the food was indeed the highlight. Again, we wanted to try their maki and dessert but I guess that was all my tummy could take. Except for the few issues I raised above, I would recommend Red Kimono!